5.3 Bulletins in organisational and corporate communications

The purpose of a bulletin is to inform a group of people about a specific matter.

Organisations and companies draw up media releases, which are offered to the media. The aim is for the media to use them as a basis for a news story; the media release functions as a foundation for a news text. The release must be interesting enough to be newsworthy. Organisations and companies also use bulletins in their internal communications to inform their own personnel about matters related to the organisation. In this case, it is easier to make them newsworthy.

A bulletin must be concise and clear in both content and layout in order to make it easy for the reader to understand the main content. The language must be error-free formal style and suitable for the intended audience. The structure is similar to that of a news story – the most important facts are given first. The middle provides additional information and the conclusion presents the facts mentioned more extensively, for example using background information. At the end, provide the contact information of a person who can give further information.