The virtue of a good press release is that it can quickly grab the attention of many readers and it all starts from the beginning. If the introduction of the press release is not exactly what the reporters are looking for, they are more likely to skip the content without reading it till the end. The journalists and reporters receive a ton of press releases every day and if your PR does not stand out among the horde, it is more likely to get neglected.
If you want your PR to be read till the end, you need to know how to write the first line of your press release. There are a lot of practices that can help you perfect the first line that makes readers more interested in PR. Here are a few of them.
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Highlight the News
You need to covey why business your story is compelling enough to be published and that is why it should be at the beginning instead of getting buried deep. Highlight what the story is all about with a compelling angle that improves the chances of getting featured on reputed platforms for distribution. The more newsworthy your PR appears; the more authentic it looks to the journalists and reporters.
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Important Bits Based on Priority
The first sentence of the press release is the part of the first paragraph which is supposed to offer all the important bits of the content. Based on the priority and purpose of the press release, you share the information at the beginning which makes readers go through all of it. Utilize the 5 W’s of a press release writing at the beginning that stands for, who, what, when, where, and why. If you question yourself from the reader’s perspective and answer these in the beginning, the readers can have a better understanding of what is about.
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Keep it Precise and Impactful
As mentioned before, the opening sentence is quite crucial for a press release and it should be carefully crafted. Follow these rules to improve your perfection in crafting it.
- Don’t use phrases like ‘There is’, ‘There are’, and technical terms.
- Avoid jargon and quotations.
- Use direct speech and active voice only rather than passive voice.
- Keep it short and succinct (maximum 20 words).
- Do not put all the nitty-gritty details. Keep that for the second paragraph.
Keep in mind one thing, short sentences are easy to read and preferable to the readers. So not just the first line but also keep all the sentences short in the whole content.
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Gather More Inspiration
Check out the news in the newspapers; study how they have written a report. Check out the first line of each news section and see how they have initiated each different story. Think about how you would represent your story in case you are pitching to radio stations and television. Writing introductions like that makes it more efficient and media-friendly.
In the case of broadcasting, time is quite precious just like for distribution. That is why the researcher and reporters and more likely to feature your story when the first line is able to explain it to them. If it is relevant and newsworthy enough, the presenter will feature a segment of your story that describes your organization and the goal that you are trying to reach.
There are always exceptions to these rules however; if you are willing to get more media coverage, these tips will help you write a press release that is perfect for the purpose.
Bottom Line
Other than the first line, there are many other elements like the headers, boilerplate, body, etc need to be crafted carefully as well. All these elements together improve the quality and efficiency of the press release. So make sure you follow the format and necessary practices that help to enhance the efficiency of the press release.
