Creating and sending press releases

If you prefer to share news with the media and university-wide channels, please visit the How to spread your message page. If you have been contacted by a journalist and would like support, please visit the Press and media contacts page.

• The Higher Education Act states that "One of the activities of the university shall be to disseminate information about research and development work. It shall also disseminate information about the experience and knowledge gained and how this experience and knowledge can be applied."
• At Umeå University, it is the University Management, the faculty communications officers and the press officer who decide what should be sent out to the media in press releases. We chose to have this limitation in place to maintain control and an overview, and there is continuous planning between them so that releases do not clash.
• Each year, Umeå University sends around 250 Swedish press releases and many international ones.
• Press releases have their own form that journalists are used to decoding. Since media agencies receive lots of press releases every day, it is very important that they are created based on the customary form.
• Faculty communications officers, the press officer and other writers of the Communications Office are well versed in how to write press releases and are always available to help if you need to create one.
• Faculty communications officers, the press officer and other writers of the Communications Office are always the ones who decide whether a press release is an appropriate form of communication. Sometimes, for example, it may be more appropriate to notify individual journalists or media agencies, create an article on umu.se and/or share it on the University's social media.
• Press releases are sent from external platforms that handle the professional contact between the media and the University in a way that they are used to. Sending press releases via these platforms gives clear information to the journalist about who the source is, how to find images and what contact channels are available. The University also uses external platforms to share content to the Swedish Research Council's media platforms.

When you want to send a press release

• Before you start writing, always contact your faculty communications officer, a communications officer or the press officer for guidance. For the best results, do this as early in the process as possible.
• Doctoral theses are usually communicated as popular science news, with many people writing the material themselves. But before you start writing, it is always a good idea to contact your faculty communications officer for guidance.
• Research results and the inclusion of articles in research journals also usually result in articles on umu.se or press releases. Contact your faculty communications officer or the press officer for guidance.
• Awarded research funding is often news that is appreciated internally and on social media. However, it is rarely written about in traditional media, so a press release is usually not the best way to communicate this. Contact your faculty communications officer for guidance on communicating your news.