Any business irrespective of the market background who wants to gain exposure across the media should come up with compact and captivating press releases. It is one of the most crucial tool kits I marketing that helps in conveying business news among media houses from where they reach the audience. But writing an effective press release requires a few tips and guidelines so that their implementation in the promotional drive is successful.
A Story that Stirs
Press releases carrying news, announcement, or vision of a business should be compact and engaging so that they can captivate attention instantly. Creative ideas and information gathering are important to come up with a press release that is well articulated but not lengthy.
Writing for the target audience is another tip that comes in handy which ultimately decides the flavor in which the company is being presented before the public. Keeping in mind what works as a press release writer is important and so is creating a unique story, stands out, and startling.
Headline
Media houses and journalists come across hundreds of press releases every day and not all of them can hold the reader till the end.
- Captivate the attention of the press by using interesting and catchy headlines.
- The headline should capture that entire topic of the press release innovatively and compactly.
- Retain linearity by creating a headline that is relevant and straightforward.
Opening Paragraph
While the headline is the first thing a reader notices in a press release, the first paragraph also captures attention significantly. If the first paragraph is interesting or captivating enough, it may qualify for press publication. As per guidelines and trends, giving an informative introduction of what the announcement is about that summarises the entire press release is the one that is the most effective. Also, always try to incorporate the clarifications to the ‘Five Ws’.
Compact and Brief
Many press release writers underestimate the importance of maintaining the length of a release. Ideally, a press release should not exceed 300-400 words expanding across 3-4 short and compact paragraphs. Unnecessary information is not entertained in the press and making a read longer than it is needed will only push it further towards rejection. Try to make it as concise and to-the-point as possible. If you want more structured and professional editing tips, using the ‘notes to the editor’ subsection will help you a great deal. Writing tips also include the use of subheadings, figures, statistics, bullet points, etc. so that the entire read is an engaging but not a boring introduction to a company that one many endorse in the future.
Quotes
Press releases containing quotes from valuable resources of the company creates a significant stir among journalists.
- Do not use bulky or comprehensive information in the quotes.
- Rather, write the press release using quotes that define the opinion and insight of the employees with the audience.
- This instigates reliability and also makes for the most accurate press release.
- Providing the audience information about how individuals associated with the company feel, a sense of trust is built in the process.
