Press releases are very important to modern businesses. Regardless of the size of your business, you should know how to write one.
If this is your first press release, you may have a few questions about them. Why write a press release? How do you write one? Why not just share your message on social media?
These are all valid questions. Press releases may seem intimidating at first. But once your questions get answered, you’ll be ready to write one yourself.
Why Write a Press Release
The world gets its information mostly through social media and search engines. What benefits do press releases have over them?
Efficient Marketing
Press releases have been around for over 100 years. In fact, it was done when telegraphs were the fastest form of communication. And despite many technological advancements, they have persisted.
The main reason for this is because it is a very efficient way of getting a message out. The press releases generally very long, usually between four and eight paragraphs. This forces each one to be very focused on its subject matter.
This makes sense given their history. Their purpose has always been to give journalists the basic information they need to write their stories.
Even today, many journalists write their coverage based on press releases.
Targeted at Journalists
This leads to the other advantage that press releases have; they target journalists.
The main advantage of the Internet can also be a hindrance. Because of the widespread availability of news, it is hard to maintain someone’s attention for very long. The average person has a few trusted sources that they use to get their news and information from.
This is where journalists come into play. Any journalist in any publication has an audience who reads their coverage. That audience is going to have specific expectations of what news or information is presented to them.
That’s why press releases are so important. By putting them in front of the right journalist, your business gets in front of the right audience.
The hardest part of marketing has always been to get your message in front of the right audience. No, the journalists have taken care of that for you.
Builds Relationships
Journalists also play a long-term role in the cycle. Over time, you will notice the success of some coverage over others. The pattern will usually show positive coverage from the same journalist.
With these patterns in mind, make note of these journalists. It would greatly benefit you to start building relationships with them.
All journalists want an inside scoop. Having exclusive knowledge or sources makes them indispensable as journalists to their bosses.
Having a professional relationship with these journalists benefits both parties. They get better job security and your company gets favorable coverage.
This may be your first press release, but your future ones will prosper from this habit.
How to Write a Press Release
Press releases generally have a certain flow and style. This format has been refined by time and effectiveness. Using this format will make sure journalists read and write about your first press release.
Headline
The headline of the press release is the first thing anyone is going to read about it. This is how you hook people into reading the whole piece. Here are a few examples of different types of headlines:
- The Offer
- State the announced product/service and its price
- Straightforward and simple, this is great for an audience who already knows your company
- Example: “XYZ Offers New Streaming Service for $5 per Month”
- The Solution
- Convey the problem your company solved
- Straightforward while giving some room for nuance and creativity
- Example: “XYZ Launches First Streaming Service Dedicated to Native Americans”
- The Proclamation
- Announce huge success on an initiative or goal
- A bold statement that will attract attention from several audiences
- Example: “XYZ Undercuts Competitors with New Streaming Service Innovation”
Naturally, how the Headline reads depends on the announcement. But with these examples, you’ll generate a good one quickly.
First Paragraph
This is where the most important information about the announcement is. It should not exceed four sentences in length.
The goal is to get the most important facts to the reader concisely and precisely. Doing this makes sure that anyone who just skims the press release still gets your message.
Context
After the first paragraph, you should provide important context to the announcement. This would ideally only take 2 to 3 paragraphs, although your mileage may vary.
What context is important? Anything that helps tell a story that reflects positively on your company.
Does the announcement showcase the company’s brand values? Was a partnership with another company involved? Is it a genuine innovation in the market?
These are all angles you can take when writing your first press release.
Company Information
Finally, tell the reader about the company. This is its own section of the press release. It even has its own heading such as “About XYZ Company.”
This should be a one-paragraph summary of the whole company. Many companies put their mission statement in this section.
It should also include contact information for the company. Some journalists may have questions or need clarifications on the press release. By giving them contact information, they have a way of getting answers.
Tips for Writing Your First Press Release
The format of a press release is truly pretty straightforward. Writing within that format will take some practice but will soon be natural. As you write your first press release, here are some tips to get started.
Consider SEO
SEO is usually only relevant when putting your work online. But regardless of whether that is the plan to be or not, it should be considered.
There’s a solid chance that the press release will end up online in some form or another. By taking a few minutes to optimize your press release for search, you make sure that when it does, it is ready.
It is important not to go down the rabbit hole on SEO. Search engines are always changing and it can be a lot to keep up with.
The most important SEO consideration you need is keywords. Keywords are how search engines classify your content before showing it to people.
Use a keyword planner to see what keywords are relevant to your press release. If you can change some of the word choices in your press release to fit these keywords, it will perform better. Use keywords with high search volume but low competition for the best results.
If you do this, your press release will be in good shape if it’s released online.
Be Concise
Being concise with your press release is good for everyone involved.
As a company, you don’t want to use all of your time writing a press release. There’s a certain point where the return on the time investment doesn’t pan out.
Journalists don’t care for fluff either. All they need is the most important information so they can write their articles.
Once they do, the audience doesn’t want unnecessary information either. They just want a quick scoop so they can move on.
Being concise with your press release respects the time of everyone involved.
It also makes sure that the message doesn’t get misunderstood. The more information that’s in front of people, the more likely they are to get confused. This confusion can misconstrue the message of your press release.
Keeping only the essential information minimizes this risk.
Choose What to Share Carefully
Making the press release concise also brings up another valuable habit. Information conveyed in a press release will become a public record once it is released. This is a good time to make sure you are sharing the right information.
This can be as simple as fact-checking. If you are citing statistics, ensure they’re written correctly and sourced reliably. If you are quoting someone, make sure they are properly quoted and cited.
Mistakes like these can damage a company’s credibility with journalists and the public. Worse, you don’t want your company accused of spreading misinformation.
Some other information may be sensitive. If your announcement has to do with a product, be careful not to discuss trade secrets. There should also be no information that should allude to office politics.
This type of information may seem trivial at first. But they can destroy a business in the future depending on the situation.
When given the option, it is better to not share some information. Doing this makes sure that it is not used against the company later.
Use Other Forms of Media
Finally, it is becoming more common to include multimedia materials in press releases. This trend makes sense considering how multimedia dominates our world.
It also makes sense from a personal perspective. Modern journalists are growing tired of reading text all day. Giving them something else to look at will be more aesthetically pleasing to them. The more pleased they are to open your press release, the more likely they are to write positive coverage.
This doesn’t need to be anything elaborate. No journalist will expect a full video presentation with each press release. Supplemental videos or images will do well for the most part.
You’ve likely already gathered stock images or other marketing materials for your company. Using these assets where they make sense will make your press release more pleasant.
How to Distribute Your First Press Release
There are several options for distributing your press releases. Some of them are more effective than others.
As covered before, the goal is to get in front of the right audience. These do that in different ways and with varying success.
Distribution Service
There are press release distribution services, like eReleases, that handle this process on your behalf. This is the most effective method for most businesses.
These services already have relationships with journalists and publications. There’s no need for you to take the time to find, filter, and cultivate them.
They’ll also optimize the press releases. SEO, fact-checking, and many other edits are part of their job.
Finally, the people who work on these services understand press releases very well. They’ve been in the business a long time and know the patterns of success. Having them craft your press releases maximizes their value.
Company Blog
Many companies post their press releases as posts on a company blog. There are some benefits to this approach.
Posting blog content builds SEO credibility for the website. This makes it easier to find on Google and bumps it higher on the results. The press release turns into standard content marketing.
It also makes sure that any journalist in any publication can get your press release.
But, a company blog cannot replace a proper distribution service.
For example, just because any journalist can read the post doesn’t mean they will. A blog article has to compete with every other social media post for a person’s attention. Posting it loses the advantage of a targeted press release.
Also, SEO is an area of work on its own. Maintaining a company blog involves many marketing, technical and analytical skills. For most businesses, it’s not worth the time.
By Hand
Some companies do this entirely on their own. They manage their relationships with journalists, optimize their words, and email them when they are ready.
While this is possible, it is incredibly inefficient. As a business owner, there are many things on your task list. Distributing press releases, while important, should not take up all your time.
Social Media Post
Some companies only post their press releases on social media. In theory, this should work.
Social networks allow for seamless sharing and painless distribution. Getting in front of the right audience shouldn’t be a problem on a site with millions of people, right?
In practice, that’s not how it works. Social networks have algorithms that have their own agenda. And unless you pay for it, the attention of an audience is not part of the agenda.
When sending press releases to journalists, there’s a reasonable chance they’ll write an article. And when they do, that article will be in front of the people you want it to. Social media offers that same promise but doesn’t deliver the results.
Write Your First Press Release Today!
Writing your first press release is a big step forward for your business. It has the power to target the audience you want while also being flexible to your needs. Write your first one today!
Running a small business? Check out our other business-related articles for more helpful information!
