Most businesses or organizations have newsworthy stories that can acquire them a huge amount of media coverage but they fail to attract any due to the poor quality of their press releases. These missed opportunities can set back the momentum of their growth substantially.
This is why companies need to learn the right way of writing an effective press release that can put them back on the limelight. Drafting a newsworthy press release does not need to be a complicated process. Let’s go through the easy to follow tips that can help you sharpen your press writing techniques getting you the desired media coverage.
Prioritize the headline
Journalists are extremely busy people. They go through hundreds of PRs every day and they do not have the time to read the entire body of every press release that they come across. The first thing that they observe in a PR, is its headline. If it’s not catchy or informative enough they move on to the next one. This is why you must emphasize the headline. Make it eye-catching and craft it in a way so that it contains the most important piece of information. Keep it short and to the point.
Know the right format
The right format will get you under the radar of major media outlets effortlessly. After the headline, the first paragraph holds great significance:
- Include all the vital points and key information in the first paragraph.
- As mentioned before Journalists do not possess the time to go through the entire thing. So make sure to feed them with all the vital information in the first paragraph.
- The following paragraphs may contain secondary and supporting information.
Exercise the method of 5 Ws
An effective press release needs to be highly informative. Remember that journalists want something newsworthy which can be relevant to their audience.
This is why your PR must answer the five Ws –
- What
- Who
- When
- Where, and
- Why
This will give the journalists as well as your readers a complete idea of your brand. You can also include how your brand is relevant to the niche market or industry for some additional boost.
Keep it comprehensive
Understand that your average readers are not literary geniuses. Journalists know that as well. So they avoid any PR that are overly complex and have jargon and would be hard to grasp for the ordinary audience. So make sure the sentences of the press release are short and simple. And don’t forget to proofread for any spelling or grammatical errors as it shows unprofessionalism and is rejected by journalists every time.
Add contact information
When a journalist or blogger finds your content newsworthy enough, they will want to contact you immediately. And if they have to work for it your story will get rejected.
Include all the contact information such as –
- Your name
- Phone number, and
- Email right at the bottom of your press release.
It is very useful to embed the website address in the press release letting the journalists and readers acquire more information about your business.
