In order to strengthen public relations and let them know the recent happenings of an organization through media outlets, it is important for every marketer to know how to write a press release. The distribution of press release is still the most beneficial and cost-effective way of promoting any event.
However, one must know how to write a press release as it is very necessary to catch the attention of the journalist so that the story gets picked up by them, and, since journalists are so busy nowadays, the pitched press release has to be engaging and attention-worthy.
So, let’s get on with the basics first.
What is a Press Release?
A press release is termed as the tool/document through which companies share important news with the public. Press releases are generally picked up by the journalists who run stories around the content of the releases. This lets the public know about any upcoming event to be organized or announcement made by an organization.
Why Should I Distribute Press releases?
In order to achieve company goals, organizations of all sizes must distribute press releases. Some of the common motifs for distributing press releases:
- To gain media coverage during the launch of a new product, services, or feature.
- To strengthen or enhance the reputation of the brand and building its image.
- During the publication of a report, blog, or e-book, press release distribution can be done to build backlinks from popular online media outlets.
- It is often done to break any bad news to the consumers/investors/stakeholders of a brand/organization.
- To gain attention from the audience by marketing a company’s products/services.
When Should I Distribute Press Releases?
Whenever there is something newsworthy that needs to be told, your business must distribute a press release.
Well, more specifically for:
- Product launches
- New announcements
- Partnerships
- Events
- Recruitment of new employees
- Awards
- Sharing research and development
- Crisis management
What should The Press Releases Contain?
There are certain guidelines that must be followed in order to draft an effective press release. The basic structure of a press release consists of the following components:
- Headline: It should be clear, crisp, and engaging enough to catch the attention of the journalist/audience.
- Date, Time, Location: Mention the location of the company and the event (if any) to be organized along with the date and time.
- Body: Arrange in an order of most important to least important.
- Boilerplate: Details of your organization.
- Contact Details: To ensure that the journalists can get in touch with you if needed.
5 Tips to Follow While Writing a Press Release
Here are 5 effective tips to help you in writing an impactful press release:
1. The Story Must Be Valuable
If your company is looking to send a press release to a distribution agency, then before writing it, ensure that the content is valuable to the audience.
If the target audience of the press release doesn’t feel that the content is worth reading then all the effort will go in vain. Conducting market research will help in knowing the taste of the audience.
2. Follow the Inverted Pyramid Rule
According to a study, 100% of the readers go through the headline, 70% go through the first paragraph, 50% read the second paragraph, 30% read the third paragraph, and only 10% read the fourth paragraph.
For this very reason, following the Inverted Pyramid rule is necessary while writing a press release. All the important information must be in the first paragraph, and the rest in the following paragraphs, to be arranged depending upon the importance so that the least important information resides in the last paragraph.
3. Include Quotes
Including quotes in your company’s press release is very important, and thus, you must try to include quotes from important designations holders or investors of the company. Also, ensure that the quote is relevant to the content of the release.
4. Keep It Precise
Including unnecessary or irrelevant information in the press release is simply a waste of time. Such information does not help at all in keeping the journalists/readers engaged. Journalists are busy and they won’t invest time in going through any irrelevant information.
5. Think like A Journalist
While writing a press release, you must always think or write like a journalist. If you are able to write content that keeps you engage, only then, you can be assured of its quality.
Never bury the lead for the reader or the journalist to find out – keep it at the front of the content. Also, do not waste the time journalists by making the content lengthy – keep it short and crisp. Do not try to sell the content by overdoing, let the content speak for the product to be launched or the event to be organized.
7 Important Components of an Effective Press Release
Now, you have acquired all the basic knowledge, so here are 7 important components of an effective press release that you must include to engage readers:
1. The Angle of the Story
Determining the angle of the story is very important. It is nothing but the perspective through which the story will be seen. The angle can be regarding the impact on the local community, the progress of the company, another side to a controversial fact, or something else.
While considering these angles, focus on the following 5Ws:
- Who is involved?
- What is it about?
- Where is it happening?
- When will it happen?
- Why should the audience know about it?
2. An Interesting Headline
The headline of the content must interesting enough to grab the attention of the readers, including journalists, reporters, editors, or consumers.
3. Upfront Lead
The lead of the content must always be included in the first paragraph, after the summary portion. The most important information that needs to be put into the first paragraph is:
- The angle of the story
- Answers to the 5Ws
- Reasons for audience engagement
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4. Informative Paragraphs
The upfront lead must be followed by 2-3 more paragraphs to make the story complete. These paragraphs must include supportive information. Make the paragraphs brief so that the content can be limited to a single page.
5. Include Quotes
As mentioned earlier, including quotes is an important fragment of writing an effective press release. The quote should not be complicated and must reflect its purpose.
Being a writer, you can write a quote yourself on behalf of your company’s head. In that case, keep the language and style of the subject on your mind, and then pen it down.
6. Contact Details
The journalist or the readers of the press release must know how to get in touch with you or your company for more details. And, for that, you must include the following details in the press release:
- Name and designation of the person to be contacted
- The email address of the person
- Phone number of the person
7. Write a Boilerplate
A boilerplate is a collection of sentences that provides a brief description of the organization. The boilerplate is generally placed at the end of the content.
The boilerplate must always be a part of each and every press release you distribute and include the below-mention information:
- Name of the company
- Company goals
- Date of foundation
- Company size
- A short statement on the goals achieved by the company
What is The Right Time of Sending Press Releases?
Determining the right time to send a press release is very crucial in order to help it gain the maximum amount of exposure. Press releases with important stories usually get distributed at the start of the week. Editors usually pick up stories to run in the first half of the week, so, you must aim Tuesday or early Wednesday.
How Should I Distribute My Company’s Press Release?
Even after following all the above-mentioned tips, your company’s press release may not get to see the daylight or catch the attention of the target audiences. And, thus, it is also important to sign up for a press release distribution agency that will help your company’s press release earn a place in the stories run by media outlets.
