15 Secrets To Writing A Press Release That The Media Can't Avoid

Writing a press release is a valuable skill to have and can make a big difference in your success. It’s also a great way to get your name out there and let people know what you’re up to. But if you’re like me, then the thought of writing one makes you break into hives. “

There are too many things that could go wrong,” I tell myself as I sit on my couch watching Netflix instead of taking action. “What if it sucks? What if no one reads it?”

But the truth is that writing press releases doesn’t have to be scary or difficult they can be fun! Here are 20 secrets to writing an engaging press release (and putting yourself out there) that will grab the attention from editors across the globe:

HOW TO WRITE A PRESS RELEASE IN 6 EASY STEPS

Takeaways
1. Craft attention-grabbing headlines.
2. Focus on newsworthy angles.
3. Keep the release concise and informative.
4. Incorporate quotes from key stakeholders.
5. Use multimedia to enhance engagement.
6. Tailor the content to your target audience.
7. Utilize an engaging storytelling approach.
8. Highlight the benefits and significance.
9. Provide accurate contact information.
10. Use a strong and compelling opening paragraph.
11. Ensure the release is error-free and polished.
12. Leverage relevant keywords for SEO optimization.
13. Consider the timing of your press release.
14. Distribute to relevant media contacts and outlets.
15. Monitor and measure the impact of the release.

Table of Contents

Write From The Reader’s Perspective

Make sure to write from the perspective of the reader. Don’t write from your perspective, or the company’s, or even your product’s. Your press release should be written in a way that will appeal to editors who are going to be asked by their readers: “Is this newsworthy? Will my audience care about this?”

If you’re telling them something new and exciting, they’ll be more likely to run with it; if you’re just repeating what everyone else has been saying for years (or weeks), they probably won’t be as interested. The only thing worse than writing a bad press release is writing one that’s so boring it doesn’t even get published!

Crafting a press release that captures attention requires skill and strategy. Learn how to write a press release that’s not just informative, but also engaging and easy to read. Check out our guide on writing a press release anyone can read to master the art of effective communication.

Know What A Proper Press Release Looks Like

If you’ve never written a press release before, or if your last attempt was in high school and it was promptly rejected by the editor of the paper, then this section is for you.

Press releases are written in a very specific format. This format makes them easier to read and understand. It also makes it easier for journalists to pick out keywords that will help them find stories relevant to their readership.

Here is an example of what a standard press release looks like:

Use A Professional Tone And Format

Use the active voice. “The company announced today that it will release its new app next week.” This is more direct than saying “It was announced today that a new app will be released next week.”

Keep sentences short and punchy. Use one idea per sentence and avoid long-winded rambling on about your business activities or what you’ve been up to lately.

Keep paragraphs short and punchy, too! If you find yourself writing paragraphs with more than five sentences, break them up into multiple paragraphs instead so that each has only one idea in it (see above).

Use bullet points liberally to break up text into smaller chunks of information (see above). Bullet points help readers digest information more easily and they can make your press release look professional if used correctly!

Think of bullet points like signposts guiding readers through your document: they indicate where something starts, where it ends, or what’s coming next (or all three!).

Press releases hold the potential to generate significant traffic and interest. To harness this power, it’s essential to understand the elements that make press releases successful. Discover the secrets behind press releases that generate massive traffic and unlock the potential of your news announcements.

Grab The Reader With A Title That’s Not About You

A title is the first thing that catches the reader’s eye. It should immediately tell them what to expect from your story and draw them in by making them curious about what happens next.

Here are some tips for writing a descriptive, catchy, and interesting title:

Use active voice write it as if you’re telling someone about the story: “This guy did something crazy!” vs., “Crazy things happen when this guy does something.”

Describe what happened: “Superheroes save the child” vs., “Kids rescued by superheroes.”

Be specific and concise: “New app helps students learn faster” vs., “Study tool makes learning fun!”

Make Your Title As Descriptive As Possible

A good press release title should be as descriptive as possible. You want to give your audience all the information they need, right there in the title.

That means using keywords people are searching for when looking for news stories on Google or Bing. It also means researching what’s already out there and being sure yours is different enough so you can stand out from the crowd of competitors.

To Get Started With This Part Of Writing A Press Release, Think About

What is the story about? What exactly happened? Where did it happen? When did it happen? Who did it happen to (or who was affected)? What was involved in doing this thing – the person(s), place(s), product(s), etc.?

Crafting a press release isn’t just about writing—it’s also about understanding the science behind what gets published. If you’re looking to improve your press release’s chances of being picked up by the media, delve into the intricacies of crafting press releases that get published for valuable insights.

Subhead, Subhead, Subhead. Repeat

A subhead is a line of text that appears to the left of your first paragraph. It helps organize your information, makes your release easier to read, and breaks up your copy into smaller more manageable chunks.

Put one subhead at the top of each main section. These are typically two or three sentences long and should be written in active voice (instead of passive voice). Each main section can have its subhead as well:

Subheads should describe what’s happening in the content that follows so they’re relevant and accurate. Keep them short six words or less so people don’t lose interest before they realize what you want them to know about this company/product/event/etc.

Put Yourself In The Editor’s Shoes. What Would They Be Interested In?

You’re not writing for yourself, even though you want to. You’re writing for an editor, and editors can be a picky bunch. They need to know that your story is relevant and important to the audience they serve. And if it isn’t? Well, they won’t run it.

So ask yourself: What would be interesting to the reader? What’s going on in the world right now that would make my story relevant? What questions do they have about my topic or product/service? How can I answer those questions in a way that will pique their interest but also keep them reading (and hopefully sharing)?

Think about what makes people click on stories online—what are they interested in learning more about? They might want more information on how to solve a problem; they might want expert advice, or maybe they just want entertainment! Write with this audience in mind, and you’ll have a much better chance of getting published by one of your chosen media outlets.

Write Your Release As If It Were An Article Rather Than An Advertisement

Write in the first person, using active verbs and the passive voice sparingly. You may have heard that you should use the active voice for all of your sentences, but I’d argue that this isn’t always true.

For example: “I am writing this press release” is better than “This press release is being written by me.” The former allows you to set up a scene and gives more personality to your writing; whereas the latter sounds too much like an advertising copywriter trying to sell something, not something journalists want to hear from you!

Don’t Leave Anything Out Of Your Release

Don’t leave anything out of your release. This is one of the most important rules in press releases, and it can be hard to follow, especially if you’re a perfectionist who wants to make sure everything is just so and doesn’t want your name associated with anything but the best product or service in town.

When I was writing my book How To Write Press Releases That Don’t Suck, I was reminded by a friend who used to work as a journalist that journalists don’t have time for writers who are too lazy or self-absorbed (or downright narcissistic) to include all relevant details in their press releases.

A good reporter will never let you know they’re skipping over one sentence because they think it’s boring they’ll just use another source instead if need be.

But they won’t hesitate to show their editor why they didn’t include something important enough for them not only to mention it but also to devote more time than usual researching its credibility before deciding whether or not it should make its way into print.

Converting your writing into a powerful lead generation tool involves more than just words. To maximize your efforts, explore our tips on converting your writing into a source of lead generation, and learn how to create content that not only informs but also drives business growth.

Edit Like You’re Telling Someone The Story For The First Time

Write in a simple, easy-to-read style. Use short sentences and paragraphs; avoid using big words or jargon, where possible. Think about what people would want to know and try not to get too wordy!

Use active voice (the subject is the person who does something) rather than passive voice (the subject is acted upon). Active voice makes your writing more powerful because it puts emphasis on what’s going on rather than who or what did it.

Take this example: “The company kept growing despite fierce competition.” In active voice, that sentence becomes: “Despite fierce competition, the company kept growing.” That’s much stronger!

Keep things simple by using short words like “and” instead of longer synonyms like “furthermore,” etc., whenever possible.”

Write And Edit Your Release Using Keywords

A press release is not just a bunch of words on paper, it’s also a marketing opportunity to reach your audience. But you have to think of your press release more like an advertisement and less like an essay.

Use keywords relevant to the story you’re telling by incorporating them into your title and throughout the body of the text. The more specific these words are when used in context with each other, the better chance they’ll be picked up by search engines or media outlets looking for stories about topics related to yours.

Make sure that you include keywords relevant to publications/outlets/audiences that may be interested in running your story so they can find you through their searches (or even via Twitter).

If possible try adding an image (with caption) along with your link so readers can see what it looks like without having googled anything yet – this way there’s no guesswork involved before clicking through!

Once You’ve Written Your Release, Have A Friend Read It Or Ask Someone To Proofread It For You

Once you’ve written your release, have a friend read it or ask someone to proofread it for you. The person who reads your release must be familiar with the language in which it’s written.

This will help prevent any confusion about what kind of content you’re trying to convey. Also, make sure that your writing style and tone match the rest of your company’s communication materials so that there are no discrepancies between them.

Once you’ve gotten feedback from one person, ask another person to review your work as well. They may pick up on something different than the first reader did! If this is an option for you, I always recommend having multiple sets of eyes look over my stuff before sending it out into the world.”

Press releases remain a cornerstone of effective PR campaigns. Discover the reasons why press releases are the best way to grow your PR campaign and how they can elevate your brand’s visibility and reach within the media landscape.

Don’t Rely On Spellcheck To Catch Mistakes. Get Another Set Of Eyes On It

Don’t rely on spellcheck to catch every mistake. While it’s not 100% perfect, spellcheck is still a great tool to use when writing press releases.

However, you shouldn’t rely solely on your program’s built-in spelling and grammar checker to help you find all of the mistakes in your copy. It can’t possibly catch everything. Instead, get another set of eyes (preferably someone who isn’t as close to the project) to look over your work before it goes out into the world.

Spellcheckers are not replacements for proofreading or editing services! They can only catch certain types of errors like missing words and typos but they won’t help with things like awkward sentence structure or confusing wording choices (which may lead readers astray).

To ensure that your release makes sense and flows well from start to finish, leave it up to an editor who has experience in catching these kinds of issues

Don’t send releases in all caps! DO NOT DO THIS! Caps are only for shouting! And when you want to emphasize something, italics work just fine. Thanks! 🙂

If you’re sending a press release, there’s one thing you need to know: DO NOT USE ALL CAPS!

All caps can indeed help emphasize a word or phrase. But if the entire text of your press release is in all caps even just one sentence you’ve gone too far. You’ll be scaring off even the most enthusiastic reporters and editors.

There are better ways to catch their attention than by shouting at them with all-caps text. Italicize important words or phrases instead;

Use bold typeface for headlines and subheadlines; underline keywords or phrases to draw attention to them; create bullet lists for quick scanning by journalists who only have time for short reads; add numbered sections for easy navigation through the document on mobile devices (like smartphones), and so on.

These simple formatting tricks will help turn those old high school English lessons into practical tools for getting noticed by reporters and editors, who are often overwhelmed with hundreds of emails every day from PR pros who want coverage from their publications but don’t know how best to get it themselves!

Being able to write a good press release is a valuable skill to have and can make a big difference in your success.

Writing a good press release is a valuable skill to have, and it can make a big difference in your success. As you are probably aware, journalists and editors at media outlets receive hundreds of press releases every day, so you need to write one that stands out enough for them to notice.

The first step is to choose the right topic for your business or organization from the many stories available on the Internet today. Next, write out an introductory paragraph using keywords that relate directly to how your story will be presented online by search engines like Google or Bing.

Finally, include some important facts about yourself such as “John Doe has been working as president of XYZ Company since 2007” at the bottom of each page so readers know who wrote this particular piece before they read it all the way through!

Conclusion

Writing a press release can be a daunting task. You want to make sure that it’s clear and compelling, but you also don’t want to bore anyone with details they don’t need.

It can be hard to know where to start when writing your first release, or even how to make sure that the media will pick up on it. To help you out with both of these problems (and more!), here are 20 tips for writing an effective press release:

Include keywords relevant to the subject matter of your press release. Write in short sentences and paragraphs with plenty of white space between them this makes reading easier on journalists who may have just skimmed through dozens of releases before yours! Include quotes from experts in their field (if possible).

If not, consider including facts about similar projects that have succeeded in other countries or states/provinces where you are based now so journalists will see that there’s already precedent for what you’re doing locally.

Good examples include policy changes like minimum wage increases or tax cuts which could be cited as arguments against these policies being implemented elsewhere too soon without adequate preparation time beforehand Show off any positive publicity surrounding your business/organization right away.

By mentioning something like “we were featured in CNN Money” and then using their name later on while discussing other topics related to our company’s expertise Make sure every sentence has at least one verb somewhere within it so that readers aren’t left wondering what action took place during this event;

Steve Ballmer announced he would retire from Microsoft by July 28th” sounds more dramatic than “Steve Ballmer announced today that he would retire within six months”;

Note also how this paragraph uses only three sentences because each one contains an action verb taken directly from the above paragraph but doesn’t repeat any words either; we added new ones instead! Use titles like “Breaking News: Amazon announces plans.

FAQs

What are the essential elements of a press release?

A press release typically includes a compelling headline, a concise introductory paragraph, relevant details about the news, quotes from key stakeholders, and contact information for media inquiries.

How can I make my press release stand out from the rest?

To make your press release stand out, focus on a unique angle or story, use a captivating headline, include relevant multimedia like images or videos, and tailor the content to the interests of your target audience and journalists.

How do I distribute my press release effectively?

Effective press release distribution involves sending the release to relevant media contacts and outlets, using online press release distribution services, and leveraging social media platforms to amplify its reach.

Should I follow a specific format for my press release?

Yes, a standard press release format includes a clear headline, dateline, introductory paragraph, body paragraphs with supporting details, quotes, boilerplate information about the company, and contact details.

How can I measure the success of my press release?

Monitoring metrics like the number of media pickups, website traffic, social media engagement, and changes in brand visibility can help gauge the success and impact of your press release.

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.

15 Secrets To Writing A Press Release That The Media Can’t Avoid