How to Write an Award Press Release?

An award is a matter of elation for the winner. Be it a trophy from kindergarten or a Nobel peace prize, the gesture is the same and the winner is elated the same. So, now that we’ve established that awards are good (as if people didn’t know that), we can get on to explaining why sharing the news of an award with the world is a good idea. For one, you don’t have to look hard for this year’s Nobel prize winners. The news does it for them. Similarly, awards of major importance are broadcast around the world. Needless to say, winning an award is a big deal for the world and for the winner themselves. A good way to let the world know of an award you may have won would be an award press release.

An award news is a marketing press release tool that informs the greater public of an award that someone has won, primarily to inform but mostly to gloat. Winning an award isn’t an easy feat, so you can actually gloat (though it’s better to stay humble). But either way, if you choose to get an award press release out, how would you write one? Here goes,

Write an Award Press Release

Obviously, an award press release will differ widely from a regular, corporate press release. It will be handled through different channels and be picked up by reporters looking for news in the entertainment section, which to be truthful, isn’t hard to come by. Still, as press release marketing goes, your award press release matters a lot, considering this will be the official transcript or description of the entire ceremony and the selection criteria. This release will be used by media outlets and websites to comment on say, this year’s Grammys or Golden Globes and will be treated as the official account of the entire ceremony. So, it would stand to reason that you put in a lot of effort. Aside from that effort, these are a few pointers that’ll guide you through.

Also Read: Comprehensive Guide to Write Press Release

Include the Name of Winner and Award in the Headline:

The headline should, like always, be creative, but for an award press release, the format is pretty much defined. The winner’s name and the award given are the two things that people will care about mostly, and these are the things that will go in the headline. Creativity comes in when you describe the whole affair. ‘A wins the Grammy’ is way too simple. You can spice things up by adding adjectives and generally improving the vocab set of the sentence. That’s how you do an award press release headline. There’s not much leeway for creativity in it anyway.

What?, Where? and Who?:

The first paragraph will then build on the headline to introduce more details on the topic. ‘A wins a Grammy’ isn’t enough either. Readers and media houses need to know where will the Grammys take place and what is A awarded with and what is he being awarded for. Participation trophies are a thing of past now for most of us, so we can be positive that A isn’t awarded a Grammy just for showing up. The ideal first para would start with something like this, ‘A has won a Grammy for his best-selling album, XYZ’. This first sentence explains the headline and sets the whole release in motion.

Also Read: Best Time to Send a Press Release

Describe the Winner in Press Release:

Describe what the songwriter or director or simply the winner does. Not something that is reflected by the title, but build more on that. If it’s a director, describe what usual filmography is like and why this movie fits his persona and his past. Describe the impact they’ve had on the industry overall and how this recent award announcement has bolstered their efforts for a new project. Really, anything that gives the press release an insight into the winner’s professional life.

Explain Movie / Song in the Press Release:

The main text should deal with the reason why the award was being considered in the first place (Grammy for songs, Golden Globe for movies). Either way, your award press release will first describe and explain what the song or movie is actually about: if it’s a movie, tap on what social issues it addresses or if it’s a song, explain how the song touches a specific demography or how it captures a social issue. After your award press release has done that, the final text body should explain the award. Everybody knows winning a Golden Globe is a big deal, just write how this is prestigious and how only the upper echelon of creativity can hope to achieve it.

Include Quotes in the End:

You should end the award press release with a quote from the winner. They will be elated, so the quote will be good. Be sure to capitalize on it and include it in a place that increases the weightage and standing of the entire award press release.