Press releases are an important part of any business. They’re a great way to get your story out there and raise awareness about your brand or product.
Even if you don’t think you need one, having a press release on file can be incredibly useful in case something happens that makes it newsworthy.
Press releases are typically written by PR pros who know how to pitch their content to journalists and influencers so that they’ll write about it on their blogs or in other publications. But what if you want to write a press release for fun or profit? In this post, I’m going to teach my best tips for writing effective press releases at home!
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Crafting press releases creatively can be enjoyable and profitable. |
| 2. Press releases with viral potential can amplify their impact. |
| 3. Tailoring press releases for startups can yield better results. |
| 4. Insights from writing numerous press releases can be invaluable. |
| 5. Efficiency in press release writing can save time and resources. |
| 6. Incorporating press releases in content marketing can boost visibility. |
| 7. Small businesses can benefit from well-written press releases. |
| 8. Learning from real-life examples and experts can improve skills. |
Know Who Your Audience Is
You’ve got to know who your audience is. This sounds obvious, but it’s harder than you might think. You need to know their concerns, their interests, and what they’re working on right now.
If someone has a problem that’s keeping them awake at night, or if there’s an opportunity within their industry that could help them grow their business you can bet that that’s what they’re thinking about these days.
To get started, ask yourself questions like these: What are the challenges facing this company? What do they care about? What problems do they face daily? How can my product or service help them overcome those challenges and achieve their goals?
Creating press releases that have the potential to go viral requires a mix of creativity and strategy. Explore our guide on creating press releases that go viral to learn techniques for maximizing your press release’s reach.
Decide How You Want To Be Perceived By The Media And Your Audience
When you write a press release, you want to be sure that the tone is appropriate for your brand and the audience. This means choosing a style that matches your brand and using keywords that will help it get found by journalists and editors in the media.
You’ll also want to use language appropriate for your audience a different tone than you’d use when talking about how awesome you are on Facebook or Twitter, for example.
Remember: there is no one set of rules for writing press releases; these guidelines are only meant to give an overview of best practices.
Personalize Your Press Release
When you’re writing a press release, it’s important to keep in mind that the audience is the media—not you. That means when you write a press release, you need to make sure that it feels like it was written not by someone else but by a member of the media looking at your story and thinking “this is something my readers would be interested in!”
This might seem like an obvious thing to say but there are lots of things we do unconsciously that can throw off this impression: using words like “I” or “we” instead of more impersonal terms like “company name;” being overly apologetic about taking up space on their pages; etc.
I’ve seen some pretty bad examples where these sorts of mistakes were made even from companies I consider well-established and their stories were rejected from publication based on how personal they seemed (as opposed to how interesting). So let’s take a look at some ways we can avoid these problems so our press releases get picked up by the right people…
Startups often have unique needs when it comes to press releases. Discover 9 valuable tips for writing effective press releases tailored specifically for startups.
Have A Clear Press Release Purpose
Press releases are a great way to get the word out about something you’re doing, whether it’s a new product or service, an event, or even just an interesting story. But before you dive into writing a press release, there are two questions you should ask yourself: What is the purpose of this press release? And what is your purpose as the writer?
It’s not enough that you want people to read your content you need to know why they ought to read it. And only when you have an answer will your press release truly work in getting people interested and engaged with whatever message or story it contains.
Define Your Newsworthy Angle
The first step to writing a press release is identifying what makes your story newsworthy. This can be difficult for some people, especially if you’re not used to thinking about how others might perceive your work and what they’d find interesting about it.
How can you make sure that every word in your press release is as impactful as possible? When writing a press release, there are just five questions that need answering: who, what, when, where, and why (and sometimes how).
Each of these questions will help define the angle of the newsworthy event or story so that it becomes more clear why people should care about it.
Write The Headline First
Before you write the body of your press release, you’ll want to get the headline right. A good headline will be short and catchy. It should make people want to read the rest of what you have to share with them. Here are some tips for writing headlines:
- Be clear about what your story is about.
- You can use numbers or statistics in your headline if they’re relevant. If not, don’t include them unless it’s really necessary for some reason (like if we were talking about a trend).
Avoid cliches like “breaking news” and “shocking developments.” Try words that people use in conversation those kinds of phrases make sentences feel more conversational and relatable when they’re just annoying filler phrases used by lazy journalists who don’t care about their job but want credit for doing it anyway (or something like that).
Don’t forget: It’s important that each sentence end with an exclamation point!
Writing press releases for small businesses comes with its own set of insights and challenges. Gain knowledge from someone who has authored over 1000 press releases in our article on 7 things I learned from writing 1000 press releases for small businesses.
Keep It Short, Sweet And Simple
When writing a press release, keep it short, sweet, and simple. Reporters get hundreds of press releases every day. Don’t make them read your entire biography when they’re only interested in one-sentence quotes from you. They’ll just delete your email without opening it if they think it’s too long or boring.
Reporters are also busy people who have a limited amount of time to write their stories. If you aren’t clear about what exactly you want them to know about your story in one sentence, then chances are good that they’ll ignore your e-mail altogether or ask for more information before deciding whether or not to use anything from it.”
Use Subheadings For The Body Of The Press Release, If Necessary
If you feel like you need to, use subheadings for the body of the press release, if necessary. This is especially helpful for breaking up text and making it easier to skim, read, find information and understand.
When writing a press release that needs to go out quickly or that will be distributed via email (which is what we’re talking about in this article), make sure your contact info is prominently displayed at the top. You don’t want people getting lost in your long-form content before finding out how they can get in touch with you!
Be Concise And Quickly Get To Your Newsworthy Point
Being concise is key. Get to the point quickly, and don’t announce every single detail of your event if you do this, you’ll lose your reader’s attention. You want them engaged in the information that matters most to them.
It might sound obvious, but it’s important not to use too much jargon or unfamiliar terms in press releases, either; these can be confusing for readers outside of the industry who may be interested in what you have to say. Keep things simple!
Always include a headline when drafting a press release or pitch letter; this can help grab people’s attention before they even read all of it (and should also give them an idea of what they’ll learn if they do read it).
Use short sentences whenever possible and keep paragraphs short by using bullet points where appropriate; this makes reading easier on everyone involved (not just writers), including editors who will decide whether or not they want to publish something based on how easy/difficult it is written about later down the line when writing articles themselves
Writing a perfect press release in a short amount of time can be a game-changer. Learn how to craft an effective press release in minutes with our guide on how to write a perfect press release in just minutes.
Write Like A Journalist In An Inverted Pyramid Style
When writing a press release, it’s essential to write in an inverted pyramid style. This means that you should outline your story with the most important information first (the who, what, where, and why), then work your way down through less important details.
The reason for this is that journalists and editors want to know what their readers need to know first: who did what, when, and where? Then they can figure out how to fill in any gaps.
Additionally, you should use a third-person point of view with an active voice (e.g., “The reporter wrote…” instead of “It was written…”). Active voice makes it easier for people to understand what happened because it puts focus on actions rather than things or ideas being acted upon by others.
Finally, keep sentences short by using simple language that everyone can understand don’t get too fancy!
You want reporters and editors to read these press releases not only because they’re interesting but also because they’re easy to read; if your writing isn’t clear enough for them then don’t expect them to use any material from your document in their articles/stories/etcetera
Use Third Person Point Of View
Use the third person’s point of view. Avoid using the first person (“I” or “we”) and try to use the passive voice (by replacing active verbs with passive ones) rather than the active voice when describing your company’s actions.
Use past tense, not present tense (The product has been launched; we are launching.)
Replace “from” with “by” when introducing your clients, companies, or partners in the press release (Adobe was founded by John Warnock.)
Replace “with” with “by,” unless there is no other way to express yourself accurately: The new version of our product comes with several new features that were developed by our team of developers over many months of hard work.*
Incorporating press release writing into your content marketing strategy can yield significant benefits. Explore why press release writing should be a part of your content marketing arsenal by checking out our article on why press release writing should be in your content marketing arsenal.
Conclusion
As you can see, press releases are not as daunting to write as they may seem. They’re just like any other form of writing they just have a specific purpose and tone. Once you get the hang of it and start paying attention to what makes a good press release, you’ll find that writing them is no problem at all!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to further enhance your understanding of writing effective press releases:
Shopify’s Guide to Writing a Press Release: Learn the essential elements and best practices for crafting a compelling press release.
CoSchedule’s Tips for Writing Press Releases with Examples and Templates: Explore practical tips, real-world examples, and downloadable templates to create impactful press releases.
Prezly’s Expert Advice and Real-Life Examples for Writing Great Press Releases: Gain insights from experts and access real-life press release examples for inspiration and guidance.
FAQs
How can I make my press release stand out?
Craft a press release that addresses the “who, what, where, when, why, and how” of your story in a concise and engaging manner. Focus on the unique and newsworthy aspects of your announcement to capture attention.
What are some key components of an effective press release?
An effective press release includes a catchy headline, a compelling lead paragraph, relevant details, quotes, and contact information. Formatting, grammar, and clarity are crucial for conveying your message effectively.
How can I optimize my press release for online distribution?
To optimize for online distribution, incorporate relevant keywords, provide multimedia elements like images or videos, and include links to your website or relevant resources. This enhances search engine visibility and engages online readers.
Should I tailor my press release for different media outlets?
Yes, tailoring your press release for different media outlets is recommended. Customize the angle and tone of your press release to align with the interests and audience of each outlet, increasing the chances of coverage.
How do I build a media contact list for sending out press releases?
Start by identifying relevant journalists, bloggers, and influencers in your industry. Compile their contact information, follow their work, and establish relationships through networking events or social media. Building genuine connections can improve your press release distribution success.
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.
