Writing a Great Press Release
April 6, 2017 9:44 amA press release is a short, compelling news story written by a public relations professional or marketer and sent to targeted members of the media. The ultimate goal of a press release is to pique the interest of a journalist or publications enough so they print your company’s news. This means free advertising as well as brand name exposure. These short releases, known as PR, can be a wonderful bonus for companies to be recognized by trade papers, journals or even local newspapers. So what should be put into a press and release and how should it look in order to catch the eye of the intended media? Lets’ take a look at the components of a press release.
- Contact Information – Right at the top of the page include your contact information including the name of the company you are writing for and the email/phone number. This is important because anonymous releases are a “no go” in the publication world. Make it easy for each publication to know who you are. Include the data as well so they know the information is current.
- Be Short and To the Point – No journalist has the time to read lengthy press releases so get to the point in the first sentence. Let the reader know the big news right in the opening and use all pertinent facts, so if they do choose to run with the information they will have the correct facts, names and information. This is a good idea as it is an attention grabbing way by having a strong headline.
- Give Statistics – Give the reasons why your announcement is important and who it will impact. Many PR firms suggest doing this by giving statistics or percentiles that show off just how important the information is.
- Use Quotes – Save the journalist time by including a human element.
- Be Precise – Proofread the release so there are no grammatical mistakes.
