The Hy-Vee’s developed a new press release regarding additional changes to store equipment and procedures to further protect employees and customers. Pyramid structure is very important in releases. The basic structure of one may include, the first and second paragraphs of the inverted pyramid will have all the facts. It may also have some supporting detail, such as an image of the new product you are launching, a video clip, or both.The third paragraph will usually include a quote from someone in the know in your niche to help provide a context for your information. The fourth paragraph would usually be what is called your “boilerplate”, your standard corporate information and contact details. The boilerplate also provides a context that tells journalists reading your press release who you are and why you are worth paying attention to. The contact information is essential in case any media representatives want to follow up with you about your press release.
The beginning of their press release was strong and included the facts aspect, as it explained what the release was addressing. It explained briefly some of the things they were changing about the store to protect customers and employees, which is very important. As you get to the middle of the press release they begin to go into detail about when the new policies were going to be implemented and what you would have to do as a customer and employee at Hy-Vee. They also included a quote from Randy Edeker, the Hy-Vee’s chairman, CEO and president. The quote stated, “We continue to implement additional ways to adapt at Hy-Vee, so that we can serve our customers and protect the health and wellness of those who work and shop in our stores.” That was a strong source to pull because he is at the head of this cooperation, making that an excellent choice for the press release.
If I could interview an additional person it would be a manager at one of the locations, so they can go into detail about the precautions that the stores are making. In the last paragraph they included all of their attributions and recognitions on a global scale and they also provided a link to contact them, leading you directly to their website. This content definitely flowed from what’s most important to last. It also included a lot of newsworthiness and impact in it’s writing.
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