Press releases remain an invaluable marketing tool for businesses, enabling them to connect with people and share media awareness, thereby increasing the visibility of their brand. However, crafting a Press Release without a captivating story can be fatal to the business as it might never end up being picked up by journalists because of its lackadaisical approach. Earlier, businesses used to rely on journalists to enhance the excitement and interest of a press release as they were trained to spin out an interesting story from any event. But today with the number of press releases journalists are blasted with daily, only the one crafted most meticulously with a captivating story will have any chance of being considered.
The story that you add in the writing of your press release sets the tone for its entire content and therefore it is important to create a piece of work that would connect with the reader on a deeper level. Keeping the following points in mind can help achieve this end:
● A Press Release is Different from a Sales Letter
A press release is different from an ad or a sales letter: it is more factual and written from an objective point of view rather than giving the readers a biased opinion. It must therefore be written like a news article with a clear story and it must have a definitive beginning, middle, and end without spinning the readers in a narrative labyrinth.
● The Headline of the Press Release is Equivalent to the Title of a Book
The title of a book is the first thing that catches the attention of readers and builds their intrigue. It is no different from the headline of a piece of article or a press release. The headline must be catchy, giving the readers a glimpse of what the body of the press release might entail, and at the same time, it must be short and crisp.
● Add Some Seasoning to the Written Piece
Just like the covers of a book with beautiful and symbolic illustrations and the pictures added in the pages to make it appealing to a wide range of readers, the addition of multimedia like photos, videos, and infographics can add more depth, dimension, and detail to your story that the written word is trying to convey.
● Add Quotations from Relevant Individuals
As in a piece of non-fiction, adding quotations can generate interest in a story, as excerpts from the word of mouth of leading experts in the field are considered to be value-adding and can go a long way in compelling the readers to find credibility in what the press release is trying to say to them.
● Add Attachment
Adding attachments to a press release is a feature offered by many press release services and it is important to label these attachments correctly. They can give the readers a clear idea of what the brand stands for, their mission, and their origin story.
● Include a CTA
Including a call to action at the end of the story you are trying to weave with your press release, helps increase engagement with the readers and at the same time allows them to gain additional information that would enhance the narrative of the press release.
● Use Stories to Inspire and Educate
Press releases play a key role in educating the target audience as well as the media personnel about the story of the brand concisely and compellingly. To ensure that this object is achieved to its desired end, certain elements ought to be focused on:
1. Enhancing the Newsworthiness of the story by focusing on current news rather than old ones, focusing on issues and events that are at closer geographical proximity to the target audience, considering events and developments that would have a significant impact on people’s lives, considering stories involving famous or influential people, taking into account emotionally appealing stories that pique readers’ curiosity and engage the media, and finally stories dealing with scandals and conflicts.
2. Harnessing the power of simplicity by sending out a clear and concise message regarding the core of the brand story without the use of excessive jargon.
3. Crafting the press release through the audience’s perspective.
Stories are a part of life that engages people at all times and all ages. Adding them to the press release can work wonders for your marketing and promotional strategies.
