When to write a press release and how to publish it
A press release is more than just an announcement about what is happening in your business. It’s a sales tool and works especially well if there’s a newsworthy story behind it.
You can write your release as if you were an outside reporter, providing some good quotes and information from the key drivers within your company, clients, or field. Then you need to figure out who to send it to to make it worthwhile.
The setup of a press release is standard throughout the industry. You need to write it this way for any news organization to take it seriously.
Headline
There is a right way and a wrong way to write a headline for a press release. They should be in bold, with the first word capitalized, have the correct keywords, and grab the attention of your audience and the guardian.
body copy
You have to put the name of the city and state, as well as the date, on the first line. Then include an attention-grabbing opening sentence that makes the reader want to read more about the story. You want to avoid the use of filler words and make the body text as compact as possible. State only facts and save the smoke and fluff for other marketing copy.
Who, what, when, why, where and how
As you write, try to answer all five w’s and h’s as well. This will help keep your copy short and to the point. You want to place the most newsworthy information at the beginning and end of the press release.
Make it press ready
Remember that no one is going to edit your content for you. It has to be ready to print and edit. Double check your spelling and check the information you include.
give them more
At the end you can include links or even a QR code that directs people to more information about your event or business. Providing that little bit of additional information can be the difference between publishing your press release or not.
Send it to the right people
A big key to getting your press release out is getting it out to the right people. Many press release companies are bogus when it comes to this part. They cover the press release regardless of where it goes. Do not do that. Send it to the right people. That may mean you need to do some research first.