1. Use business letterhead or put your name, business name, street and mailing address, city, state, zip, business phone number (including area code) at the top of your release.

2. Type your releases in easy-to-read fonts. A handwritten release is unacceptable. Always double space so that editors can mark-up your copy with ease. If it's not easy to edit, it's not likely to get published.

3. State the date and indicate your requested release date. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE indicates that the material is current and that it may be disseminated immediately at the discretion of the editor. FOR RELEASE ON MONDAY, JUNE 14, indicates that the text will not be appropriate until that date. This latter format is sometimes used when people send releases including the text of remarks made at a public forum.

4. Type CONTACT: followed by your name, title, and phone number including area code (yes, again, even though it's on your letterhead).

5. Provide a simple headline. This serves as the title for your piece and may even be printed if you happen to land on the desk of an over-tired editor. The best headlines use action words and are brief.

6. The text of your release. Remember, double space this. Leave wide margins, say 1-1/2", on all sides. If your release is longer than one page, be sure to number all pages including the first. Type ### in the center of the last page at the end of your release to confirm that the text has come to an end.

7. If you are faxing a brief release, it is more important to get it all on one page than to double space it. This reduces the chance for the second page to get lost in the blizzard of paper in most newspaper and magazine offices.