Writing an Effective Press Release
What follows are some basic guidelines for writing effective press releases,
based on many years of being on both sides of the editorial desk.
The Key Ingredients
- Make it newsworthy.
Nobody really cares that you've just added a guestbook to your website, you've
won "Bob's Website Of The Day" award, or that you've added PayPal as a method
of accepting payments. These are trivial matters that are not good material
for a press release. Besides which, nobody is going to come and visit your
site just because you're doing what everyone else is doing.
Wait until you've got something really newsworthy to say before you start
annoying editors and journalists with your press releases. If you keep
sending them no-news announcements then they'll quickly learn to drop
everything you send them into the trash can.
- Say It In A Headline.
Remember, the goal of a press release is to catch the eye of an editor
or journalist and convince them that whatever you're saying is something
worth printing.
Given the huge number of PRs that most publications receive each day, it
really helps if you can make a bold statement on the first line of the
release -- something that will draw them in to read more.
Don't make the mistake of wasting your chance to pique the reader's attention
by filling the top half of the page with information such as your company's name,
address, contact information, profile etc. That information is completely
irrelevant if you can't draw them in and get them to read on and is better
left to the very end.
- The Five W's
First-up you need to convince the recipient of your PR that its contents
are truly newsworthy. One of the simplest ways to do this is to simply
tell them why it's newsworthy. Don't be afraid to use a big bold
heading such as "Why This Is Newsworthy:"
followed by no more than a single sentence that pleads your case.
If you've convinced them as to why your PR is newsworthy, the journalist
assigned to write up the story will need to know four things:
If you provide them with this information, in just that form, then you've
made their lives easier -- and that means your release is less likely to
end up in the trash can.
You can, if you choose, provide this information under those very headings.
- Use Bullet Points.
Drop in a short list of bullet-points
that highlight the key points of your announcement. Press releases that
look like a giant block of text will often be overlooked in favor of those
which are shorter with a greater density of facts -- once again, this makes
a journalist's life easier.
- Be Concise
Remember -- the shorter your PR is, the more chance there is that it will be
read in its entirety. The job of your PR is simply to convince the
editor or journalist that what you're saying is worthy of publication or
investigation as a story. When space is at a premium (as it often is) then
the shorter PRs have more chance of surviving the editorial process than
those which drone on for page after page.
- Include Quotes From Relevant People.
Journalists love PRs with lots of quotes. This allows them to write a story
that sounds like an interview without even having to lift the phone.
- Include Contact Details
Make sure you include the names and contact details of at least two people
in your organization. If a journalist working to a tight schedule can't
get ahold of anyone to ask questions about your PR then it might just be
dropped in favor of something easier. Don't let that call go unanswered!
- Choose Your Moment.
Even the slickest, most newsworthy PR will probably go straight in the trash
can if it's sent out shortly after some other major news event occurs.
Remember September 11, 2001? For several weeks, the only news that anyone
was publishing was terrorist-related. Hardly the time to announce the launch
of the new "fluffy-toys.com" website.
The best time to send out your PR is when it looks like a "slow news day."
Such days are hard-work four journalists and a well-crafted release can
be a godsend when there's nothing else to write about.
You've probably figured out by now that a press release made to the formula
above will not look much like the press releases that usually get written
and dumped on someone's desk. That's a good thing!
Remember -- to get noticed, you must be distinctive -- and if your PR looks
different to everyone else's then it is more likely to catch the attention
of those who will decide to publish the information contained in it.
If you're not a wizz with words, I highly recommend getting someone to write
your press releases for you. A good writer can make all the difference and,
although they don't often come free, it should be remembered that a badly
written PR simply wastes all the other time, effort and expense you put
into its preparation and release.
Distributing A Press Release
Assuming you've created the perfect press release, now you need to get it
into the hands of all those publishers who (you hope) will admire your
efforts and immediately rush it into print -- or (if' you're really
lucky) maybe even pass it on to a journalist who can make it into a
feature article.
But what's the best way to distribute such a release?
Well it depends on which you have the most of -- time or money.
There are many well respected PR companies that have long-established
connections with a wide number of publishers. They'll distribute your
PR for a fee that likely depends on the market you're addressing.
Note that this service is seldom cheap however -- which explains why
many of the owners of these PR business drive very nice cars and live
on the better side of town.
The poor-man's alternative is to send out the PRs yourself. Before you
do this however, you need to decide whether to use a shotgun approach
and simply send it out to any and every publisher you can find -- or do
you focus on a few key publications?
By focusing on a smaller number of publications you can put more effort
into each. This might include such blatantly obvious attempts to curry
favor as including a bar of chocolate in the envelope containing your
PR -- or following up your PR with a phone call to establish the level
of interest and offer more information.
Here's an example of a press release written using many of the techniques
described above.