A press release is a cost-effective way of obtaining positive media coverage for your business; coverage on your terms presented from your perspective. But there are a number of key rules to follow when preparing a successful press release.
Do Your Research
Be selective about the media sources you approach: which are the publications, websites or TV/radio channels people turn to for news about your line of business? Put the work in to build up a network of journalist contacts by giving them good quality, newsworthy content and make sure you’re available should they wish to follow-up on your item.
A Killer Title
Pick a title for your piece that grabs the reader’s attention and indicates what it’s about. But don’t try to be too clever; whilst a little appropriate humour in your content is good, clumsy punning titles are definitely not. Whatever you say, try to avoid the received phrase; don’t talk about ‘our journey’ or ‘going forward’, for instance.
The Right Tone
Keep the content of your press release professional and informative, which means you should avoid writing in the first-person and not be too sales-driven in your tone. The golden rule, as with any other form of writing, is to think of your audience and the way in which they expect to be addressed.
Is it News?
A press release is designed to communicate a piece of news about your company. This could be a new product, a key appointment, an interesting piece of research or perhaps a company restructure. But remember, this is not a sales pitch; it is a factual summary of a genuine news item. And don’t forget to emphasise the human side of your story. Who are the people involved? People want to read about other people and what they’ve done. What have those involved got to say? A good quote is worth more than several paragraphs of careful narrative.
Ready for Publication
Journalists are busy people and will not thank you for sending them a piece of copy that still has to be checked for spelling and grammar before it is ready for publication Make sure too that your press release includes all the relevant facts, without any assumptions about prior knowledge. It’s always a good idea to outline the main points of your piece in the introduction and then summarise your piece in the conclusion.
Finally, make a point of becoming someone journalists like to hear from, not by ingratiating yourself with them, but by building a reputation for being someone who provides good, reliable content in a readable form.
Do Your Research
Be selective about the media sources you approach: which are the publications, websites or TV/radio channels people turn to for news about your line of business? Put the work in to build up a network of journalist contacts by giving them good quality, newsworthy content and make sure you’re available should they wish to follow-up on your item.
A Killer Title
Pick a title for your piece that grabs the reader’s attention and indicates what it’s about. But don’t try to be too clever; whilst a little appropriate humour in your content is good, clumsy punning titles are definitely not. Whatever you say, try to avoid the received phrase; don’t talk about ‘our journey’ or ‘going forward’, for instance.
The Right Tone
Keep the content of your press release professional and informative, which means you should avoid writing in the first-person and not be too sales-driven in your tone. The golden rule, as with any other form of writing, is to think of your audience and the way in which they expect to be addressed.
Is it News?
A press release is designed to communicate a piece of news about your company. This could be a new product, a key appointment, an interesting piece of research or perhaps a company restructure. But remember, this is not a sales pitch; it is a factual summary of a genuine news item. And don’t forget to emphasise the human side of your story. Who are the people involved? People want to read about other people and what they’ve done. What have those involved got to say? A good quote is worth more than several paragraphs of careful narrative.
Ready for Publication
Journalists are busy people and will not thank you for sending them a piece of copy that still has to be checked for spelling and grammar before it is ready for publication Make sure too that your press release includes all the relevant facts, without any assumptions about prior knowledge. It’s always a good idea to outline the main points of your piece in the introduction and then summarise your piece in the conclusion.
Finally, make a point of becoming someone journalists like to hear from, not by ingratiating yourself with them, but by building a reputation for being someone who provides good, reliable content in a readable form.
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