*Regardless of the size of your company and the industry it belongs to, a press release can serve you as a great marketing tool able to significantly extend both local and global media coverage. In these days and age, a press release is much more than just a piece of news because if written smartly and distributed wisely, it can easily improve your SEO, as well as boost metrics and performances.
Whatever your business goals, rest assured that you will reach them faster if you pay more attention to how your company (if at all) shares the news with the community. Despite what many entrepreneurs think, there is no news that is too “small” or “insignificant” to bring it into the limelight. Have you just launched a new product? Great! While this news will likely not be a subject of interest for CNN or the New York Times, all chances are it will become a hot topic within your industry, hence there is no point to hide your achievements from people who are sincerely interested in what you do.
It may look incredible at first glance but such a simple thing as a small piece of the text comes with a plethora of benefits, and once you realize how easy taking advantage of this idea can be, believe it or not, you will miss no single opportunity to share with others your plans for an upcoming event, various company news, or your great excitement about some prestigious award you’ve just got. But first, you need to know how to write professional press releases and how to leverage modern technologies for the efficient distribution of your news.
You might think that issuing press releases is a privilege of big players that have dedicated PR teams and you can’t be further from the truth. Lucky for you, nowadays, owners of small companies can use this amazing tool to grow their business too. Here you have it: a comprehensive guide on how to write a perfect press release and how to reach media in the most cost-efficient and viable way. Plus, some expert tips on how to make your press releases stay out from the crowd, making the most of your news.
What Is A Press Release?
Before turning to the art of compiling a great press release, let’s take a look at the basics, starting with the definition. To put it shortly, a press release is an official statement issued to print or digital media with the aim of giving information on a particular matter.
If you follow the developments in your industry, then you know that every day, a myriad of companies share their news on all conceivable and inconceivable matters, from launching a new service or upgrading a website to appointing a new CEO or entering a strategic partnership. Even though when scrolling through the titles, you sometimes think not all of them really deserve your attention, the main point of the whole story is to be in the news, hence there is no topic, which is not good enough to serve as a reason to issue a statement.
While every industry has its own specificities, you will very quickly learn that at the core, all press releases follow the same form, even though the themes and subjects differ greatly. If you only take a look at https://www.ereleases.com/press-release-template/ which is a treasure trove when it comes to high-quality samples of all sorts of press releases, you will immediately recognize the similar structure and format of the documents across a wide variety of sectors. It doesn’t matter whether it’s about real estate, travel, healthcare, education, finance, pets, or any other industry, a high-class press release contains certain elements and is styled in a particular way.
The Anatomy Of A Professional Press Release
Although the crazy busy modern lifestyle definitely has some disadvantages, it also comes with a big number of pros that somehow outweigh the cons when you give the matter a second thought. What we are trying to say, today, you do not have to be a professional journalist in order to write in the style they do. The vastness of the internet is a fantastic source of inspiration for your most captivating, engaging, and informative press release.
In this section of the article, we will walk you through the whole process of creating a true PR masterpiece and show step by step, what belongs to a good press release and what doesn’t. Without further ado, let’s embark on the immersive journey intended to take your business marketing to the next level literally.
Headlines
Let’s start with the headline of your press release. Not only because it comes pretty naturally but also due to the fact that your headline will ever tempt readers to read the story or make them skip it. While the desired length of a headline may vary greatly depending on the current SEO trends, all experts agree it should be as more informative as possible but at the same time captivating enough to stimulate curiosity.
With tons of all kinds of news popping up every second, the most crucial thing is to try to stay out from the crowd, making a reader click on your article. Headlines serve this purpose – create a concise yet enticing title and you will get thousands of clicks, make it too long, dull, and a kind of run of the mill, and … well, you got the idea.
So, what does a perfect headline look like? It is simple, direct, and fitted into 80 characters. Just a heads up, do not make it too short, your title should have at least 50 characters for best results. One more thing, base it on facts and avoid using overly emotional adjectives like amazing, fantastic, and so on. When applicable, always use impressive data and figures simply because people give preference to exact things.
Avoid using so-called fluffy stuff or words that do not carry any information and never make the headline sound like your personal opinion or even worse, like a sales pitch. If you feel like drifting away from the plot, brush up on the definition of a press release that clearly says it is issued with the purpose of giving information. So, even if you are going to inform the community that your new product has been launched and now is available for purchase, deliver them this news in a lofty manner. Instead of Be The First To Grab Panasonic TV For Half Price make it TV Mart Halved Prices On Most Popular Models
Dateline
This one is incredibly easy, just stick to the following format: CITY, State, Month Day, Year.
The Opening Paragraph
The opening sentence should briefly summarize the whole story you are going to tell without going into the details. It serves to give a reader an idea about what’s going next. When it comes to the opening para, make sure it consists of three to four sentences that mention the most interesting facts, as well as some of the info able to attract a reader’s attention.
The Body Of Press Release
Depending on how much or how little you are going to say, your press release may contain between four and eight paragraphs that shouldn’t be too long. Think of yourself as a professional journalist who writes about your company, sticking to facts without involving any emotions. In a press release, there is no space for hyperbolas, hence use such adjectives as unique or outstanding only if your product is really unique in the sense that no one else offers something similar.
Keeping in mind that your press release ideally should not exceed 500 words, try to pack each para with as much info as you can. Remember that even if you write it with the aim of promoting your business, you can’t use promotional language but rest assured, you can still reach your goals by offering facts that speak for themselves.
Perhaps, you have noticed that professional press releases always include quotes, and believe us, you have to use them too. Quotes are a very strong “weapon”, especially when they come from a company’s CEO or renowned expert in the industry. For instance, if a press release is dedicated to a new partnership, you will usually see two quotes, one from each side that penned the agreement. However, make sure the quote you include is not just a dull statement that repeats something already said in the article. If you want the media to cite it, set aside enough time to create an original, personal, and evocative statement, which among other things, would be also too hard to rephrase.
And one more thing. We know it may sound like a no-brainer but you will be surprised to know how many people fail to take this final step – check their press releases for spelling and grammar mistakes. By skipping this quick yet incredibly important procedure, you may ruin the whole story as both journalists and readers will think of people behind your company as irresponsible. Plus, such errors suggest that you don’t care too much about how others see your business.
Boilerplate
We guess you have noticed a short para at the bottom of the page with a press release that describes a company and its activities. It is called a boilerplate and serves to give a reader a snapshot of your business. This part is optional and it’s up to you whether to include a boilerplate in your press releases or not. However, why miss this great opportunity to introduce your company and highlight some facts from its background that can bring you an advantage? In addition to that, once you create a boilerplate, you can use it in every press release.
Press Release Distribution
Now, when you know exactly how to write a great press release, let’s turn to another stage of the process and find out what you should do to bring it right to the fingertips of your target audience.
Needless to say, the main goal of distributing a press release is to get as extensive coverage as possible, boosting your brand awareness and getting a plethora of other benefits derived from reading your news by a huge number of people. Even though this coverage also may include print media TV, or radio, let’s focus on the digital world because it is the fastest and most cost-effective way, and if anything, because it’s where everything happens.
And here we come to the core of the matter – your budget. Yes, just as with many things in life, when it comes to the distribution of your press releases, your budget is the one to tell you which way to go. To make a long story short, if you can afford to hire professionals, then you can count on seeing your masterpiece on thousands of websites, databases, and various online services. Your press release will be available on Google News, Yahoo!, and other most visited platforms, not to mention specially selected destinations popular among your potential customers.
If you are still not in the position to pay for distribution, it is too early to be desperate as there are plenty of ways to get what you want – just be ready to invest some time and effort. To start with, do your best to make a list of journalists that might be interested in your press releases. Brush up on all sites and platforms that write about your industry, looking for people who are specialized in what in your opinion your company may offer. To figure out some names, you can also scroll through the articles on the aforementioned Google News, Yahoo!, or other news hubs.
As you have probably already guessed, the most challenging part of the plot is to persuade journalists to take your story because it’s common knowledge, each of them gets dozens of similar stuff on a daily basis. However, if you submit a professionally written press release, have no doubt, every journalist will prefer it over a bunch of other stories.
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