Before you send it  ·  2 min read

A press release is public and permanent once it is sent. Check that the news is in the first sentence, every fact and number is right, every quote is approved by the person quoted, the date and embargo are correct, the contact details work, and the boilerplate is current.

Acceptance criteria for a one-page leadership report, with one check still openDone checks: leadership reportIt fits on one page.It opens with the decision leadership needs to make.The three findings that bear on that decision, each withits number.Every chart has a title and a source.Dana has approved it.Each check is ayes-or-no questionanyone can answer.Check 3 is open, so thework is not done. Nobodyhas to argue about it.
Once it is sent, you cannot take it back.
1Before you send it

1. The news is in the first sentence

Reporters decide in one line. Who did what, when, and why it matters. If the first sentence is about your company's mission, rewrite it.

2Before you send it

2. Every fact checked

Names, titles, dates, numbers, prices, places. Check each against the source. Spell every name right, including in the quotes.

3Before you send it

3. Quotes approved

Every quote must be approved, in writing, by the person quoted, including partners and customers. A quote nobody approved can end a relationship.

4Before you send it

4. Approvals done

Legal, leadership and any partners named. Get them in writing, on the final version.

5Before you send it

5. Date and embargo

Is the release date right? If there is an embargo, is the time and time zone clear at the top: "EMBARGOED UNTIL 9:00 AM ET, JUNE 17"?

6Before you send it

6. Contact details

Name, email and phone of someone who will answer on release day. Test them.

7Before you send it

7. Links and images

Click every link. Check that image links work and that you have the rights to every image.

8Before you send it

8. Boilerplate

The "About [company]" paragraph at the end. Is it current? Right numbers, right description?

9Before you send it

A checklist

Copy this
[ ] News in the first sentence[ ] All names, titles, numbers and dates checked[ ] Every quote approved in writing[ ] Legal, leadership and partners approved the final version[ ] Release date and embargo correct[ ] Media contact tested[ ] Links and images work, rights cleared[ ] Boilerplate current
10Before you send it

Check it against the brief

Paste the release and its brief into the free Work Check tool to see what is missing before final approvals.

11Before you send it

A first review before approvals

In M-Tracker, the release can be a task with a brief. The draft gets a first review against it before it goes to legal and leadership, so their time goes on the decisions that need them. No screenshots and no activity tracking.

How M-Tracker helps

Where M-Tracker fits

M-Tracker gives every task a clear brief and every finished piece of work a first review, in plain words, before it reaches the manager. No screenshots, no scores.

Try M-Tracker free14-day trial. No credit card. No employee surveillance.

How a task moves through M-Tracker: brief, work, review, improve, then the manager1BriefResult, audience,must include, due.Files and linksattached.2WorkThe person does itand attaches whatthey made.3ReviewM-Tracker comparesthe work with thebrief. One plainparagraph.4ImproveThey fix what ismissing while it isfresh.5ManagerSees work thatalready passed itsown test.No screenshots. No scores. The person sees the review first.
FAQ

Questions people ask

How long should a press release be?

About one page, 300 to 500 words.

Who should do the final read?

Someone who has not seen it before, reading it slowly, out loud.

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