If you really want your press release to be seen and shared you are going to have to write a great one. A press release that is well articulated has the potential to improve your brand image and therefore your reputation. When we asked experts to share their thoughts on the best way to put a press release together, they shared the following information with us. They informed us the way that you are going to get your press release noticed is by making sure that it is straight to the point with concise and helpful information. Of course, there is a lot more to it than that. If you are wanting more details on exactly how to develop your press release, continue reading below.
Make it Stand Out
When thousands of press releases hitting the wire every day, it is important to make sure yours stand out in a crowd. The way that you are going to do this is by following the T.R.U.E method. The formula is as follows.
- Trending – If you can tie your press release to something that is currently trending, you will have an increased chance of breaking through the noise of the press wire.
- Relatable – This is not only true for your everyday interactions with your customers, but it is also true for any press release that you draw up. Make sure you have a specific audience in mind when you are drafting up your press release.
- Unique – Even if your press release is in line with other such press releases, you need to make sure that you are offering a new perspective or new data to the equation. This will make it stand out from the other press releases that are saying the same things.
- Exclusive – If there is one thing that the media likes it is exclusivity. If you can provide them with insider quotes, they will likely opt for your press release over the other press releases on the wire.
First Things First
When you are drafting your press release, it is important that you start off with the important information first. When you are dealing with journalists and readers, you want to get straight to the point. Many of them do not have a lot of time to read pages upon pages of information waiting for you to get to the point. Additionally, many of them are just skimming the article for buzz words that will make a great story. You have a few seconds to grab their attention and you should make sure that happens. The optimal placement for your point will be within the first two sentences. After that, you might lose them. Go back to what all your language teachers have told you for years. Write a great hook for your first sentence and they will be in the story for the long haul.
Headline
In conjunction with the opening paragraph, you are going to want to make sure that you have an attention-grabbing headline. Between the headline and the first two sentences, you should give the reader all the information that they are going to need to make a decision on publishing your press release. To be truthful, if you cannot grab their attention on the title, they will not be around long enough to read your press release. Of all the things that go into a press release, you need to take the most time deciding on what the title of your press release will be. Follow that with a killer first sentence and you will be all but assured that they will do a piece on your press release.
Length
As we have said before, the people that are going to be reading this do not have a lot of time. Make sure that you keep to the point. You do not want to veer off the path and provide them with fluff. They are not going to read it anyhow. Only provide information that is needed when you are writing a press release. If they have additional questions, they will be contacting you for that information. Remember, the whole idea of a press release is to get them interested in a story, nothing more.
Readability
While the majority of the people that will be reading your press release will have a college education, it is much easier to read when you keep the language readable for all audiences. You have to take into account that there may be people that are reading the article that use English as a second language. If you want your press release to go global, you are going to have to keep it simple. Generally, what we mean by that is that you are not going to want to use a lot of technical jargon. If, for whatever reason, you decide to use technical jargon, make sure that you take a sentence or two to explain it. This should be in terms that even a child could understand it. However, we recommend that you don’t use any at all. This will just make it a lot easier and keep your press release as brief as possible.
Readership
Remember, this is going to be released on the internet. That means that you need to make sure that you have your keywords and phrases ready for consumption. Online press releases can add to your traction on other websites. Therefore, you want to make sure that you are using the same keywords that you are on your website. This will allow Google algorithms to tie them back to your website or industry.
Conclusion
Press releases can be a bit tricky. However, if you keep the above points in mind when you are drafting it up, you should do just fine. If you don’t take anything else away from this blog, take this – keep it simple. You want to make sure that your press release is easily read by a multitude of different people. The easier you keep it, the more chance you have of it getting published.