Writing a press release for a business merger or acquisition is an important skill in today’s business world. Whether the merger or acquisition turns out to be a success or a failure, it is a risk that many businesses are willing to take. To write an effective press release, it is important to highlight the benefits and potential synergies of the merger or acquisition, as well as any key details such as the companies involved, the timeline, and the expected impact on stakeholders. Additionally, it is important to address any potential concerns or challenges and provide a clear and concise message to the public and stakeholders.
When your business is part of a merger or acquisition, it’s important to communicate the new developments to the public. What’s more, you need to do this as early as possible and as transparently as possible if you want to retain the trust and support of your loyal stakeholders.
Both acquisitions and mergers are major changes in a company or organization. You can share the outcomes of this kind of business development effectively through a press release. For instance, you may wish to share the beliefs and values that drove this decision. Speaking of which, here are relevant and relatable beliefs you can consider:
- The internal growth potential of many businesses is diminishing, but with a merger, they can make it. A merger gives a struggling business a chance to not only survive but also grow.
- Organizing and signing new deals isn’t that hard. However, the challenge comes in during implementation. It can be challenging to make the deal work.
- The business is susceptible to less risk due to the anticipated growth in technology resources, market reach, and products.
A press release goes beyond offering the opportunity to announce the merger and the acquisition. You can use this chance to mention significant changes the audience should expect. For instance, you can share changes in management structure, roles, and business culture, among others.
Furthermore, you should leverage this opportunity to show the investors, target clients, and stakeholders how this process will benefit the company. Remember, some of them may end up opposing the move blindly because they don’t understand its relevance. Gaining their support is important for this major change in your business.
Vital information to include in your business merger and acquisition press release
Now, for your press release to deliver the message effectively, there are vital factors you should consider. These factors are as follows:
- An engaging headline
- Company details
- Include the previous names and the new name of the company after the merger or acquisition. You should also cover the formalities. including details of the new management and any new locations. Other formalities include:
- Date from which the merger or acquisition is effective
- CEO/owner
- Services and products the companies are offering
- Goal, mission, niche, operation
- Objective and impact of the acquisition or merger
- A quote or two
- Supporting media
- The dateline (including the press release date and the story’s location of origin)
- The company URL
- A concise boilerplate
- Contact details, including:
- Phone number
- Company address
- Contact person
Business merger and acquisition press release template
We’ve developed the following template to help you to create the best release to announce your merger or acquisition:
[Press Release Headline]
[City] State; Date of Release (You must indicate whether you have a preferred publication date or whether you intend the press release to be for instant release.
[Provide a Summary] Describe your announcement in a nutshell
[Add a quote] It can be from a client, business owner, or manager. The quote must be relevant to the announcement.
[Additional paragraph] You can add another paragraph that sheds more light on the announcement. This is also the part where you answer the five W questions. These include who, where, what, when, and why. Don’t forget to get into the “how” of it all as well.
[Add another quote] Here you can write a quote addressing your company. Alternatively, you can have another paragraph talking about your business in more depth, with further details about the merger or acquisition.
[Add a CTA] Provide a call to action that leads to further information for your readers. You can also add a URL link that serves the same purpose.
[Boilerplate] Your boilerplate should address your business and the announcement message. At the end of it, you should add the following details:
- Contact info
- Address info
- Contact person
- Email address
- Phone number
Why do you need an effective press release?
- Affordability
When you look at the variety of PR tools available to businesses of all sizes, the cost of a press release is the cheapest. Even if you choose to hire a PR agency to help you with the writing, it’s still affordable.
- Value for money
Generally, paid ads cost more. Moreover, they only remain in the public as long as you pay for the service. Therefore, the cost of sustaining them can be higher. On the other hand, your press release gets published for free and remains there until it’s outdated.
- Instant communication with potential audiences
Direct communication is the most powerful means of reaching the target audience instantly. You don’t need to worry about search engine algorithms or getting a better rank. Once you are granted media coverage, you’ll reach potential audiences instantly.
- SEO benefits
The level of traffic your release gets once published has a direct impact on your SEO rank. In turn, the higher your SEO rank is, the more visible your business becomes to prospective audiences.
- Branding
When your company’s news gets featured on blogs, news sites, magazines, and newspapers, it gains a positive perception. This is good for branding.
- Public disclosure
Every business has a community that supports them. Business processes like acquisitions and mergers call for an immediate announcement. That’s because this process will affect how your community will perceive or relate to your brand. A press release provides the perfect opportunity for public disclosure.
Final take
Finally, you need to craft a striking story about the business acquisition or merger before you write your press release. With the right storytelling tactics, you can pass on your excitement about your new business venture and inspire hope among your target audience. Most importantly, you can give stakeholders who have always been loyal to your business a reason to believe in the new venture. It’s not easy, but when you have a powerful tool to assist you, you can manage it. In fact, writing a merger and acquisition press release could actually be one of the most impactful things you ever do.
A press release of this kind will not only affect the customer base but all your current stakeholders, including any investors, business partners, and suppliers. You will also have a whole new set of investors and stakeholders to deal with. Writing a press release is an effective way to ensure that everyone is on board and you retain support from valued stakeholders as you move forward. Generating this support is the only way to ensure the merger or acquisition goes through successfully.
How Pressfarm can help with your press release writing
As much as crafting the perfect press release announcement is important, some founders simply don’t have the time to take this on. This is especially true for founders who are already juggling the logistics of implementing a merger or acquisition. If this is the case for you, you can hire the services of a PR agency like Pressfarm. The experts at Pressfarm can distribute your press release widely and get it published in relevant media outlets. Pressfarm’s certified designers can also design an eye-catching media kit to go along with your press release.
By submitting your content to the right media outlets, startup directories, and professional networks, Pressfarm can boost your online visibility. The distribution strategy at Pressfarm ensures that your brand will rank in relevant search results across different search engines.
In addition to helping you distribute your press release widely, Pressfarm can actually build a custom media list for you. As a client, you also get year-long access to a comprehensive media database of 1 million+ journalists, influencers, and bloggers across different industries. With these media contacts, you can do extended media outreach for your brand, long after your campaign at Pressfarm is complete.