Press releases are a great way to get your content in front of the right audience. They can be used to announce new products or services, announce an event, or share information about an organization.
Press releases have been around for decades and many companies still use them today. It’s the perfect way to get your name out there without having to pay for advertising space. After all, journalists often use press releases as sources when writing articles so they’re a great way of getting your message out there with minimal effort required on your part!
| Takeaways |
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| 1. Understand the Purpose: Press releases convey newsworthy information about your business or event. |
| 2. Craft Compelling Headlines: Create attention-grabbing headlines that summarize the main point of your press release. |
| 3. Include the Essentials: Ensure your press release includes the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the news you’re sharing. |
| 4. Write Succinctly: Keep paragraphs concise and focus on conveying key information in a clear manner. |
| 5. Provide Contact Information: Include contact details for media inquiries or further information. |
| 6. Proofread and Edit: Review your press release for errors, clarity, and accuracy before distributing it. |
| 7. Target Your Audience: Tailor your press release to the interests and needs of the audience you’re aiming to reach. |
| 8. Consider Multimedia: Incorporate relevant images or videos to enhance the visual appeal of your press release. |
| 9. Optimize for SEO: Use relevant keywords and phrases to help your press release rank higher in online searches. |
| 10. Follow Up: Reach out to journalists and media outlets after sending the press release to maximize its coverage. |
Keep It Short And Punchy
The most important thing to remember about press releases is that they should be short and punchy. The best way to do this is by using subheads, bullet points, and other lists to break up the content into easily digestible sections. You also want to keep it on one page the shorter your release, the better chance you have of getting it in front of an editor’s eyes.
Creating press releases that resonate with audiences and gain viral traction requires a combination of strategy and creativity. Discover how to craft press releases that go viral in our comprehensive guide on creating press releases that go viral.
Be Newsworthy
Be newsworthy. The first rule of press release writing is to make sure that your news is relevant to your target audience. It should be new, not a rehash of old news, and it should be interesting to readers in the same way that an article on Business Insider or Huffington Post might be intriguing.
Again, you should keep this in mind when choosing what type of information you want to be included in the release: if there’s not enough new material added to justify publishing it as a standalone piece, then don’t bother giving yourself more work by trying to write a press release!
The content must also be relevant for your business if all the information focuses on one aspect of what you do (e.g., customer service).
Then there’s no real point in sending out this particular piece since most people won’t care about what happens behind the scenes at call centers or how good companies are at responding quickly when people have questions about products/services that were purchased through them previously.*
Write Like A Journalist
When writing press releases, you must write as if you are speaking to a friend. The tone should be conversational and friendly, not stiff or formal. You want your readers to feel like they’re having a conversation with you, not reading an encyclopedia entry or a textbook chapter.
In addition to writing in the first person (I/we/you), it’s also important that your writing uses active voice instead of passive voice whenever possible. Here is an example of how it would sound if I were telling my friend about a new restaurant I tried:
“Last night, I went out for dinner at Blue Planet.”
The first sentence contains active verbs that went out and tried and the second sentence contains passive verbs that were named and established by Bill Clinton that aren’t doing anything besides describing what happened (i.e., naming and establishing).
By using more action words in our sentences instead of being lazy about them and using passive when we could inject some energy into our copy by using actives, we can make our work more engaging for our audience!
Crafting a compelling press release involves mastering the art of communication and persuasion. Explore our article featuring 17 tips for putting together a press release to enhance your press release writing skills.
Get To The Point Quickly
The point of a press release is to get the information you want out there, but it’s also to make sure that people don’t tune out as soon as they start reading it. This means getting right down to business and saying what you need to say early on.
If you’re writing an article or blog post, you’ll want to do the same thing: make sure that your topic comes up immediately and is explained clearly so that readers don’t have to spend too much time figuring out where things are going.
Keep It Simple
The key to a great press release is simplicity. If it’s hard to understand, your audience won’t read it and they won’t share it. You want to make sure that whoever reads the press release (which could be an editor or writer at a major publication) can grasp the point immediately.
Don’t use jargon or industry-specific terms unless you’re sure they’ll be familiar with them (and even then, maybe not).
Don’t use complicated sentences or long paragraphs. Write in short sentences that are easy for readers who aren’t familiar with your product/service/brand/business to understand without having any prior knowledge of what you do and why it matters just present the facts!
Avoid passive voice whenever possible: “The company was founded by Marc Eisman in 2002” instead of “Marc Eisman founded the company in 2002”; “This study has been conducted by scientists at Johns Hopkins University over the past five years” instead of “Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have been conducting this study over the past five years.”
Optimize Seo
Search engines are your best friend. You don’t need to be a technological expert or even know what SEO is (search engine optimization), but you do need to use keywords in your press release.
Keywords are words that describe the topic of your release and help search engines find it on their website. When writing headlines, subheadlines, and first paragraphs, for example, include one or more of these keywords as often as possible so that when people look for information about those topics online they will find yours too!
Use them at the beginning of each paragraph too. If you’re writing a long piece with multiple paragraphs make sure the last one includes a summary of the main points covered in previous sentences (but keep it short).
And don’t forget about your boilerplate statement at the end which should also contain some keyword-rich text – if possible try using synonyms for any key terms as well just to cover all bases!
Startups can leverage the power of well-crafted press releases to capture attention and drive growth. Learn the essential strategies with our expert advice on writing press releases for startups and set your startup up for success.
Create A Hook That Engages Readers
To capture your reader’s attention, you need to include a hook. A good press release should be like a movie trailer: it gives enough information that people want to learn more while not revealing too much.
A good way to start is by asking a question or stating an interesting fact. You can also use quotes from experts and influencers in the industry or even include an anecdote from someone who has experienced success with your product or service. For example:
“For us to grow our business, we knew we needed a new system for tracking hours worked by our employees and fast! We searched high and low for something that could help us manage our time sheets efficiently without breaking the bank.
That’s why we love Timely HR! Now we can save money on payroll services while still providing great benefits for our employees.”
Write An Attention-Grabbing Headline
A press release’s headline is, in many ways, its most important part. It’s the first thing people see and it has to grab their attention so that they read on.
In research conducted by our content marketing team, we found that journalists will usually only spend around five seconds reading a press release before deciding whether or not to publish it. If you don’t get your reader interested within those five seconds (or less), your chances of getting published are low!
Here are some headlines that work well:
- What happens when YOU delete Facebook? You’ll be shocked when you find out…
- How this woman lost 50 pounds without trying or doing anything crazy!
Include Subheads Within The Press Release Body Copy
Incorporating subheads can help you to organize the information in your release and make it easier for readers to digest. They also help you break up long blocks of text, which makes for a more engaging and interesting read.
Subheads work by organizing information into small chunks that are easier for the reader to digest making it easier for them to get through the whole thing! The reader can take in smaller bits at a time instead of having one big chunk or block of text that they have trouble processing.
If you’re unsure about how many subheads to incorporate, try using an online tool like this one: It’ll give you an idea of how many words each section should contain based on its length (and number).
A successful press release isn’t just about words; it’s about achieving tangible outcomes. Find out how to compose a press release that garners results by checking out our guide on writing a press release that gets results.
Make It Look Good In Print
Once you’ve written your press release, it’s time to make sure that it looks good in print. The first step is to make sure that the document is formatted for printout. If you’re sharing a PDF of your press release, it should look great on paper and could be used as a handout or mailed out to journalists and other media contacts.
Next up: formatting for online publishing. Again, this means making sure that the document is formatted correctly for whatever platform you’re using whether that’s a blog post or an article on LinkedIn Pulse (or another site).
Now let’s talk about mobile devices! Ensuring that your press release looks good on mobile requires very specific formatting choices and if done incorrectly can result in a long read-through before getting any information from the text itself!
One way around this problem would be using apps like Sniply which automatically format content so readers don’t have problems reading content on their phones while scrolling through multiple paragraphs at once.”
Include Eye-Catching Photos, videos, Graphics, Or Logos
Photos and graphics are great ways to visually illustrate a story. It’s also important to include photos that serve as a visual cue for the reader and help them understand the story you’re trying to tell.
If possible, it’s best not to use more than one photo in your press release. If you must have more than one photo, make sure they both connect directly with the content of your press release and further explain what readers need to know about it.
Make sure any logos or images used are relevant; there are a few things that irritate journalists like being bombarded with irrelevant images at first glance!
Choose The Right Timing For Your Announcement
Timing: As with all things, timing is important. The best time to announce your product or service is when it’s relevant to the public, and not just because you have something new and exciting to sell.
If you’ve just come out with a new cell phone model that boasts a revolutionary speed-dial feature, for example, don’t wait until Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve that’s too late! Instead, announce it on the first day of December before the holiday rush begins; that way people can get their hands on one immediately if they want to.
Timing is everything: You could write a perfectly crafted press release but still fail because of poor timing. For this reason alone (among many others), you must choose carefully when releasing information about your company or service into the world.
Use Industry Jargon Properly And Sparingly
You should use industry jargon sparingly in press releases.
If the jargon is relevant to your press release, use it. For example, if you’re writing about a new product that’s aimed at healthcare professionals, then using terms like “hospital” and “surgeon” will make sense.
If the jargon is relevant to your audience (i.e., they’ll understand what it means), then by all means use it!
For example, if you’re writing a press release for a company that makes designer handbags and purses for women over 50 years old, then using terms like “retro” or “fringe” will probably work well for you because that’s what your target demographic would recognize as being from their era of fashion history.
If the jargon is relevant to your business or product/service offerings specifically (i.e., it sets them apart), then by all means include them in the body of your publication!
For example: if one of my clients makes custom furniture pieces out of reclaimed wood from old barns throughout rural America but he wants his products known by consumers only within certain geographic areas (i..e., where there are lots of barns).
Then mentioning specific locations within each paragraph would be appropriate so long as they were relevant and not just filler text meant solely for SEO purposes (if this is something I’m concerned about).
End With A Robust Boilerplate Statement
At the end of your press release, you should always include a boilerplate statement that includes your company name, address, phone number, and email address.
You should also include an official website link (if you have one) and any other information about your company that would be useful for reporters. Be sure to use this boilerplate as it is throughout all of your press releases so reporters can easily find out how to contact you in case they need more information about your business or products.
Drawing insights from experienced press release writers can provide valuable guidance for your own writing journey. Delve into the expertise shared in our article, lessons from an experienced press release writer, to refine your skills and approach.
Double-Check Names And Spellings Of People
A press release is meant to be read, so make sure you have a clean and legible copy of what you’re sending out. This means double-checking that the names and spellings of people are correct, as well as their titles, dates, email addresses, and phone numbers.
In addition to these basics, it’s also important to consider other aspects of your press release that might affect its readability:
If someone has an unusual name (e.g., “Rambam”), be sure that this is spelled correctly in both the headline as well as within the body of your release; otherwise, readers may get confused by seeing something unfamiliar when they open up their emails or click on links contained within your PR package.
Make sure you’re using an up-to-date version of everyone’s contact information by contacting them directly before sending out any communications; this includes making sure any corresponding phone numbers are correct and belong only to members from your business team who will be fielding inquiries from reporters or other media outlets.”
Conclusion
You now have the tools to write an effective press release. You might need to do some further research and practice before you’re ready to write one of your own, but don’t let that stop you! Keep reading about press releases online, keep practicing with your writing until it feels natural and comfortable, then get started on those announcements.
Further Reading
The Beginner’s Guide to Press Releases: Explore a comprehensive guide that walks you through the essentials of press release writing, perfect for newcomers to the field.
Writing Effective Press Releases: Mailchimp provides valuable insights on writing press releases that capture attention and communicate your message effectively.
A Comprehensive Guide on Writing Press Releases: Dive into this guide to learn the step-by-step process of crafting compelling press releases that resonate with your target audience.
And here’s the “FAQs” section:
FAQs
How do I write a press release that stands out?
Crafting a press release that stands out requires a combination of a compelling story, clear messaging, and a strong call-to-action. Focus on a newsworthy angle and use concise language to grab readers’ attention.
What elements should be included in a press release?
A press release should typically include the headline, dateline, introduction, body paragraphs, boilerplate, and contact information. These elements provide essential context and details about the news you’re sharing.
How long should a press release be?
A press release should generally be around 300-500 words. Keep it concise while including all relevant information to ensure journalists and readers can quickly grasp the key points.
How can I distribute my press release effectively?
Consider using online distribution platforms, reaching out to relevant journalists, bloggers, and influencers, and sharing the press release on your company’s website and social media channels for broader reach.
What are the key differences between online and traditional press releases?
Online press releases often include multimedia elements like images and videos and are optimized for search engines. Traditional press releases are more tailored for print and broadcast media, focusing on concise and impactful language.
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.