The format for each News Lead is designed to satisfy the needs of journalists. By making their needs primary, we increase your opportunities for press coverage. After all, if your mailing just gets round-filed, what's the benefit to you?

While we won't control what you write, we do have a format that you must follow. It, along with your copy, is designed to capture the attention of the reader, be a fast read, lure the reader into wanting more information, and provide immediate and easy means to get more details. Most importantly, the News Lead must convince the journalist that the story is newsworthy. Remember, many are vying for their attention. And keep in mind, these are tips about news stories -- not the full story itself. They are the "smell" of the honey; not the honey itself!

The format we require is:

1. Headline -- in all caps
2. Text
3. Contact Information

Headline
Short. Snappy. To the point. The headline is what the journalist will see first. If you get their attention with your headline, then they will read the copy block below it. Please try and use in your headline: Subject, Strong Verb, Object (if needed). If you focus on strong, action-oriented verbs, you can avoid adjectives, which tend to lean toward puffery and exaggeration. Read the section below on "Text." What is written there on news values also is quite applicable here. Customarily, it's best to write your text before you write the headline.

Text
The text itself can be no longer than 10 typed lines. It can be shorter or a line or two longer, but please stay within these guidelines. If not, we'll unfortunately have to return it for editing.

When writing this section, keep in mind news values, attributes the media uses to determine newsworthiness. The news values are:

1. Proximity
   Example: The launch of a store in LA is more important to media there than an opening in Houston.
2. Timeliness
   Example: The opening of a store today is more important than a store opening six months ago. (Comment: if news is aged, avoid use of specific time elements. Use such words as "has opened."
3. Consequence
   Example: A store that will serve 5 million people ... A store that will solve all of LA's pet problems.. What is the consequence, the impact of the story? If there will be significant impact, play it up. Be sure you can back-up what you say.
4. Prominence
   Example: President Clinton will visit a store that will open tomorrow in LA. This has two news values... prominent person and timeliness.
5. Unusualness
   This should be familiar to you. In the news world, it's the story of how a dog biting a mail carrier is not news, but a mail carrier biting a dog is news. What is there about your story that might cause it to be considered unusual, an interruption of the status quo?

Contact Information
Include source -- the name of the person(s) to be contacted for additional information, and the source's title. Include email address, daytime and evening phone, fax number, url (if it would be helpful), and snail mail address. If the journalist wants your press release now, how will they get it this minute? Because you don't want them to think about getting it later, we recommend an autoresponder. If you don't have one, here are details on how you can get one from us.

A behavior modification technique has been perfected by national dog trainer Linda Carmona that means dog owners no longer have to bear the brunt of angry neighbors. With her online training program, Carmona says dog owners anywhere can quickly learn how to solve their dog barking problems.

SOURCE: Linda Carmona, Dog Behavior Specialist; mailto:xxxx, 202-222-2222 voice 24 hrs.; http://www.carmona.net; news release via autoresponder: mailto: xxx.xxx.