Press Releases and Media Relations

Use the headline to convey the main point of the story. Use active verbs in the present tense and clear, understandable language. Keep headlines short and simple, and include keywords relevant to the content.

Headline Format

• Use sentence case: Capitalize the first word and proper nouns.
• Capitalize the first word that follows a colon.
• Exclude most uses of “a” and “the,” and the verb “to be.”
• Do not include punctuation unless the headline poses a question
• Headlines do not require "University of Illinois" before "Extension."
  • Example: Extension virtual course builds stress-management tools for farmers

Begin the body of the release with the city name in all capital letters, followed by the state abbreviation (not the two-digit postal code abbreviation), and an em dash set off on both sides with a space: (CITY, Ill. — )

• URBANA, Ill. — Begin your story here.
• CHICAGO — Some cities are exempt from requiring a state abbreviation.

Press releases follow the inverted pyramid structure, with the most important information at the beginning and the least important at the end, allowing editors to easily cut content if space is limited. The opening paragraph should be two to three sentences that are direct and clearly summarize the story's basis.

The opening paragraph should include how people’s lives will improve or a problem will be/has been solved. To achieve this, write from the perspective of the person reading the release, not from the company’s perspective.

• Why should I care? Then, if you make me care, what do I need to know or do to improve my life?
• Who, what, where, when, and how.

Opening Paragraph: Events

• Who is the intended audience?
• What change/impact will happen to participants who come to the program?
• What is the event?
• Who is the sponsor?
• When will it be held? In this order, always use time (CST or CDT), date, location, and city.

Opening Paragraph: Topics

Follow the same guidelines outlined for events, but shift the focus to how this information is valuable or impactful to the reader.

The second and third paragraphs may include a quote from someone about the topic. For a basic release, two to three direct quotes are sufficient. Quotes should include the person’s first and last name, their job title, and the organization they work for.

“The second or third paragraph should be a quote,” says Jane Smith, communications manager, University of Illinois Extension. “Quotes may have a second sentence with additional information.”

It is appropriate to add a paragraph that paraphrases what someone said without using quotation marks, as long as you attribute the statement to the person, says Smith.

You may enhance (correct grammar, clarify) a quote as long as it doesn’t change the substance of the comment and the quoted person approves the edit.

Use the present tense of “says” instead of the past tense “said.” If the person is speaking about an event which has already happened, “said” is appropriate.

Additional Paragraphs for Events

Transition into logistical details, such as dates, web addresses, registration fees, and other transactional information.

Accommodation Statement

When promoting a meeting, webinar, or in-person program, the release must include Extension's official statement about accommodations and access. We recommend including this toward the end of the release:

• If you will need an accommodation in order to participate, please email [contact name at email address]. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs.

Additional Paragraphs for Topics

Provide any additional background information following the quoted material. This might include the history of a program or the partners involved in launching an effort. Think about the questions your readers are likely to have, and provide background context to address them. Use anywhere from one to three paragraphs to provide background context. 

Photos help tell the story if they are relevant and high-quality. A poor-quality photo is worse than no photo. Photos must meet the following criteria.

• Taken by Extension staff.
• Licensed legally or purchased from a photo service.
• Available through a Creative Commons license.

Photo Releases

Photos of identified people at a registered university event must have a talent release form on file.

Identifying People in Photos

People should be identified using the following template. Pic-tured are (seated, left to right) xxxxxx, town; xxxx, town; and xxxx, town; (standing) xxxxxx, town; and, xxxx, town. 

Including names of an official source and the writer for a release builds credibility and provides an immediate point of contact for media outlets and readers regarding interviews or follow-up questions.

Example

SOURCE: Courtney Cuthbertson, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Human Development and Family Studies

WRITER: Emily Steele, Media Communications Manager, University of Illinois Extension

Additional Contact Information

Example 1

SOURCE: Courtney Cuthbertson, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Human Development and Family Studies

WRITER: Emily Steele, Media Communications Manager, University of Illinois Extension

MEDIA ACCESS:  Marketing assets are available to download for media use. For specialist interviews, contact Staff Name at email@illinois.edu or 217-000-0000. 

Example 2

SOURCE: Courtney Cuthbertson, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Human Development and Family Studies

WRITER: Emily Steele, Media Communications Manager, University of Illinois Extension

INTERVIEWS: Contact Staff Name at email@illinois.edu or 217-000-0000 to request specialist interviews on this

• Spell out University of Illinois Extension in the first reference. Subsequent references can be Illinois Extension or Extension.
• Do not use “the” in front of University of Illinois Extension unless it is used as an adjective, such as “the University of Illinois Extension office.”

• Use "University of Illinois Extension serving Fulton County", not "Fulton County Extension" on first reference.
• Do not use Extension unit numbers in public communications.
  • Instead of: Unit 20 staff led a poverty simulation.
  • Use: Staff from Clark, Crawford, and Edgar coutnies led a poverty simulation.

• Always use a person’s first and last name the first time they are mentioned in a story.
• Only use last names on the second reference.
• Do not use Dr. unless the person is a medical doctor or veterinarian.

• Capitalize a job title when it precedes a person's name.
  • Example: Extension County Director, Sarah Smith, served as the keynote speaker.
• Do not capitalize a job title that follows a name.
  • Example: Sarah Smith, Extension county director, served as the keynote speaker.
• A job title, when not used with a name, is never capitalized.
  • Example: The county director served as the keynote speaker.

Abbreviate the month if used with a date, but not if standing alone. Never abbreviate months with five letters or fewer: March, April, May, June, or July. 

• Never use st, nd, th, or rd with a date.
• Always write dates with the month (abbreviated if needed) and the day, without a superscript.
• If the date includes a year, use a comma after the number before the year.
• If the sentence only includes the month and year, do not use a comma.

• Spell out numbers under 10.
• Use numerals for numbers 10 and over.
• Spell out numbers if they begin a sentence.
• Ages are always expressed as numbers.

• Use p.m. or a.m. in news releases, with a space before the p/a.
  • Capitalized AM and PM used without periods may be appropriate on a flyer, graphic, or website, but not in media releases.
• Use noon or midnight instead of 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.
• Never use :00 in times
  • Instead of: The club meeting begins at 6:00 p.m.
  • Use: The club meeting begins at 6 p.m.
• Do not repeat a.m. or p.m if beginning and end times are in the same range.
  • Example: The gardening program will be held from 10–11 a.m.

• Use state abbreviations instead of postal codes in media releases.
• Lead media releases with "CITY, Ill. — "
  • Use an em dash, not en dash, and include a space before and after it.
• The state abbreviation is not needed within the body of the release for a state or local paper, as long as there are no neighboring towns with the same name in nearby states. 

• Capitalize County when used as the name of a single county.
  • Example: She lived in Edgar County
• Do not capitalize counties when listing multiple counties.
  • Example: Program participants from Edgar, Douglas, and Clark counties attended the one-hour session.

• In general, lowercase north, south, southeast, etc., for compass directions, including areas of a state.
  • Example: Homeowners in northeast Illinois learned about tree care during the program.
• Capitalize names of regions.
  • Example: Corn contributes to summer humidity in the Midwest.

About Extension: University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 500 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.

About Illinois 4-H:
Illinois 4-H is the flagship youth development program of University of Illinois Extension, administered through the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Through hands-on learning and life-changing experiences, Illinois 4-H prepares youth to be Beyond Ready — ready for college, career, military service, entrepreneurship, and more. Young people build confidence, leadership, and resilience as they explore interests from agriculture to computer science. Independent research and national surveys confirm the powerful outcomes of 4-H: participants are 40% more likely to pursue a college degree, twice as likely to obtain technical training, and two times more likely to serve in the military. With a legacy of cultivating leaders, Illinois 4-H continues to grow the next generation who are equipped to thrive in life and work today and beyond.

University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners are rooted in community and grow through connection, studying and sharing research-based horticulture topics, including vegetable gardening, insects, tree and small fruits, introductory botany, integrated pest management, turfgrass care, plant diseases, tree and shrub care, soils and fertilizer, and flower gardening. Over 2,000 active volunteers invest their time and talents cultivating collaborative gardens that feed and support healthy communities, foster hands-on learning, enhance neighborhood beauty, and support the environment. Help Master Gardeners grow.

Illinois Extension’s Master Naturalists learn about botany, environmental ethics, archaeology, climate, forestry, geology, prairies, mammals, birds, insects, sustainable agricultural systems, and more from University of Illinois experts. They then share their time and expertise through local environmental stewardship projects such as invasive species removal, restoration projects, wildlife monitoring, and more. The Master Naturalist program is offered through Illinois Extension offices around the state. Learn more about how to become an Illinois Master Naturalist and bring positive change to your community’s natural areas at extension.illinois.edu/MN.

Extension’s natural resources, environment, and energy program provides research-based education for awareness and action to sustain healthy environments and ecosystems that support quality living and resilient communities. Extension staff empower people across Illinois to make a difference through the  Master Naturalist, Climate Steward, and Watershed Steward volunteer and training programs. 

The Red Oak Rain Garden is a 13,000-square-foot demonstration landscape that prevents flooding on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus and is managed by Illinois Extension and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant staff. More than 12,000 native plants absorb and filter up to 27,000 gallons of rainwater runoff per storm instead of allowing it to overwhelm sewer systems and contribute to flooding. It also provides wildlife habitat, connects the community with green spaces, and demonstrates sustainable landscape design.