It is critical to write a good press release to get favorable attention in the media about your company, product, service or any other news. However, given the thousands of press releases flooding the journalists’ inboxes, creating one with a chance of being noticed requires proper planning and effort. These are important aspects that should be followed when writing a press release that can be effective.
Craft an Attention-Grabbing Headline
The headline should be strong and persuasive; otherwise, they do not feel the need to go further and read the content. It should summarize the key details of your news item and entice the readers to read the rest of the article while being brief, explicit and evocative. Always consider the reader’s standpoint – Why should this release interest them? Stress the factors that make a specific piece of news timely, pertinent, different and/or useful.
This should be in two sentences but should not be more than 6 words in the headline. Make use of powerful words that build curiosity and ensure to adopt an active voice. For instance, ‘Local Bakery Disrupts Gluten-Free Market’. Using an exclamation mark after the headlines also appears to give the news piece a more exciting feel and is generally favoured for this reason.
Packed with punchy language, the lead paragraph is as follows:
The first paragraph gives a general idea and creates a desire in the reader to read the remaining paragraphs. This is where you establish the 5Ws: and encompass such elementary questions as who, what, where, when and why. The first and every subsequent paragraph should reiterate what the press release is for – keep the writing leaner and more direct than the wording, which only serves to promote the timely news.
It should be brief and bullet-pointed; the recommended length is between 30 characters. Focus on what is distinct or fresh, then journalists are more likely to take an interest in your release. For example, “Gluten-Free Goodies Bakery today introduced on the market a range of newly-developed products, such as gluten-free breads, bagels, and pizza crusts made from chickpea flour for individuals who suffer from celiac disease. ”
Here, the body should be structured according to the inverted pyramid.
This technique entails placing the most important information at the beginning and then adding more information at a later level. Arrange the information starting with the most significant data and ending with the least significant one. Make sure to give the first few words of the new paragraph a hook and ensure they flow from the previous one.
Flesh out the 5Ws in more detail in the first 1-2 body paragraphs:Flesh out the 5Ws in more detail in the first 1-2 body paragraphs:
– By what names is the news being announced or the persons or companies involved?
– What is happening – the reason why it is important?
– When is it due for occurrence or significance?
– What is the situation or setting in which it is happening?
– Why does it make a difference?
Then add ancillary details to highlight benefits. Use of quotes from company officials reinforce the authority of the release while using relatable figures adds a human touch to the release. Be concise yet specific.
Wrap up by urging the audience to take the desired course of action.
Wrap up by directing the reader toward further engagement: monitoring your brand online, for instance when they are on your website, social media, at an event, using a product, etc.
For example, “To get more information on Gluten Free goodies’ healthy products please visit our web site www. glutenfreegoodies. com To get more information about Gluten Free goodies’ healthy products please visit our web site www. glutenfreegoodies. com We shall be participating in the Good Food Expo at the Convention Center downtown on March 1-3.
This makes it easier for reporters to identify areas that they can pursue following the story.
Craft Compelling Subject Lines
Although the headline grabs the reader’s attention within the context of the news release, the subject line is equally as important when considering using the news release for e-mail distribution.
As with the headline, use the subject line to be positive, action-oriented, detailed, and benefit-oriented. For instance, “Gluten-Free Goodies Bakery announces new distinctive chickpea flour breads and bagels launching. ”
Subject lines should be between 45-65 characters long so they are not limited to the preview pane.
Write Crisp, Scannable Copy
With journalists getting so many press releases weekly or monthly, write copy that is easily digestible at first sight. Employ the following scannable writing best practices:Employ the following scannable writing best practices:
– Subdivide text into paragraphs, each containing no more than four sentences.
– There should always be large spaces between chunks of text, where the color of the white space is considered to be white.
– The Wordy should contain subheadings as well as incorporate graphs/charts/images to aid in the breakdown of sections that are word dense.
– Provide specific, descriptive names for the headers and subheaders
– Using bold fonts to point out key names, numbers, and quotes
– Provide hyperlinks to related sources for the convenience of instant background information.
Not only will this make your release more readable when people are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of emails, it also stands out so that a Journalist can clearly notice some important details to include in the coverage.
Summative into a Punchy Boilerplate
A company boilerplate is designed to provide the company’s credibility by listing a brief, persuasive ‘About Us’ statement, preferably, 3 to 5 sentences at most.
It gives the name of the organization, its location, the year it was established, and its core business. Then give overviews of primary products and services, and company’s competitive advantages, awards and prizes, latest information and so on.
For instance, Gluten-Free Goodies Bakery is a new business launched in 2019 in Seattle that focuses on producing healthy, delicious gluten-free bakery products. Gluten sensitivity, celiac disease and other health issues are best managed by our chickpea flour breads, bagels, cereals and snack products, which provide better protein and fiber. In winning the Good Food Awards for 2022, a number of our products established new benchmarks in quality gluten-free foods. ”
This dynamic snapshot can be reused in future releases to build familiarity in a quicker rate than creating new ones. Place it at the end of the page with or without contact information.
Proofread Thoroughly
No matter how professional a writer is, such simple mistakes as typos and grammatical mistakes are disappointing. Finally, read through the entire news release thoroughly to check for errors, ensuring special attention to name titles, dates times, URLs etc.
It is recommended that the writer reads aloud and also have the manuscript checked by another person with an aim of enhancing content comprehensibility and persuasive features. A clean press release brings confidence to your company and its ability to break the news effectively.
Thus, applying these tips to your press release will help you produce a compelling piece of text that will attract the media’s attention and in turn, bring more attention to your brand, products, and services, as well as increase the number of people attending your events. Be more expressive when pitching the story to the targeted reporters with the excuse of news value. If your firm lays down a clear format and carefully selects the press releases distribution method, your firm is able to gain good publicity in a flood market.