Branded templates, press releases and Amnesty logos

The work that local groups do for Amnesty is vital, and we want to help you promote your events and activities to local people as well as the media. Here are our tips for writing press releases, and some branded templates to help you communicate more effectively.  For practical advice about communicating effectively with the media you could download the Groups Media Handbook (pdf), or read the tips below.

Top tips for writing press releases

• Include group contact details clearly at the bottom of the press release (eg telephone, mobile and fax numbers and email addresses)
• Date the press release to indicate its newsworthiness
• Give your press release a newsy title, bold in capitals (avoid puns and cliches)
• Put the main facts in the first paragraph. Remember the five Ws: what? why? who? when? where? Journalists may not read beyond the title or first paragraph
• Stress the local angle. Point out the national and international nature of Amnesty campaigning - it adds weight. Include a quote from a spokesperson. This gives the journalist a ready-made quote
• For an event, include date, time, exact place, names of those to be present, purpose and duration of the action. Put this at the top or bottom of the press release
• Avoid long paragraphs or sentences. Keep the page layout clear and uncrowded.

Embargo

You might want to send information in advance, but not want it published or announced before a certain date. In the heading of the press release enter this as the 'embargo date'. This tells journalists the earliest time that they can feature the story. Embargoes are commonly used to build up interest in a news story, for example the release of a report.

Other templates

The document templates below carry our Protect the Human branding. We have made them available to local groups and activists so that you can create your own letters, press releases and flyers to promote your Amnesty events and activities. All you need to do is open, edit and save.

Amnesty logos

These logos are available for local activists to download and use on group websites and printed literature.  Use the high resolution logo for print purposes and the low resolution for web and email communications. 

To download the medium and small logo right click with your mouse on the image and save it onto your computer.

medium	small

Or you can download a print quality logo and a PDF version here: