The press release is a crucial part of public relations for a business. It is also an effective marketing strategy to share your story and tap into what people are talking about.
All businesses dream of coverage by major news outlets. One story is enough to promote your company’s image and can achieve more results than most marketing strategies. A well-written press release is inexpensive and available in online and print publications. Despite its effectiveness, most businesses miss the mark with their press announcements and get in trouble. There are specific guidelines for drafting a perfect release. It includes structure, news angles, and more. Keep reading to know what a good press announcement should contain and press release writing tips to get immediate results.
What Is a Press Release and How Do You Write Press Releases?
A press release is a short, compelling news story by a business sent to targeted media members. According to the BBC, the goal is to announce a newsworthy story about your brand and capture the curiosity of journalists that want to produce their story. Most press releases include newsworthy information about your latest business development. Common examples include:
- Breaking news: This is the most common type of announcement, as media outlets always want to be the first to cover a breaking story.
- A service launch: writing press releases about a product launch highlights a product’s pricing, specs, availability, and other vital information.
- Promoting or hiring an executive: big companies announce changes in key leadership positions to introduce the individual to the company and intimate stakeholders to the process.
- Announcing a merger and acquisition: Businesses going through an organizational change can draft a press release to announce details about it and inform stakeholders of potential growth.
- Rebranding your business: This type of press statement announces a change in business identity to ease customers through the transition.
- Partnering with an organization: like mergers, businesses use press statements to announce why a partnership was created and who will benefit from it.
One of the most significant advantages of a press announcement above other communication tools is credibility. Imagine publications like The New York Times published a story about your business. It creates a sense of professionalism and knowledge, and being a credible source in an industry is worth its weight in gold. Of course, experienced authors work in such publications. They know how to attract an audience. You also have an opportunity to use a website that writes for you for a good essay. An essay website uses expert writers to help you write outstanding papers. PR Newswire (PRN) and Business Wire are the two largest publishers of press statements.
Step-By-Step Press Release Writing Tips
A press release is all about newsworthiness. Reporters want a timely story with a relatable and emotional element that affects many people. A well-written story is cost-effective, boosts marketing efforts, and allows you to control your narrative. It follows a consistent template, so you need to stick to the format, so reporters decide to cover your story. Follow these steps to draft an your target audience
The first thing to do is choose the story’s perspective and an angle that matters to the audience. Keep in mind that you are communicating to potential readers and journalists. As a result, the announcement caters to different audiences. Some characteristics and elements make a press statement. They include;
- Newsworthy: the information must interest the publication and audience.
- Timely: it must be released when it is relevant to interested parties.
- Relevance: the information must be relevant to the outlet. For example, sports content for a sports publication.
- Well-written and formatted: ensure the information is clear, concise, to the point, and error-free. Not only this, but it must also follow a standard press release format and include essential factual, true, and accurate elements.
Make it easy for the journalist by drafting like a reporter
Most journalists and publications don’t care about your business. Therefore, every piece of information you present should be tailored to pique their interest and make their job easier. Avoid the PR mistake of long, dry emails. Instead of trying to sell a new product or idea, think about the reader. Include all the basic when, where, what, who, and why information close to the beginning and avoid fluff.
Journalists write using the inverted pyramid style, and it is something you should explore. Unlike routine articles, present the most critical information as your hook, proceed to important details, and wrap it with the background or general information.
Follow the press release structure
A press release structure is vital for an organization. This is how it looks:
Logo and contact information
Start the release with your company logo to signify where the information is coming from. Then, include your name, email address, and phone number so the publication representative can reach your brand. You are also able to add when you want the publication to release the information, whether immediately or later.
Headline
The perfect social media press release requires a killer headline to distinguish it from hundreds of other emails and get media attention. A great subject line is catchy and reflects the content. Besides the headline, include a secondary headline to elaborate without giving too much information. The common practice is to use a 14-point size, bold font for the headline, and 120 characters for the sub-headline.
Date
One of the mistakes people commit when scheduling their article is the date. The best day and time to send a press releaseis when you’ll maximize your chances. Start your press release body with a place stamp to indicate the city where it originated from and the date to show when it was issued. Highlight them in bold or all caps before the main body.
Introduction
The introduction ought to contain the most vital information. You are free to choose the number of paragraphs you want to include. Think of the first paragraph as your 30-second elevator pitch. Answer the 5 W’s: why, where, who, what, and when immediately. More importantly, stick to the facts and include quotes and statistics. Use single space and regular 12-point Times New Roman or Arial Font. Also, follow the AP style guidelines and keep the word count to 300 – 400 words.
Boilerplate and contact
The boilerplate is a short paragraph containing information about your company. Include your history, contact details, mission statement, and similar information at the end of the press release for easy identification. Include the contact of the person responsible for handling inquiries after the boilerplate.
Conclusion
Getting a journalist to open your email is not easy. So, you must ensure you have a newsworthy announcement before reaching out. When drafting a press release, build your professional image and keep your style clean. Be honest and unbiased, and include relevant, colorful quotes instead of industry jargon. Tell the journalists what is in it, and a call to action to tell your audience what you want them to do. We recommend you include pictures and videos in your press announcement and quotes to provide insight and appear concise.