Write a Press Release

Press releases are still a mainstay of exposure for businesses whether they are online or offline. A good press release can increase the visibility of your business on search engines and give your business and management team authority on a subject.

There are many reasons why you might want to write a press release for your business. The important aspect is that you write, distribute and respond to a press release well.

Read how you can achieve a successful press release here.

Why Do You Need To Write A Press Release?

A press release is an important piece of marketing which gives you an external (inbound) link to your website, increasing your SEO and allowing you to build relationships with established journalists and bloggers. Journalists and bloggers have hundreds or thousands of readers and the right publication could gain you a decent traffic boost.

Even if nothing happens straight away, journalists are always on the lookout for new expert sources of information. If your press release sparks some interest and demonstrates your knowledge, you are likely to be placed on a contact list. When the journalist has a piece of news and they need an expert to interview about the news and how it affects the public, they’ll contact you.

When Do You Need To Write A Press Release?

A press release can be sent for a number of different occasions. Some of the largest businesses write press releases on a regular basis, even as much as once a day for news. Therefore your business can really establish itself by finding news and posting it n the form of a press release.

Some of the reasons why you would write a press release might include:

• The start of your business.
• An anniversary.
• A new product on the market.
• The creation of a strategic business partnership.
• Staff promotions, moves and departures.

Therefore press releases can become a major part of your marketing activities with news being released periodically to remind journalist contacts of your presence and to reach new audiences.

How Do You Write A Press Release?

There are several parts to a successful press release. Each area has its own requirements to not only grab the attention of the end reader but also to encourage the journalist to use your press release and cover your story.

Before you even consider writing a press release you need to ask yourself whether it is essential and what the reader will gain from reading it. Press releases that start with the line, “<Company Name> Announces…” have poor uptake and don’t demonstrate the topic really needed to be covered.

If you can establish why your press release is important then you can start writing it. Here are the sections you need to write and how to create content a journalist will want to pick up.

1. Headline

Your headline is one of the most important aspects of the press release. No-one will read the rest of your press release if you have a dull title. You’ll also want to keep the headline short; at most it needs to fit into a Tweet with room to spare for a link and hashtags or mentions.

At the same time, in that short space you need to establish what your press release is about and how reading it will benefit the audience. A title like “A Company Opens For Business” is unlikely to get read much, whereas “Market To Be Turned Inside Out And On Its Head” has a better chance.

Your headline should also avoid mentioning your company name. Leave that detail for the content of the press release or even just in the contact details.

2. The Main Content

The whole press release needs to be kept at most to two pages, although there is more uptake when press releases are less than a page and journalists ideally prefer 250 words. If you need to give more information, include this in a link at the bottom of the press release.

The content of your press release should be written so anyone can pick up the document and know what is being said. Therefore industry jargon and technical terms should be avoided. The language should also be exciting, offering a reason why the reader needs to know this information.

To do this, summarise what you are writing about in approximately 25 words very early on in the press release. Keep to the main journalism writing method of “who, what, where, when and why’. Many press releases often miss out on the when aspect, so double check you have included this.

Although newsjacking is a powerful tool when it comes to social media and blogging, it should not be used in press releases. Concentrate on your own organisation, what you have to offer the reader and why the reader should pay attention.

Newsjacking can annoy journalists, if they want you to comment on a particular news item, they will contact you.

Also avoid images if possible. If the journalist requires images they will likely request them. Otherwise keep them off.

3. Summaries

At the top of your press release write a couple of short bullet points detailing the main points of the press release. This allows the journalist to know instantly if this is something for them at that time. Not placing this may mean they read the whole of your press release, but if it is irrelevant they may not appreciate the time wasted in reading it.

4. Quotes

You’ll also want to include a quote from yourself or another senior person in the company. This person should be an individual who the reporter or blogger is able to contact, so if you are releasing a press release, make sure the quoted individual isn’t out of the office for the next two weeks. Ensure the quote contains no industry jargon / technical terms and keep it in plain English.

5. Contact Details

Always include your contact details on the press release. These details should include your email, web address, any social media profiles and a telephone number. The most important detail on this list is the telephone number. Journalists work fast and often there isn’t time for them to wait for a response via email. Providing a telephone number allows them to react quickly giving you a better chance of being featured.

Distribution

There are many options for distributing your press release. A number of websites offer free or low cost distribution services or you can contact the journalists and bloggers yourself. If you go for the latter option check that your news fits in with the style and type of news that they cover, otherwise you are wasting your time.

Also you want to send your press release as a plain text document in an attachment and in the body of the text. Never send the document as a PDF; depending on the way they were created, they can often be difficult for the journalist to extract text from.

Conclusion

A press release is a good way to establish authority in a subject and gain brand awareness. However, they require careful thought and particular writing to make the most out of the marketing opportunity. You also need to consider that you may not be featured right away, but a good press release can establish your authority to be used in stories at a later date.

Action Steps:

• Consider what news you can use to promote your company.
• Write a press release and double check it for mistakes and relevance.
• Distribute the press release using a PR distribution service or yourself.