Have you found a reliable way to create buzz for your business? People want information fast and they want it now, so they often turn to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter for their news updates. You can capitalize on your customers’ desire for timely updates by writing press releases.
A press release can make it easier for your brand to get media attention and help you stand out from your competition, all while keeping your customers updated. In this article, we discuss how to write a press release that gets results while sharing ways to help your business get noticed even in today’s competitive standards.
How To Write a Press Release That Gets Results
If you’re looking for content marketing strategies, a press release is one of the best ways to get your business and brand out there. Here are some tips for creating a well-written press release.
1. Look for a Newsworthy Topic
No matter how well-written your press release is, it won’t do well unless the story is actually worth telling.
As you decide what to write for your press release, be sure to think long-term and consider whether other people will be interested in this news. This might sound like a no-brainer, but sending out news that’s only relevant or interesting to you is a surefire way to have the media ignore your content.
Avoid having your ideas trashed by reporters or ignored completely by writing about big news, such as recognition in the industry, a special event, or new services and products.
2. Create an Interesting Headline
Like most other content, press releases are only as effective as their headline. Spend extra time tinkering with your headline to make sure you create one that’s simple yet captivating.
Experts recommend that you keep your headlines short and simple — ideally about 70 characters. Following this standard will help you increase the chances of having your press release read.
Your headline will play an important part in whether or not a journalist or potentially important customer reads your press release, so it needs to answer the question “Why should readers care?” Try to land somewhere between creating interest and avoiding click bait. Click bait headlines may get you a lot of clicks and reads on the first try, but they can damage your brand image and result in fewer clicks and reads over time.
3. Cover All the Basics
Within your press release, be sure to cover the five W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. Make the answers as clear as possible because these are the most important pieces of information you need to provide for your readers.
Before your first paragraph, include your company’s city and state, along with the date of publication. Don’t forget to add context and information to your press release through statistics and testimonials. You can also use quotes from the people involved in your big news.
4. Summarize for Skimmers
Carefully craft a subtitle that can summarize your whole story using just one sentence. This should work to support your headline while giving readers a taste of what to expect if they read more.
Readers are often only looking for the important details, so be sure to deliver the essentials to them upfront, and don’t make them search. You can list key details in bullets or use headings to help your readers find important info.
Help your readers further by keeping your writing concise and avoiding fluff or repetition so they feel they’re getting value out of every word and sentence.
5. Make Sure Everything Is Clean
Inaccuracies and mistakes can ruin your press release, so you have to double-check that everything is free of factual and grammatical errors.
You can cut down on inaccuracies by including facts and quotes directly from an expert or a reliable source, along with links from the company’s social media channels and website.
6. End on a High Note
You can wrap up the press release by including a call to action on what your reader should do next or what they need to do for the next steps. End it on a high note by leading your reader through an overview and background of your company.
Be sure to include your contact information to signify the end of your press release. When you think you’re ready to publish, go over your piece again and check that your press release follows all of the tips listed here.
Best Practices for Press Releases
Here are a few other pro tips that we can share to help you write flawless press releases to get the most out of your media coverage.
Flesh Out Your Goals
As you write your press release, be sure to ask yourself this question: “What is my goal for doing this?” Are you looking to build awareness for your brand? Do you want to boost your followers on social media? Do you want to get access to newspapers? This question is a critical point to identify right from the get-go because it will shape the way you frame the information in your press release.
Think Like a Journalist
People like to share and publish work that enhances or works in line with their own personal brand, journalists included. A great way to increase the chances of your work being shared or boosted by a journalist is to adopt a journalistic writing style.
Take some time to review how journalists write and how other press releases are written. Consider the language and word choices used in successful press releases by other companies in your industry, then try working some of that into your own press release.
Understand Your Audience
Knowing and writing to your audience is possibly the most important factor for whether or not your press release will be successful. Even if you have the best press release ever written, it won’t matter if your sales pitch is aimed at the wrong people.
If you’re sending your press release directly to a publication or journalist, there are two things you need to consider:
- Does this publication or journalist cover your industry or type of product?
- Are their readers your target audience?
You won’t see a lot of success if you send your press release to a journalist who writes about something completely different for an audience who would never be interested in your product. Just as you need to make sure your product is a good fit for your market, you need to make sure your press release is a good fit for any publications you plan to contact.
Create Perfect Press Releases With Panda Copy
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