Press releases are the announcements that you make about your business or brand through the coverage of media and news outlets. It is important to craft simple and meaningful content that will help the journalists and the readers get a clear idea of what the event is about.
The fate of your press release depends solely on the decision of an outside party. The journalists and media outlets give priority to the news that is relevant to their readers. So, you need to write a press release that is written keeping the needs and requirements of the media outlets in mind. A single wrong move can destroy your reputation in the market. Here is the list of things that should do and don’t while writing a press release:
Things you should do
There is a particular pattern of press release writing that you must follow in order to make an impact on the market. Let’s discuss the things that you should do during the press release writing process:
1. Keep it brief
Previously, press releases used to be very long. But, now people have shorter attention spans and they will not spend much time on long content. They want to know what is story is about quick, which can only be provided by a shorter press release. Anything longer than a single page will push them to move on to the next thing.
- Make sure it is no longer than a single page.
- Don’t be repetitive. Just provide the information you want your target audience to know in brief notes and exit.
- Use eye-catching words and phrases to keep the readers hooked.
2. Make it informative
Press releases are neither blogs nor advertisements. They are closer to news the way they are written. And being more like news, they are more trustworthy to the readers. To make your content more journalistic, you need to make it as informative as possible.
- Answer the 5Ws (Who, What, Where, When, Why) in the first paragraph of the content.
- Be honest about the details you are writing in the PR. Otherwise, it can give you a bad name in the market.
- Add some factual data in the PR to increase its credibility in the eyes of the readers.
3. Craft an attractive headline
The headline is the first thing that a reader notices in a press release. Journalists receive hundreds of press releases every day. They obviously do not go through all the press releases they get. They usually decide whether to read the entire thing or not by going through the headline of a PR. If the headline manages to grasp their attention, they will surely read the whole thing.
- Use attention-grabbing words in the headline.
- Add keywords in the title to increase the SEO of the PR.
- Use action words and keep the headline short to make it interesting.
4. Add Quotes
Adding quotes is the best way to boost the credibility of your press release. Quotes help promote the company to get more exposure. Quotes in a press release usually come from important personals from the company. They create a greater connection with the target audience offering them a more human point of view of the company.
- Make a separate paragraph for the quotes.
- Don’t use too many quotes. Only add one or two most important quotes from the most significant persons within the company.
- Make sure the quotes are relevant to your content and target audience.
5. Add multimedia
Press releases are long text-based content that can bore the readers after some time. You need to keep them hooked till the end to get all the benefits of a press release. Multimedia like images, gifs, infographics, videos, and more can be used to break the monotony of the press release. Using multimedia also helps to increase the appeal of the content.
- Use multimedia that is relevant to what is written in the press release.
- Use simple and interesting infographics to convey what you are trying to say to your audience. They are the best if you are explaining a certain process.
6. Proofread
Press releases are published in media outlets specializing in different industries. An error-filled PR will not only ruin your reputation in the market but bring embarrassment to the news outlets in front of their readers as well. If you continue to submit press releases with spelling and grammar mistakes, the journalists will be reluctant to consider your story for publishing.
- Proofread your content at least two times before submitting the press release for distribution.
- There are numerous spelling and grammatical error-checking applications available online. You can use them to detect the errors in your PR and correct them instantly.
- Most of them are free to use and take only a few seconds to analyze the entire content.
Things you should avoid in PR writing
Establishing a good reputation in the market takes a lot of time. But destroying it takes only a few poorly written press releases. There are some things that you must avoid at any cost to prevent spoiling your credibility in the market.
1. Don’t just craft it around any topic
There are countless events happening within a company. But not all these events are newsworthy. Many businesses make this mistake and they issue PRs on almost every happening in their company. Most of them are not even relevant to the target audience and they don’t even read the content. It is fruitless to issue Pr about the changes that do not serve in the interest of the readers.
- Chose the events that are related to your products or services.
- The topic must interest the readers and has a positive impact on the market.
- You can also craft the content around the latest trends to increase their chances of getting noticed.
2. Don’t make the PR complicated
Press releases are directed to readers from different backgrounds. You must keep it in mind while writing your press release. If your content is too complex to understand by most of the readers, the media outlets will reject it.
- Make sure to write in simple language without using complicated phrases, words, and jargon.
- Convey your message in the easiest way possible to reach a broader group of audience.
- Use simple language in both the headline and body of the press release.
- Add keywords in the press release in a way that does not ruin the flow of the context.
3. Don’t drag the story
Press releases should always be succinct. And the first paragraph should tell the audience what it is about. Don’t drag the story too much before introducing what your product or service is about. The journalists are busy people. They don’t have all day to read all the flowery introductions to get to the actual point of the press release. If they think your content is taking too long to get to the point they will reject it and move on to the next press release.
- So, try to tell what the PR is about within the first few lines.
- Make sure to introduce your company or brand as soon as possible.
- Add company name and the main point of the PR in the headlines as well.
4. Don’t lie
Press releases are used to establish a good reputation in the market for your company. So, if you are dishonest with your target audience about what your product can do and offer. If you are not sure about something, do your research properly before mentioning it in the press release. If you use details that are over-exaggerated or incorrect it will directly impact your business. The journalists will be less inclined to receive content from you. Your target audience will also lose faith in you and your brand. And once you acquire a bad reputation in the market it will take a long time to recover it.
5. Don’t forget to optimize the PR for SEO
Internet is the primary source of news these days. Your press releases have the full potential to reach your target audience across the world if you manage to increase their SEO. The first step to optimize your press release is to include appropriate keywords in the content. That way, when a target audience is searching for something particular in your industry using these keywords, your press releases must appear on the top of the search results. You can also include hyperlinks in the body to generate more traffic to your website, boosting sales.
6. Don’t just submit to anyone
The media outlets where you submit your PR, play a big role in its success. You must do your research properly before sending out the press release. If you are selling some sort of food then sending your PR to a media specializing in fashion won’t help at all. So make a list of the media houses that cover your specific industry and have a substantial number of readers on that topic.
Once you have selected the right media outlets, find out what kind of news they cover and what their desired writing style is. Craft your press release in a way that meets their expectations. Find out the name and contact details of the journalists working there. Approach them with your press release through emails. Tell them why your story is the ideal news for their readers.
Follow the above-mentioned tips to write an ideal press release for your business that will bring you massive online visibility and audience engagement.
