Press Releases
Press releases are a great way to get free publicity for your business. If you are looking for inexpensive ways to promote yourself or your business, media releases are one of the most cost effective promotion vehicles available.
Copywriting is, of course, a critical element in press releases. Most people tend to get discouraged even before the first word is written. There's no reason to be scared, just apply these quick and easy steps to write media releases like a pro.
Always remember when writing your press release that editors will likely give you a 10-second glance to see if your work is newsworthy. Do what it takes to pass this 10-second test.
Before you even start writing your press release, you need to take the time to get organized in your mind. The first step is to determine 'what is your story' what angle you will be using. Know what do you want to communicate. Some ideas are the launch of new product or service, opening a new location, adding staff or product/packaging improvements. Almost anything that will change in your company that affects your customers or your industry.
To get your news release picked up by the media you must not fall into the trap of making it sound like advertising. It must be a newsworthy account about you or your company.
When you are ready to start writing, take the time to familiarize yourself with the essentials required in all media releases:
- “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” on the top left of the page
- Contact name, title, address, phone number, fax number, email address
- Headline, bold and centered on the page
- Location and date
- One page maximum
- Concise and grammatically correct withouit spelling errors
- At the bottom, provide a bio on the company, person, etc. Provide brief details and include a website address where readers can get more information.
Content guidelines for effective press releases:
The headline is by far the most important part. Write not one, but 10-15 headlines before you pick the best one. The purpose of the headline is to convince the reader to read the next paragraph also. You may need to spend as much time writing the headline as you do on writing the entire content of the press release. The headline may be the only thing an editor reads if it's not a good one.
Paragraph structure. Your most important statements must be in the first paragraph, pushing it further down could mean your media release is never read. The headline along with your opening paragraph should tell a compelling story. Answer the five Ws here: who, what, where, when and why. The last paragraph should be your call to action and make it very clear.
Your writing style must keep your audience for the media release in mind and only include information that is factual and relevant to that audience. It is helpful to provide statistics and relevant quotes that will validate the information you are providing. Listing the sources will help building trust in you and your company.
The final step is the distribution. Do some research and create a distribution list. Effective media releases do work if you send your press release to the right places. Check out your industry associations, various relevant publications, newswire services, PRWeb and other press release submission sites. Some are free - others will cost you a few bucks.
Writing an effective news release will take time and effort. However, he rewards of free publicity, resulting in even more customers and revenue are worth that investment!
Here are some free press release services:
