Press release writing tips
A professionally written press release can make the difference between your business story hitting the headlines and your business story hitting the dustbin. But for people who simply don't have the budget to pay a professional, we've put together a few pointers on the DIY press release.
What is a press release?
First things first, a press release is not 'free advertising'. Yes, you did read that correctly. You may well have heard otherwise as it's a phrase that's bandied about with gay abandon, but it's simply not true.
If you approach a press release with the mindset of bagging a free advert, then I'm afraid you're on a hiding to nothing. In fact, you may as well cut out the middle man and put your press release straight in the bin – as that's almost certainly what the journalist(s) you send it to will do.
A press release is a written communication sent out to the media (print and broadcast) to inform journalists of something that is newsworthy and of interest to their readers. Its purpose is to encourage the journalist to write an article on the subject and thus achieve third party endorsement for your products or services.
The power of the press release lies in the third party endorsement that can be achieved if your news story is covered in the media. People tend to put a lot more trust in the words of independent experts, journalists and reviewers than they do in advertising copy, which they know to be self-promoting. In other words, getting someone else to say how great you are carries far more credibility than saying it yourself!
So, now we've established what is and what isn't a press release, let's get down to the nitty gritty of writing one and the elements you need to consider if you're going to attempt a DIY press release.
The dos and don'ts of writing a press release
The dos:
* Do think about your target audience – which magazines/newspapers are you going to be sending your release to? Who are their readers and what are their interests?
* Do research your target media – by that, we mean reading through copies of the magazines and newspapers you're targeting to get a feel for the kind of stories they cover
* Do make sure your press release is interesting, newsworthy, timely and relevant to your target audience – read the national and local press to find out what the stories are and think about how you can 'piggy-back' on a key issue (such as the obesity 'epidemic' if you sell healthy food snacks)
* Do ensure that your opening paragraph contains the who, what, why, when, where and how of your story – this is your one chance to get the journalist's attention so use it wisely
* Do add your contact details to the press release so that journalists can contact you for further information – include your landline and mobile numbers if you have them, as well as your email and web addresses
* Do proofread your press release and get someone else to look it over for you to avoid any embarrassing mistakes.
The don'ts:
* Don't write a self-promoting page of sales copy about your company – it will just end up in the bin
* Don't waffle – stick to the basic facts of your story. A journalist will contact you if (s)he needs any additional information
* Don't say things that aren't true – unless you are 100 per cent sure that you are 'Lancashire's biggest fair trade coffee retailer', don't make the claim
* Don't ever send unsolicited emails with attachments to journalists – if you have pictures to accompany your story, put a note at the bottom of your press release that photography is available on request
* Don't expect your story to appear in your target newspaper or magazine just because you have issued a press release – if you want guaranteed column inches, pay for an advert.
Good luck and we hope you found our press release writing tips useful.
