STEP ONE: FIND A NEWS ANGLE FOR YOUR HEADLINE

o Something new about your chapter
o An upcoming event, i.e., workshop or convention
o Connection between what you offer and current news,
i.e., National Stuttering Awareness Week
o Simple announcement of your chapter
o Controversial or surprising claim
 
"Localizing" the content of a release helps to make it more usable by media in a particular city or community. You only need localized material in one or two paragraphs to give it a local edge, but have this information at the beginning of your release.

STEP TWO: PRESENT THE BASIC FACTS FOR THE ANGLE OF YOUR HEADLINE
 
Answer the journalist's "Five W's": Who? What? When? Where? Why? (Sometimes you only answer the first four.)
 
Amy Johnson at Gates Mills has found help through the Cleveland Chapter at the National stuttering Project (NSP), which meets at 7:30p.m. on the 2nd Monday of each month at the Cleveland Hearing & speech Center, 11206 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland; and at 7:30 p.m. on the 4th Monday at each month at Southwest General Hospital, 18697 Bagley Road, Middleburg Hts.
 
STEP THREE: GATHER OR CREATE A LIVELY QUOTE THAT ELABORATES QN THE BASIC FACTS
 
Here you quote someone who can back up the basic claim of the release -- you; the Executive Director; or someone who carries weight with your target audience. A quote enables you to bring the story to life, provide perspective, or add star appeal.
 
"Living with a stuttering problem can affect every aspect of one's life," says Johnson, a member of the Cleveland chapter. "Before I came to my first meeting, I had never talked about my stuttering with another person. I tried my best to hide the problem and felt very-much alone."
 
STEP FOUR: ELABORATE FURTHER ON THE BASIC FACTS
 
What else do you want to communicate? You can continue to quote yourself, quote someone else, or simply report additional facts about stuttering and the NSP. Excellent ideas and information can be found in the sample news release found in your chapter manual or from the many NSP brochures.
 
Many myths and misconceptions surround stuttering. Often even the person who stutters does not understand the true nature of the problem which confronts him or her daily. The most damaging of these myths, and one that creates a great deal of shame, guilt and fear for the person who stutters, is that stuttering is a nervous disorder.

Some facts to know about stuttering:

o An exact cause is not known.
o Research indicates neurological factors are probably involved.
o stuttering can run in families
o stuttering almost always starts between the ages of two and five.
o Boys are four times more likely to stutter than girls.
o The degree to which people stutter varies greatly.
o People who stutter experience "good days" and "bad days."
o For many adults, stuttering can be a chronic, lifelong disorder.

DO'S AND DON'TS OF NEWS RELEASES

DO put a contact name and number in the upper left corner of the release.

DO indicate under the contact line when you want the story released. If no particular date, type "For Immediate Release".

DO Double space the release, leaving room on top, bottom and side margins for editorial notes.

DO localize the lead paragraph.

DO identify your organization fully and mention its purpose. It is a good idea to develop a standard paragraph that can go at the end of each release.

DO keep the news release brief and to the point. If the release goes into a second page, type "more" at the bottom of the page.

DO type "30" or "##" to indicate the end of the release.

DO proofread the release very carefully for dates, spelling, names, typos, etc.

DON'T type a release entirely in capitals.

DON'T type on both sides of the paper.

DON'T editorialize. To convey subjective ideas, use direct quotes.

DON'T use staples; fasten pages together with paper clips.

DON'T attempt to create a final release in one sitting. The key to a good news release is edit, edit, edit.