It amazes me how many business owners don’t know the benefits if writing a press release or how to write a press release. With all the hoopla of websites, blogs and social networking this business tool is often over looked.
Keep in mind that a Press Release is NOT an Ad!
A press release announces your business and website to the world. They are also known as a news release, it should be informative and appealing to reporters and other contacts.
Make a statement as to why your products or services are a benefit. Describe how your products or company was developed; always keep in mind that you are going to send your release to people who have hundreds or thousands of releases to read through. Make sure to make your company stand out with a well-written press release.
Your first priority is to please the editor/writer and secondly the web surfer. When you write your press release, make sure you consider how your material could catch the editor’s eye.
Write an nontraditional piece; include new angles that make your press release stand out from the rest. Include a catchy title. Your publication is more likely if you appeal to the current interests of the specific publication and the specific editor/writer.
Editors consider the demands of their audience. If your work fails to meet the subscriber’s needs, the story will not be published. Keep your writing timely and be truthful. This will increase your chances of publication.
Going Local: Let’s face it; most websites will not get significant attention from large publications on a national or international level. If you have not done anything highly innovative or of interest to the big time publications, you still have a shot at going local.
Local and regional publications love a “local business does good” story and you don’t need to be in the realm of rocket science or devising a plan for world peace to get local attention. Personalize it.
Some information to include:
Newsworthy information is best presented in the form of an inverted pyramid. This means that the first part of your release should be the key information. Answer the primary questions first, making sure to include any vital ‘who, what, where, when, why and how’ elements. Their order is based on which elements are of greater importance to your particular news release.
Go straight to the point in the beginning because you hopefully will have time to explain later… that is… you will have time to explain on subsequent paragraphs… but only if you pique the interest of the reader in the first paragraph. Begin your release by making the ‘news‘ clear. The main focus of your first section is, “This is what it’s all about“.
The information that supports or clarifies details in your release comes in the second part. Secondary information includes background information or any other details that you need to explain. Because less emphasis is put on this section of the release, get straight to the point and keep it simple. Keep the inverted pyramid format in mind, putting less important information lower in the release.
The last section should include information that closes your release in a smooth but strong way. Don’t leave people hanging, on the other hand, don’t babble on and on…
- What does your company offer?
- How might people already be familiar with your company’s name?
- This is the time to establish a connection for people between your website and company name.
Some Great Online Resources to read for your Next Press Release:
PRWeb
PR Newswire
Press Release Guidelines
So now you’ve read all the info on press releases and are still struggling? Not sure what’s next? Here’s the On-line template from Duct Tape Marketing:
Fill out the form, then copy and paste it into a Word or PDF file then email/FAX it to all of the news/business forums you have available both on and off the web.
