Naratama
Sept 10, 2025

I’ve been looking for a book about how to write a press release on Amazon and other online
bookstores. I found a lot of academic books consisting of communication theories combined
with the press experiences of the writers, who are mostly either college scholars, PR agency
executives, or senior journalists. The price ranges from $5 to $40, and you can choose a
paperback, Kindle, or audiobook version. When I reviewed the book samples, all of them were
great and full of quality knowledge. But for me, this was not what I wanted. I didn’t want to read
a heavy, instructional, and overly structured book where I felt like I was listening to a boring
college lecturer in class.
Then, finally, I found one! “Your Press Release is Breaking My Heart – A Totally Unconventional
Guide to Selling Your Story in the Media”—a really cool and simple book title. I bought it, and
after two days of waiting, I finally received the paperback in my hands. Since then, I’ve been
keeping the book close whenever I have my reading time on the sofa or in bed. It’s a very
interesting book..
The writer is Janet Murray, a British journalist and PR coach who has written for dozens of
national newspapers like The Guardian, Huffington Post, Daily Telegraph, Entrepreneur, and
many more. She is also a blogger, speaker, and podcaster. Honestly, I was really surprised by
the way she delivers her words and sentences in the book, it helps readers like me easily
understand and learn about the world of press releases. Her writing style is to write the way she
speaks it.
Janet’s background and experience as a journalist offer a different perspective on how
journalists think, select, and decide whether to cover stories that come from the hundreds of
press releases distributed by PR companies. My favorite section is How to Newsjack, where I
learned how journalists gather stories. She provides real-life examples, showing how journalists
approach stories between political events, court cases, and cancer awareness days.
Not only that, Janet also shows you how to write email pitches for journalists. This is a very
important step-by-step guide for those who need to win over journalists and make sure their
emails actually get read. She answers common questions like: How long should your press
release be? What information should you include? Should you include photos? And how can
you make your press release stand out?
The book has 17 chapters and 138 pages, published independently by Janet Murray herself.
Although it was first published in 2016, the book remains timeless because the concepts can be
applied in any year, in any country, anywhere. This book is a must-read for those who work in
media, PR, advertising, communications, social media, digital content creation, music, fashion,
entertainment, event organizing, or public services.
As for me—as a broadcaster and video journalist who always tries to think from a journalist's
perspective—I consider this book my press bible to support my daily media work.

“Master the art of telling the right stories to the right people at the right time, and
you’ll have no trouble getting media coverage for your business and brand.”
— Janet Murray
And I completely agree—and am truly inspired.

Photo by: Naratama