When 20% of press releases were analyzed, the median number of clicks that a release gets is zero. What this means is that hardly any press releases are getting traction, even though there are hundreds of thousands written every year.
With these dismal statistics and the strong competition, how can you ensure that your press release gets noticed?
Once you have the juicy, news-worthy story, you need to make sure that you write an amazing press release that a reputable channel like itemp news publishes the story and readers are likely to take action.
If you’re interested in knowing how to do that, keep reading for 7 helpful tips to write a press release.
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Start With an Attention-Grabbing Headling
As with any piece of writing, your headline is extremely important. But this is even more true when it comes to writing a press release. You need to write a headline that stands out from the hundred other press releases and emails that journalists are sent every day.
So, how do you go about writing an excellent, attention-grabbing headline? It needs to be informative and catchy. It needs to tell the reader the most important piece of information in an interesting way. Keep it short, accurate, and centered.
There are some important headline marketing tips. Use action words and interesting adjectives and try to include numbers as this generally catches people’s attention.
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Get to the Lead in the First Paragraph
A lead is the main point of the story and you want to make sure that it’s loud and clear in your first paragraph. If someone has to search for the main point and all the key information buried somewhere in the press release, they’re probably going to end up throwing it away.
A reader might not even go further than your first paragraph. So, have a strong one-sentence lead that summarizes the entire story in your first paragraph. Avoid fluff, and be concise and informative.
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The Five Ws and an H
Do you remember in school when every piece of writing had to answer the five Ws — who, what, when, where, and why? These original writing tips stay true with press release tips. Answer all of these questions including the how so that your reader knows exactly what’s going on.
The body of your press release should be comprehensive, include evidence, and tell a compelling story. However, you still need to keep it concise as rambling, waffling, and fluffy writing does not make for a good press release.
Don’t give too many unnecessary details but make sure not to leave out any crucial details either. There’s a sweet spot — find it.
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Include Good Quotes
Including relative quotes is an essential aspect of presenting a press release. Quotes help to build credibility and authority within your niche and field. This is especially true if you add a quote by a senior executive or industry expert.
Moreover, journalists often use quotes directly from press releases in their own articles. So, it’s important that you reference the quote correctly and use natural language.
Quotes give a human element to the press release and you should include them whenever possible, but always have at least one.
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Keep Style and Grammar in Mind
If you’ve never written a press release before then aim to write it similar to a news story. This means that sentences should be short, simple, and to the point. It should be easy to read and concise. Avoid using advanced language or industry jargon that the average person wouldn’t understand.
Make use of bullet and number lists to break up data and make it more readable and digestible. Use bolding and italics to emphasize certain points and highlight important information.
Then, it’s imperative that your press release is dramatically flawless. Ensure that you proofread it, check for spelling errors, formatting issues, and grammar mistakes.
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Include Your Information
A press release should be one, maximum of two, pages in length. However, there ways that you can add more information by providing relevant links to your company’s website, for example.
It’s also crucial that you include your contact information so that the journalist can get a hold of you if they have more questions. You should always include your name, email, and phone number on the press release. Or, the details of the key person that handles the business marketing or PR for the company.
Add in the social media handles too, so the journalist can check out, or mention in their article, your company’s Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages.
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Include a Call to Action
Before writing a press release you need to decide what the purpose of the press release is. What action do you want the reader to take? Usually, a CTA would be at the end of an article, but in a press release, you want to put it higher up in case the reader doesn’t make it to the end.
An effective CTA needs to stand out, should be formatted bold to draw attention, and include a link.
For more excellent press release writing tips, examples, and lessons, check out this guide.
Are You Prepared to Write an Incredible Press Release?
You officially have all the tools and knowledge to write an amazing press release that gets noticed and gets traction. Remember, start with a catchy, informative headline, place your lead in the first paragraph, and always include quotes.
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