Chris Nicholson

Writer & Editor

Press Release Writer

When I was a magazine editor, I would receive press releases almost daily. I would quickly look at each and distribute it to one of two piles:

  1. Hold for possible use.
  2. The recycle bin.

The press releases in the first pile had a chance of being used as a news brief or to generate ideas for a larger article.

That’s how most editors of magazines, newspapers and websites use press releases. And because I did this for years, I have a pretty good idea of why a release may get designated to one pile or the other. I use that knowledge to help me write press releases that are more likely to be picked up.

I have been writing news releases for almost a decade and can therefore work quickly and efficiently in every step of the process. My interviews can be as short as a couple of minutes, which is often critical when speaking with busy executives. I comply with company styles, use company templates and boilerplates, and write to an exact length. And I can do it all with a quick turnaround.

If you own a small business without its own public relations staff, I can help you craft a release that will be circulated and used to draw attention to your organization or brand. If you already have a PR staff that can use an extra hand to contain a large workload, I can help. If you are building a media kit with news releases, a company history and executive summaries, I can help put that together as well.


Sample Projects

Sacred Heart University

Long-standing relationship with Sacred Heart University writing press releases for the department of marketing and communications. Other projects have included writing announcements for new hires, writing bios for campus-event programs, and writing and editing articles for the university's alumni magazine.

PR Campaign, Broadband Records

Built a press kit, including writing bios and press releases and designing a website, for two album releases for this independent label’s duo Sweetbird. Using experience as a magazine editor to understand the editorial needs of publications, handled incoming press inquiries and conceived story ideas to assist and appeal to individual publications. Efforts resulted in several feature articles about Sweetbird being published in key target markets.

Villanova University

Ongoing relationship writing and editing articles for the marketing department at the Villanova School of Business. I have written articles for them about innovative courses in the university's business program, features about community outreach efforts, and profiles of interesting and successful alumni.

Friends Seminary

I have twice been brought on campus during this school's Visiting Scholars week to speak with the invited guests (Neil deGrasse Tyson and Jeffrey Toobin) and with students about this unique educational opportunity. I used that material and additional reporting to write press releases to be circulated immediately following the events.

  • Press releases
  • Event announcements
  • New-hire announcements
  • Executive and staff bios