The trouble with online writing services is that few of the writers are trained in their fields. This is as true for press releases as anything else.

Press releases, as a document, have a highly specific format and content guidelines. I could add here that very few people bother to even find the right format when trying to write them. Google for "press release writing", and you will land up with a host of articles that are... articles. Not press releases.

The format for a press release is as follows:

• Details of release. In bold letters, the words "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" or "HOLD FOR RELEASE UNTIL MM/DD/YYYY" should be the first thing a reader sees.

• Headline. The headline should be short, under 15 words. It should contain the key point of the press release - e.g. "Apple Tablet finally released" rather than something that serves as a "teaser".

• Place and date. The town/city, state and country should be clearly named, followed by the date - in MM/DD/YYYY format.

• Body. The main body of the article should answer the questions - What? When? Where? How is this useful? How does it impact the audience?.

The body should contain multiple paragraphs, with every paragraph answering one of the above questions. The wording should be clear and precise - no frills allowed here(that's the journalist's job!).

The press release should be no more than one page long in total, everything included. If the release deals with a major event that requires space to be written about, you can continue to the second page by adding "-more-" at the end of the first page.

• Who is writing this? Honesty is (supposed to be) the name of the game in journalism today. Include the name of the company providing the press release, including some background information such as its location, its field of business and so on.

• Feedback and contact information. Here, include the name of the company representative who is to be contacted for further information - not necessarily the person who is writing the press release. Include the person's name, the company name, telephone and mobile numbers, and postal and email address.

• Ending. End the press release with the word "END" in bold lettering, or the symbols "###". This is the universally accepted standard indicating that the press release ends here.

• Word count(optional). If you wish to, you can include the word count of the press release in parentheses at the bottom of the page.

With this format, you now have the skeleton of a press release. To make it effective, you have to choose your words carefully to maximize public appeal, and to give the journalist material for a story that will attract the public.