The average press release contains around 300-500 words. These are well-written articles designed to help a company convince the media that their announcement or event is newsworthy and worth covering. Ideally, the goal of a press release is to get media professionals interested enough in a company’s news to do further in-depth coverage and create their own story. Even so, press releases are often written to be published “as is.” This gives journalists compelling news stories without them having to spend lots of time finding additional information.
For a long time, press releases were the primary channel for getting news out there and they only had to be compelling enough to get the attention of media professionals. However, they can now be distributed on a company’s website, social media platforms, and media websites. As a result, anyone can create and distribute a press release. For this reason, your press releases need to be engaging if you want to break through the noise and stand out in the media.
Research has also shown that over 80% of consumers are more optimistic after reading customized content. Since press releases are an essential part of any content marketing strategy, it is necessary to create one that can help you boost your brand visibility. A good press release can also help you communicate your company values. 94% of consumers tend to show more loyalty to brands that present complete transparency, and 90% stay loyal to brands that share their company values.
By learning how to create press releases, you can gain valuable media coverage and appeal to your target audience.
In this article, we will look at tips on how to write press releases that can attract media attention.
1) Consider the story angle
Before learning how to write press releases, it is essential to think about what you want to write about first. People consume information constantly. As a result, if you do not choose a newsworthy angle, media professionals will not be excited enough about your news to publish it. This results in minimal media coverage for your brand. It is imperative to remember that whatever you decide to write about will determine which publications want to publish your story.
However, the question that remains is what makes an announcement newsworthy. After all, information that may seem important to some may be completely useless to others. In order for media professionals to consider a particular story newsworthy, it needs to have a strong news angle and be interesting. The news angle is your specific hook; it is the news event and highlights why media professionals want to publish a story. Ideally, your press release should also explain how your news affects the industry, organization, or community. Press releases need to share this news with consumers and journalists from an unbiased perspective.
How to do this
As you try to figure out what to write about, you should start by creating a list of events and accomplishments you’ve achieved recently. You can go back as far as six months. You can write a release to announce an event, a business merger, rebranding, a new hire, or the launch of a new product/service. Once you have determined the topic you want to cover, you need to take some time to consider your audience’s needs.
When it’s time to write the press release, you also need to learn how to write it for two primary audiences: media professionals and consumers. This is especially important if you plan to use a distribution service and go through a media publication. You need to keep in mind that journalists will look at a press release to determine whether it is relevant to their readers. This is why press releases need to be newsworthy to both audiences – the journalist as well as their target audience.
2) Capture the reader’s attention
On average, about 80% of people read a headline. However, only 20% of people read the rest of the content. In order to gain media attention, you need to learn how to develop an eye-catching headline.
A press release headline should cover the essence of a story in no more than ten words. Ultimately, your headline can make the difference between positive media coverage and no coverage at all. The best headlines convey all the essential information and reel the audience in to continue reading the rest of the release.
Titles are a key factor that media professionals consider when deciding if they will pick up a story. In addition to helping you attract attention, a good headline can also help with a company’s overall marketing strategy. In this day and age, a good headline can also positively affect search engine optimization (SEO) and place your business at the top of browser searches. A well-composed headline is also beneficial for public relations. A catchy headline ensures that media professionals will notice the press release and generate more publicity for a business. With a good headline, you can secure coverage across different media platforms in the form of radio or television interviews, newspaper articles, and more.
3) Follow the press release template
When writing press releases, it is essential to consider which publications you want to send them to first. You should focus on publications that have already reached your target audience. Once you have an idea of the kind of publications you want to target, you should build a media list that includes media professionals who are relevant to your industry. Newspapers, magazines, bloggers, social media influencers, and radio shows are among the platforms that you should consider.
While most companies are completely capable of creating a media list on their own, sometimes hiring a PR agency to provide a custom media list or writing and distributing a professional press release for you can be beneficial. The PR specialists at Pressfarm can do all of this and more.
What Pressfarm does best
Pressfarm is a PR agency that specializes in creating quality content for brands across different industries. With a professional press release, some engaging guest posts, and an eye-catching press/news release from Pressfarm, you can capture media attention and inspire your target audience.
By submitting your content to the right media outlets and startup directories, Pressfarm can boost your online presence and ensure that you rank in relevant search results across different search engines. In addition to content creation, Pressfarm’s account executive creates a personalized media list for each client. With these custom media lists, you can connect with the best thought leaders and storytellers in your industry.
The best way to use templates
Once you have determined where you want to send your press releases, you need to make sure that you read the guidelines first. Every publication has its submission guidelines, and you should not start writing a press release before you’ve read through all the requirements.
When the writing process begins, you need to follow the basic press release template that includes the proposed release date, the company’s logo, contact information, a compelling headline, a dateline, the lead paragraph, body text, a boilerplate, and a call-to-action.
The ultimate goal of a press release is to capture the attention of media professionals and readers while also explaining why the content is significant. The dateline, for example, is a crucial component. The release date and location should be provided in the first line of the press release’s first paragraph. It’s crucial to add these details so that readers are aware that they are obtaining up-to-date information. Next, a press release should include the phrase “For Immediate Release” to emphasize its importance. You should also include contact information so that media professionals and readers can contact you for more information.
Once you’ve considered all the factors above, it’s time to focus on the “meat” of the release, beginning with the lead paragraph. You must keep in mind that journalists and readers consume press releases and other information from brands regularly. As a result, you must make their lead paragraph informative and to the point in order for your press release to stand out. In this paragraph, you must cover the “what, who, when, why, and where” of your news.
How to structure this
The lead paragraph should contain all of the crucial data regarding the press release announcement, while the rest should include all of the supporting material. This leads into the body section, which should contain multiple paragraphs that provide specifics, background, statistics, and other pertinent information for the news release.
Moreover, supporting quotes are a critical component of a successful press release. Quotes from significant players in a company are an excellent way to bring the details of your news to life. Quotes can help your press releases stand out because most press releases consist of facts and analytic information. This is also a terrific way to give your news announcement more legitimacy and validity. The boilerplate is another essential part of a great press release. A boilerplate is a short paragraph that consists of company information. This is where you provide independent background information. This is information that may or may not relate to the material in the press release but describes your company’s mission and vision.
Finally, you should include a call to action at the end of a press release. A good call to action encourages businesses to interact with their customers. They are designed to provide more information to readers so that they do not have to waste time hunting for information.
4) Boost credibility
After you have established the critical information you want to include in your press release, you must consider how to get the media’s attention. You can, for example, boost the credibility of your press releases by speaking with thought leaders in the industry. If you have an industry expert at your company, quoting them or highlighting a study that they participated in will lend credibility to your press releases.
You might want to interview a CEO, a stakeholder, or a project leader, for example. You must concentrate your efforts on people in positions of leadership and influence. We should not just throw in a random statement as a supporting quote simply to tick a box. Make sure the quote actually adds value.
5) Engage readers
As we mentioned previously, you should write your press releases for both consumers and media professionals. For this reason, when writing a press release that attracts media attention, you mustn’t neglect your readers. You need to look for ways to keep your readers interested and engaged, otherwise they will stop reading.
To achieve this, experienced PR writers often use the inverted pyramid writing style to retain the reader’s attention. This writing style requires you to put the most crucial information at the start of a press release and the least important information at the bottom.
Conclusion:
No matter what type of news you want to present to media professionals and consumers, press releases are an essential part of your overall marketing strategy. However, with thousands of articles and press releases being published daily, learning to write press releases that stand out is necessary. You can do this on your own or with the help of a PR agency. Whichever route you choose, you need to make sure that you are distributing exciting content that will reach your target audience and generate more business.