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Writing Press Releases Tips
What To Write About
First and foremost, a press release needs to be newsworthy. The subject matter needs to be important or interesting to the audience, not just to you and your company. If something happens that people want to know about, it's worthy of a press release. If something happens that only people internal to your company want to know about, it's probably not.
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Providing Web Site Content
PRWeb Tip: Providing free content to other Web sites is a great way to garner publicity for your company, product, or own Web site. The problem is finding appropriate sites for your content and making sure it doesn't get replicated elsewhere. This is easier said than done these days. Carefully research any potential Web partner carefully. Make sure that the site belongs to the company you think it does. There are countless examples of "sound alike" sites that are (and are intended to be) easily mistaken for the real thing. Copyright any information you provide to another site, and insist that the site include a link to your site.
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Time-Sensitive Information
News editors and reporters get tons of press releases every day. Most prioritize them by date, or how timely the information contained in the press release is. To make sure you are writing effective press releases, include a release date for the news at the top of the press release along with the contact information. You should also include the date that the news item will occur. Since the release itself is often the announcement, and the release includes a dateline, you can often answer the question "when?" with "today." For example, "XYZ Company today announced its acquisition of ABC Company."
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Who Matters
In order to write an effective press release, you must describe who is issuing the release. Usually the company is named in the opening line of the release. For example, "XYZ Company today announced it is consolidating its East Asia operations." It's also a good idea to mention the company name in the headline as well.
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What the Press Release Is About
Writing effective press releases means conveying critical information. The subject of the announcement should be clearly stated in the headline. The first paragraph should include a description of what is being announced. The "what" is the most basic of the six questions reporters and editors need answers to, so address it first.
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How to Write a Press Release
Whether you're writing press releases about events, products, or anything else, make sure you describe the who, what, when, where, how, and why that makes the event or product newsworthy. Don't worry if you can't fit all the information into the first paragraph. However, you should include all the most important information no later than the third paragraph.
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Remember the Basics!
News reporters are taught to ask six basic questions about any story: who, what, when, where, why, and how. Include the answers to all of these questions within the first paragraph if possible. If you can't fit them all in, make sure they're all answered by the end of the third paragraph. Also, make sure you include contact information at the top of the press release so it is easy for the reporter or editor to follow-up with you should he or she wish to do so.
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Providing News Value
Make it as easy as you can for the editor to find the news value in your story. Don't make the editor slog through a lot of "spin" to find what's important to his or her readers. Truly new products and services, a new use for an existing product, or a new partnership that enhances both companies' position are good examples of true news value.
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Why the News Matters
Even if the event, product, or service the press release addresses is in the editor or reporter's coverage area, if it is unclear why it matters to the readers, your release won't get picked up. You must address "why" it matters in terms of the benefit offered to the potential reader--who is also the potential customer. If you can, include the "why" in the first paragraph. Since this is the trickiest of the six facts (who, what, where, when, how, why) it may slip into the second or third paragraph.
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Where Your News Occurs
News editors and reporters pay the most attention to press releases that contain information that will affect their audience in a specific geographic area. It is important to include where the event will happen and where the company is located in the press release. Be as specific as possible. If the event location is the same as the city cited in the dateline, include more detail in the body of the press release. For example, "LAS VEGAS, NV -- April 1, 2006 -- XYZ Company today announced a new computer chip at the Chip Conference being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center this week." If the release pertains to a new location, be sure to specify the exact address and be as specific as possible For example, "Bagel World's newest shop is located on Route 66 West, across from Joe's Bargain Outlet."
