A news alert is a mobile push notification that announces important, current events to your audience. It’s the most effective way to deliver breaking news because it’s fast, reliable and people have their phones on them at all times.
But the popularity of news alerts also reveals how polarizing they can be. A recent Pew Research Center study found that more than six-in-ten smartphone owners who follow the news closely ever get news alerts — but only half of them say they seek out more details on the story upon receiving an alert.
News alerts are a great way to share your organization’s work with the media, but you need to know how to write one that will capture the attention of journalists and their readers. Your media alert should include the basic information you’ve already shared, plus answers to the five “W” questions (who, what, where, when and why). You can also add contextual or background information that explores the bigger picture — for example, quotes from local residents or opinions from industry experts.
If you want your news alert to succeed, consider rewriting your text to incorporate AP style. This is the style that most newspapers and broadcasters use and it’s short, concise and widely recognized in the journalism community as accurate. Avoid too many adjectives or superlatives, and double-check your facts to be sure you’re using authoritative sources. Those sources should be able to back up your claims with documentation such as public records, government data or scholarly articles.