Press Release

Content Type for New Press Releases

Summary

A Press Release is a page for publishing a traditional news release about a new development, an announcement or other matters. It can contain images and videos. A link to the Press Release is automatically added to your website's Press Release View when published. 

Audience

Editors can create new Press Releases but not publish them. Publishers and Web Managers can edit and publish existing Press Releases. Learn more about Platform User Roles and Permissions. 

How To

  • 1

    Create a Press Release

    New Content Types are created using the Content menu in your toolbar. To create a new Press Release, navigate to: Content > Add Content > Press Release.

    User interface with the mouse pointing to Add Press Release.

    Beging filling out the form. Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

    • Title (*) -  Enter the page name here. It appears in the browser's address bar and forms the URL so it should be brief. The optimal title length is less than 60 characters, including spaces. Include important keywords in the title to improve the search results. This appears on the Press Release, in its URL, and in the Press Release View.
    Form for editing the Press Release title.
  • 2

    Main Image

    Example of a Press Release with a Main Image. Governor Stein is sworn in.
    Example of a Press Release featuring a Main Image.

    Best Practices

    While not required, it is best practice to add a Main Image. The Main Image appears at the top of the Press Release. 

    Dimensions and Resolution

    The ideal dimensions for a Press Release Main Image are 1400px wide x 934px high. The recommended minimum resolution is double the desktop view size for clearer, better-looking images on high resolution screens. Download an image to use as a template. 

    Alternative Text

    All meaningful images must have descriptive alternative text (alt text) to be accessible for visitors with low or no vision. If the image does not convey meaningful information and is purely decorative, check the box for Decorative Image and leave the Alternative Text field empty. This allows screen reading software to skip over the image. Learn more about Alternative Text. 

    Add Media

    Before selecting a Main Image for a Press Release
    • Main Image - Select the Add Media button to add a Main Image.
    • The Media Library opens. Select the desired image, or upload a new image and select it.
    • Select Insert Selected.
    • A thumbnail of the image you selected now appears. 
    After adding a Main Image, a thumbnail appears on the Press Release.
  • 3

    Main Video

    The Main Video is an optional enhancement that appears on the Press Release in place of the Main Image. 

    Example of a Press Release with a Main Video. Governor Cooper discusses the NC economy.
    Example of a Press Release featuring a Main Video.

    Adding a Main Video

    • Optional Main Video - Select Optional Main Video to expand the menu.
    • Main Video URL - Enter the URL for a video hosted on YouTube or Vimeo.
    • Main Video Title - Enter a title for the video. It is required for accessibility but does not appear on your Press Release. Learn more about Accessible Audio and Video.
    A main video can be added to a blog entry. The form requires the user to enter a URL and Title.
  • 4

    Press Release Information

    Press Release Information fields. Date and Location are required.
    • Subtitle - The subtitle is optional. It appears on the Press Release.
    • Release Date (*) - The Release Date places Press Releases in the View chronologically and is required. The current date populates by default. To change the date, enter a new date in the field or use the Date Picker to select the new date from the calendar. 
    User interface of a date picker selecting a date on a grid calendar.
    • City / Location (*) - Required. Enter the City or Location where the Press Release is published or where the event described takes place. The City/Location appears above the main text in the published Press Release.
    • Summary - Briefly describe the Press Release. The Summary appears on both the Press Release and the Press Release View beneath the Title, and also appears in search engine results with the link. Provide a Summary to enhance Search Engine Optimization (SEO). 
    Edit the Summary to enhance search engine optimization and condense your opening sentence.
    Figure 1: Adding a summary allows you to be concise and precise. If left blank, the Summary field will be automatically populated with roughly the first 150 - 200 characters of text in your Page Content. 
    The summary displays in the press release view.
    Figure 2: The Summary appears in the Press Release View. 
    The summary displays in search engine results
    Figure 3: The Summary appears in search engine results. Providing a concise summary helps drive traffic to your website by improving Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This Press Release resulted twice because the keywords from the Summary are on both the Press Release View, and the individual Press Release page. 

     

  • 5

    Page Content

    Best Practices

    Write for your audience's needs in plain and direct language. Not sure where to begin? Use a tool to help simplify your writing, such as the Hemingway Editor, and consider our Writing for the Web training. 

    Example of the text editor on a blog entry filled with formatted text and in inline image.

    Text Format

    • Paste Filtered HTML - Text Format is set to Paste Filtered HTML by default. When you paste text into the text editor with this setting, hidden HTML tags are filtered out to maintain a consistent look across your website.
    • Full HTML - To retain markup, change the Text Format to "Full HTML" using the drop-down menu before pasting content.  
  • 6

    Contact Information

    Select Contact Information to expand this section.

    • Contact Name - Enter the name of a person to contact with questions about the Press Release.
    • Contact Phone - Enter the contact person's phone number.
    • Contact Email - Enter the contact person's email address.
    Provide the contact information for an indivudal who can answer questions about the Press Release.
  • 7

    Related Videos

    In addition to the Main Video, you can add more videos that appear at the bottom of the Press Release in the Related Videos section by inserting Video Cards.

    • Select Additional Videos to expand the menu.
    • Select the Add Video Card button. 
    Before adding additional videos to a Blog Entry
    • Title (*) - Enter a title for the Video Card. The title displays beneath the embedded video on your Blog Entry. This field is required.
    • Title Heading Level - Select the appropriate heading level for the card title. Learn about Headings and Digital Accessibility.
    • Video URL (*) - Enter the URL of a video hosted on YouTube or Vimeo. This field is required.
    • Date - Enter the date of the video. 
    After adding additional videos to a Blog Entry.
    A vertical number line is placed on a scene of a hot air balloon, sailboat, and scuba diver. Explanation in caption.
    • Repeat this process to add as many Video Cards as you need.
    • Collapse - Use the Collapse button to collapse the details of a particular Video Card. This is useful when you have multiple Video Cards.
    • Ellipsis (...) - Use the ellipsis beside the Collapse button if you need to Remove or Duplicate a Video Card.  
    • Rearrange multiple Video Cards by dragging and dropping them into the desired order, or by adjusting their Row Weights. To bring an item closer to the top, assign it a lower number.  
  • 8

    Related Information

    User interface for adding additional resources and related information to a press release.

    Documents

    This area is useful for providing information such as a program schedule, public notice, permit, or meeting agenda. All online public documents should meet digital accessibility requirements. Learn about Accessible PDFs and Documents.

    • To upload a Document, select Add Media. Repeat this process to add as many documents as you need.
      • You may upload an unlimited number of files.
      • The maximum size for each file is 256 MB.
      • The allowed file types include: .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .csv, .txt, .rtf, .zip, .ppt, .pptx, .xml, .kmz, and .mp3.
      • Learn about uploading files here.
    • Remove - Select the Remove button, indicated by an "X' within a circle on top of the document, to remove that document.
    • Rearrange multiple media items by dragging and dropping them into the desired order, or by adjusting their Row Weights. To bring an item closer to the top, assign it a lower number. 

    Related Content

    Provide related links, if desired.

    • URL - Enter a web address.
      • Links within your website - Start typing the Title of the content to which you want to link and select it from the search results. You can also enter an internal path, such as /node/add.
      • External links - Paste the URL if it points to a website other than your own.
    • Link Text - Enter text for the link.
    • Select Add Another Item to post additional links.
    • Select Remove Item to delete a link.

    Learn about creating meaningful links. 

    Related Content links pointing to internal and external URLs.

     

    Taxonomy Terms

    Press release terms display in a drop-down menu on the List View for Press Releases.
    Example: Press Release Terms appear in a drop-down menu on the NC Division of Broadband Equity website Press Releases List View. 

    Content Types that appear in Views can be tagged with taxonomy terms to help visitors filter for the content that interests them. Web Managers can add new terms to the vocabulary, while other user roles may apply those terms to their content. Options are specific to your Division or Office and differ from the examples provided. If you are unsure which taxonomy terms to apply, ask your Web Manager.

    The taxonomic terms you apply appear in two places:

    • In the drop-down menu on the Press Release List View located at (/news/press-releases) of your website.
    • At the bottom of the Press Release in the Related Topics section as a bulleted list of links.
    Press release terms display at the bottom of a Press Release as a bulleted list of links under Related Topics.
    Example: Press Release Terms appear at the bottom of a Press Release on the NC Division of Broadband Equity website.

    Adding Terms to your Press Release

    • Select Related Information to expand this section.
    • Select one or more appropriate terms to classify your Press Release. Terms darken when selected. To deselect a term, select it again.
      • Press Release Terms - Select one or more terms from the available options. Example: Disaster Recovery
      • Division/Office - Select one or more terms from the available options. Example: Governor's Office 
    Press release terms from the Office of the Governor.
    This Press Release is tagged with the terms "Disaster Recovery" and "Governor's Office." 
  • 9

    Save Often

    Save often as you work on your content to avoid losing work due to timing out or navigating away from the page. 

    • Editors may only save as "Draft" or "Needs Review."
    • Publishers and Web Manager may also save as "Published." 

    Current State: Displays the current status of the Content Type and whether or not it is available to the public. 

    Change to: The state you want the content to be in the next time you select the Save button. 

    • Draft - All new content types are in Draft State by default. This state allows you to continually edit and save your work before it is made available to the public.
    • Needs Review - Editors may save as Needs Review when they are finished working and want a Publisher or Web Manager to publish the content.
    • Published - This content is available to the public. Only a Publisher or Web Manager can choose this state.
    • Unpublished - This content was available to the public at one time, but is not now. Only a Publisher or Web Manager can choose this state.

    Delete: Deleted Content Types cannot be recovered. If you may need this content again in the future, it is best to change the state to Unpublished. 

    Change to Save as Published
    Save content as Published to make available to the public.