Press releases are not only for the rich, the famous, or huge companies anymore! Gaining access to all kinds of press and getting free publicity has become attainable for everyone like never before. Writing a release to increase business exposure makes great sense. Here are some insider tips on how to create a press release (a.k.a. news release or media release) that gets noticed and promoted, and also generates SEO (Search Engine Optimization), resulting in greater customer engagement.
How to Write an Effective Press Release
1. What is it? A press release is a document designed to a) share important news with the media, investors or other key constituents and b) raise a company’s likelihood of being found by a search engine—in short, increase its SEO.
2. When should you write one? Any of these occasions would be a good reason to write a press or news release:
- Opening a new business
- Relocating an established business
- Winning an award
- Hiring a senior staff member
- Launching a new product or service
You may have other reasons to write a press release; just make sure that it is newsworthy and important.
3. What should you include? Always include your contact information in your release: email address, phone number, website and business address. Make sure your website is also hyperlinked.
4. How do you write it? State your news in the FIRST sentence of your press release. The recipient should be able to read the first paragraph and know exactly what the story is. Be clear and concise, and follow the first sentence with supporting facts and information. A release should never be more than three to four brief paragraphs—about 500 words, written in the third person. Short and succinct is better than long-winded and filled with extraneous “fluff.” You want a media professional to be interested enough to call you for more information, not bored by overkill.
Including a quote by someone directly associated with the news or by a company executive builds credibility and interest as well.
[NOTE: A press release is NOT designed to promote events. That’s done via a Media Advisory, a document related to the press release, but which has a completely different format.]
5. How do you format it? All press releases should follow the Associated Press Style Guidelines. Refer to this diagram:
- Company logo or letterhead at top.
- Far left: contact information
- Far right, in CAPS: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- MAIN TITLE IN CAPS. Subtitle (if any) in Title Case, below MAIN TITLE.
- The body is double-spaced, no indentations.
- Place three number signs (# # #) centered at the end of the body.
- “Boilerplate” language including basic information about the company, or indicating whom the media can contact for additional information.
6. How do you submit it? Press releases are rarely sent by mail or fax any more; most are sent to journalists via email. Avoid sending your release as an attachment, as it may get filtered into a spam folder. After the email salutation, draft one or two sentences indicating the nature of the news, then include the entire release, properly formatted, below that, in the body of the email. Three Girls Media & Marketing recommends keeping a database of media contacts, updating it frequently so you can email reporters directly (If keeping this kind of information is daunting, ask how Three Girls can help manage your media contacts).
Many companies post their own news releases on a press release-specific webpage. To gain maximum exposure, send them via a wire service such as PRWeb or MarketWire, which sends your release to hundreds or thousands of media outlets. In addition, media releases can be submitted online to free press release-specific websites, such as www.FreePressRelease.com. The releases on sites like this are often more “chatty” and blog-like, however we still highly recommend that you follow established press release formatting. Posting a release to this kind of website does not get your news into the hands of media professionals, but it does serve to increase SEO.
Sometimes it is tricky to know exactly where to focus your press release efforts. At Three Girls Media & Marketing, we pride ourselves on writing media releases that get noticed. If you have big news and don’t want to take any chances on your release, please call us at (408) 871-0377 for assistance.
We would love to hear your press release success stories! Please share them in the comments below.
Special Offer: Three Girls Media & Marketing Inc. loves working with small and emerging companies to raise their brand awareness and name recognition. We offer a complimentary 30-minute phone consultation. Email info@ThreeGirlsMedia.com to make your appointment today!
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