The purpose of advisories is to notify the media of an impending event, such as a press conference, stating the “who, what, where, when and why”. Unlike the press release, an advisory does not need to reveal the full story – it should only entice reporters to come to the event or to contact the campaign team for more information.
Main parts of a press advisory
- The words “MEDIA (or PRESS) ADVISORY” in the top left corner of the page
- Headline describing the event
- Contact names, phone numbers and e-mail of campaigners who can speak to the press
- Date, time and place of the event, prominently displayed and highlighted
- Brief description of the purpose, main participants and activities of the event, and if there will be photo opportunities or one-on-one interviews made possible
- "###", or “END” at the end of the page, which indicates the end of the information being provided
- Very brief standard paragraph describing the campaign and its organizers (sometimes referred to as ‘boilerplate’ language).
- The full advisory should fit on a single page.