A press release is the quickest and most cost-effective way to market your brand. If you’re a newbie who doesn’t know how to do it, here’s a systematic guide for you.
What is a Press Release?
Press release (PR) is a public relations announcement issued to news media and publications to tell the public about the latest developments in a product, company, or service.
When Should You Distribute One?
A regular cadence of meaningful news can help your company stand out and build mind share with journalists over time; thus, that’s when you must release a news announcement. While no preset formula exists when to write and distribute one, here are few reasons it’s a good idea:
- New product launch
- Current product update
- New office opening
- New partnership introduction
- Rebranding
- Just hired or promoted executive
- Receipt of award
How Do You Write an Effective Press Release?
1. Strong Headline to Grab Attention
Start with a strong headline that can captivate your potential backers and promoters’ attention. Make it brief, interesting, on-point, and inclusive of key points on your product or message. Likewise, use a larger font size than the body text, follow capitalization rules, and extract important keywords.
2. Concise Body That Sums Up Your Message
Your first paragraph must carry the key points and answer the five ‘W’ questions: who, what, where, when, and why. Further, even if the reporter didn’t read the whole PR, he/she will still understand what you want him/her to know.
Use succeeding paragraphs to support the first with more details about the lead. Likewise, add a quote from key stakeholders or executive source relevant to the announcement.
3. Company Details to Introduce Your Business
Include a boilerplate or a short paragraph about your company, same as the intro in your brochure or About Us page, below the paragraphs. In addition, describe your firm, products, services, clients, location, and goals. Place your contact details, too. Further, you can even add links to your website and social media profiles but keep them brief, up to 100 words will be enough. Create a boilerplate once and use it for your future releases. Besides, encourage readers, too, to visit your site or contact you for more information.
4. End Your Press Release Perfectly
Here are a few reminders before you send your PR to media outlets and posting sites:
- Follow journalistic standard by ending your PR with three hash (#) symbols. Further, center them right below the last line of the piece.
- Proofread with much care. After all, correct spelling and grammar are the best way to leave a positive impression.
- Avoid using jargons and unnecessary terminology. In fact, your target audience may stop or won’t read your PR anymore if they can’t understand what you’re saying.
- Craft each release to target a specific media and reach out to journalists who covers that beat. In particular, show them why what you wrote connects to what they write.
- Prepare yourself for sudden interviews, conversations, and questions and make sure your work is just two pages long.
A press release keeps customers informed and updated about you and your products and services. Perfect timing is a crucial factor. Likewise, writing and posting won’t be easy. Thus, if you’re busy enough with daily tasks, let our expert writers handle this intricate job for you. Visit our writing services page to learn more about our offers.
Sources:
blog.hubspot.com
www.americanexpress.com
www.wikihow.com
buckeyeinteractive.com
writtent.com
