Guide for Writing Press Releases
These days a press release is an important way for companies to communicate information to the public. As the name states, it is information from the company given to the press about any news that the company wants people to know.
With the widespread access and use of the internet, a press release is a great way to catch the attention of a bigger audience. For a business to remain relevant in today’s competitive world, a press release should be designed to catch the attention of the audience and drive high visibility and good publicity. But a press release should be more than that! A press release can be used to reach out to the world, and engage a target audience.
To give you an idea of what to do when writing a press release, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Tell Your Story:
Your press release should contain the “why”. It’s important to be aware of the information you are sharing. Media outlets should be interested to share your press release in their own channels. It should inherently hold the reader’s interest. Remember to emphasize the reason for the press release.
It is also critical to answer other question in your press release such as: Who is involved with the press release? Who benefits from it? What is new? Why is it important? Where is it happening?
Structure and Present Your Press Release:
Make your headline provocative but also clear and direct; you will need to hook the reader from the get-go since you won’t want them to merely pass it over for the next news item. Your press release should be strong, written in such that it elicits a reaction from the reader.
Don’t be verbose, instead be brief and concise, and, while writing it, think about who will be reading the press release and appeal to them. Be professional and your readers will appreciate it. More importantly, you will get the media to share your press release because you know how to interest and hold the attention of your readers.
Be Visible:
Most readers nowadays choose to read the news from social media, or from the Internet at least. Your press release should not just for the journalists or the media, but for anyone interested.
Be Distributed:
The point of a press release is visibility and publicity, so make sure that it gets out there. Get journalists and reporters to pick up your story, be it the local press or the national press. Have your intended audience receive the press release. It doesn’t even have to just be the papers; tap into other ways to get your press release out. See if radio stations or television news will pick it up. Check press release sites too and make sure they carry your story.
These quick points should help make writing a press release easier. Think strategically about what you are trying to achieve, and what actions you want the release to inspire.