A hot topic is one parent quitting a job to take care of the children. The first paragraph should deliver on the headline. Start with a question, a statistic, a provocative statement or a powerful benefit. Subsequent paragraphs back up the first by providing background information, quotes, and other relevant details. Keep it to about one page.
Media love something new and they also love tie-ins to events, holidays, other news stories, etc.
If there are typos and misspellings in your release, it will get tossed. Make sure phone numbers, dates and addresses are correct. If they can't trust it, they won't run it. The release should follow one of the standard formats for press releases. If you're not certain of your language skills, have someone else proofread it.