Communication
Ribbon cutting press releases the local paper will run
Enter the business, the date and what makes it newsworthy. Civitas writes the release in standard format and a short pitch note for the editor.
Start freeThe problem
Local papers get a steady stream of ribbon cutting releases and run the ones with a reason: jobs, a building that sat empty, a first for the county. Most releases bury that in the fourth paragraph. The note you send with it matters as much as the release.
What you answer
- What is the business name, and who are the owners?
- When and where?
- What is the business?
- Is there anything genuinely newsworthy?
- Any quotes?
- Who will be there?
- Where is this going?
What you get
- A release with headline, dateline, lead, quotes, practical details and boilerplate
- The newsworthy element in the first paragraph
- Only the quotes you supplied, with any chamber quote marked for your approval
- A pitch note under 80 words
- A heads-up when the news angle is thin, with what to ask the owner
Fair Haven, Georgia is a fictional town used for examples.
Press release
Who it is for
Chamber communications staff who announce new members and openings to local newspapers and radio.
Questions
Will it invent a quote from the chamber?
If you do not provide one, it drafts a chamber quote and marks it as needing your approval. It never puts words in the mouth of an owner or official who did not say them.
What makes a release likely to run?
A concrete news element near the top: jobs created, a vacancy filled, an investment figure, or a first for the county.
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