How to Incorporate Statistics & Research into a Press Release

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At PRW, we answer your most frequently asked questions through the FAQ link on our home page. From time to time, we get additional pertinent questions from clients and our PRW free newsletter subscribers. We feature questions that cover areas that are important but not as frequently asked if we feel they are useful.

Question: What is the proper way to cite research and statistics in a press release? Should it be in the press release text, or in the form of an editor’s note?

Answer: Most research should be incorporated into the body of the text in as simple words as possible. Statistics can be deadly dull and should be used sparingly. Don’t use them unless they are imperative to understanding the subject or they dramatize a startling fact, (i.e., 83 million people in U.S. and Canada use the Internet!) Although we are traditionally taught in high school and college to use footnotes in research papers, bear in mind a press release is not a research paper. An effective release should grab the reader immediately with attention-getting facts and not be cluttered up with boring statistics. Presented in a short, succinct style, a press release should reflect your knowledge of the subject without dragging your reader through the steps of your research.

An editor’s note is not usually used in a press release. The words should speak for themselves in a clear, concise manner. If you have to add a note to explain your words, you have not expressed your thoughts clearly.