Journalists deal with hundreds of press releases daily, and this can be daunting if you’re writing a business press release. In this digital age, you may wonder if they are still relevant to businesses. In fact, not only are they still relevant, they still play a crucial role in the success of a business that is aiming for visibility and brand awareness. Since journalists are known to sample engaging press releases to find inspiration for a story to publish, it’s well worth taking the time to craft an effective press release.

The evolution of press releases across the years means they are important to the digital landscape.

How do you write an effective press release? More importantly, how can you create a press release that stands out from the rest? Well, read the following tips for writing a business press release to find out:

Importance of writing a business press release

To prove why it’s worthwhile to put effort into writing a good press release, let’s look at the benefits they bring to your business.

Many businesses prefer to conduct all their publicity efforts on social media, to the detriment of their brand awareness. Social media may seem like the ultimate tool to create brand awareness. Unfortunately, it doesn’t establish your business as credible and authoritative in the industry.

When a reputable media outlet publishes a story about your business, it benefits from credibility right away.  What’s more, press coverage promotes brand identity. In other words, it makes your brand more recognizable among your audience. When you’re aiming for business growth, you should never underestimate the potential of media coverage.

If you want to compile all your information before presenting it to the media, a press release will help. Thanks to your press release, journalists can avoid having to do intensive research before writing a story about your brand. After all, your press release provides them with all the information they need to write a story about your brand.

Tips for writing a business press release

1) Define the purpose

Writing a press release to market your brand is not enough reason to get it published. If that’s your only goal, your press release won’t even make it past the journalist’s email inbox. You need to come up with a compelling, newsworthy reason why a news channel should publish your press release.

Unfortunately, when you own a company or business, getting wrapped up in the thought that everything is newsworthy is easy. And sometimes, this is simply not the case. Make sure you’re only creating and sharing releases that are interesting to the public, not just the shareholders.

Here are examples of newsworthy press release announcements:

• Are you merging with a rival company?
• Do you have a groundbreaking innovation?
• Are you hosting a mega event for a particular cause?
• Is your brand contributing to current affairs?
• Are you launching a product?
• Is your business expanding?
• Are you employing a new executive?

Does your press release offer potential value? Only then can you share it with the public. Product or service launches are exciting. However, if they are not unique, they don’t qualify as newsworthy. In fact, if you just focus on the fact that you’re launching a new product or service, your release will sound like an advertisement. You should only write a product launch press release if it introduces an innovation that will benefit the consumers.

2) Identify the recipient

Once you’ve established the purpose for writing the press release, you should also consider the recipients. Who should it reach? Are you targeting investors or prospect partners? Are you selling the business? Or are you targeting prospective clients in the marketplace? When you decide who to target, it will be easier to determine what info to include in the release.

3) Invest in storytelling

The best release has a story to tell. Beyond being engaging, a good story will make the journalist’s work easier. Therefore, if you can write a captivating story and demonstrate that it’s newsworthy, then it will get published. In order to write a story that people find valuable, consider why people should read your story. Will they find it appealing and decide to share it? Will it spark a conversation and inspire sharing?

4) Provide answers

Think of your press release as an interview. What type of question will someone ask a company like yours? Oftentimes, the questions will revolve around how, where, why, when, and what. Thus, in your release, you should provide answers to these questions. This will also prevent the need for further questions by the journalist.

5) Ensure accuracy

Accuracy is a crucial element when writing your press release. Whether it’s the story you’re writing or answers you’re providing, you’re providing legitimate information. Lying about certain facts can cost you credibility and reputation. In fact, both the audience and the media will lose trust in you if you lie… To back your story, provide as much accurate data and facts as you can get.

6) Provide authenticity

Authenticity sells products and rewards the company. Thus, you should always be yourself when writing a business press release. Provide an accurate description of yourself and explain why your story is relevant to the audience. If you can avoid sounding as if you’re selling your products, your content will be more authentic. Beyond that, an authentic story is relatable and inspiring.

7) Develop a captivating headline

Research shows that mentioning the “who” in your headline generates about 22% CTR (click-through rate). This means people are eager to know the origin of your content. That being said, the headline is a critical element when writing your release. If you write it well, your press release will stand out among thousands of other releases in a journalist’s inbox. We’ve created this guide to help you write better press release headlines.

8) Include a quote

Journalists often struggle to find a quote when creating a story to publish. As a bonus point, you should include quotes from the company’s executives, experts, or shareholders. Ensure the quote is in line with the content for it to be relevant.

6) Get personal

Journalists prefer stories that are relevant to their niche. Therefore, if you want to capture their attention, get personal. Writing something that will intrigue them is one way of doing this. Another way you can do this is by personalizing your emails as you send them out.

• Pitching

When pitching your release, target the relevant journalists. For instance, if your niche is hospitality, look for journalists in this industry to send your content to. If you don’t have a media list with journalists in your niche, you can sign up for one of Pressfarm’s packages and get access to their media database of over 1 million journalists, bloggers, and influencers.

Do you need help finding media contacts to connect with? Pressfarm can help you connect with over 1 million journalists, bloggers, and influencers across niches, publications, and categories. In addition to helping you with media relations, Pressfarm can also arm you with quality content that appeals to these professionals.

With a professional press release, some engaging guest posts, and an eye-catching media kit, you can capture media attention when it matters most. By distributing this content to the right media outlets and startup directories, the team at Pressfarm can help your brand feature in relevant search results across different search engines.

With custom media lists from Pressfarm, as well as their database of 1 million+ bloggers, journalists and influencers, you can connect with the best media contacts in your niche. By building relationships with these people, you can tell your brand story widely.

With a PR package from Pressfarm, you can build effective media relations and put your brand on the map.

• Follow up

After submitting your press release to target journalists, you can follow up if you’re getting no responses. Since these people receive many emails daily, they may simply have missed yours. When you follow up, they’ll consider looking at it. However, if you’re following up, keep in mind that anything beyond two follow-ups can easily be considered nagging by a journalist who won’t hesitate to blacklist you.

Start working on your next business press release today

There are remarkable benefits to your business when you write a press release for it. With the help of the above tips, you can begin creating a business press release that will create curiosity and earn your brand press coverage. Remember, when writing a press release, you need a newsworthy reason. If the process feels challenging, contact the experts at Pressfarm – they can connect you with press release professionals to help you craft a newsworthy story.