People wonder whether the
press release is still necessary in the modern world. That's because so much of
information comes from online articles and blogs that the press release to a
news site doesn't seem as important as it once was. That's absolutely not true.
Press releases and social media releases which are similar but designed for the
online market) remain important for creating a professional buzz about your work
in the market today. Knowing how to write a good one can benefit you now more
than ever because your competition may not be utilizing this resource to the
best of their abilities.
Format: The format of the press release should be the same across the
board no matter what you're trying to publish information about. You can look up
samples or templates to get an exact idea of what it should look like. But
basically, you're going to have your contact information on the top left side of
the press release. You're going to have a release date in the top right
side of the press release. Centered beneath those in capital letters will be the
headline of your press release. Follow that by a subtitle that describes the
headline also centered and then the body of the press release. You don't use a
signature at the end of a press release; use a link centered at the end instead.
Finally, reiterate your contact information below in the form of a sentence.
Tone: The tone of your press release should be formal. It should be
written in the third person. So even if you are the head of Company X and you're
writing the release yourself, you write it in the form of Company X is .
Ideally, you want to have short punchy sentences that will get the point across
and yet be easy to read.
Purpose: Before writing your press release, you need to ask yourself what the
purpose is. What do you want people to know about your business? What do you
hope to gain by writing this? Your writing will need to be focused around the
purpose throughout the press release.
Audience: You want to focus your writing on who the audience of the
press
release is going to be. Are you sending it to major newspapers? Are you
releasing it to the social media to be put on blogs? After you define this, ask
yourself what the single most important question this audience will have is
going to be. Make sure your press release answers this question.
Get attention: The goal of the press release is to get attention. You're going
to do this in a few ways. First, figure out what sets you apart from the
competition in this field and do everything you can to highlight that
outstanding trait. Second, make sure that your title is as good as it can
possibly be. Keep it short and use the subtitle to expand on it. Basically, you
want an eye-catching title that people are going to want to click on to learn
more. And finally, make sure that you target the right people for sending the
release out.
Credentials: Getting attention isn't enough. You need to give your press
release some follow-through. The way that you do that is by highlighting the key
points about your attention-getting feature. For each point you highlight,
mention a credential or achievement that makes you capable of knowing or proving
this point.
There are many different tips and tricks for writing a great press release.
However, it all boils down to the basics. Stick to the format, get attention
from the right people and make sure that your press release is designed around a
specific purpose. Those basics have been working for press release writers for
decades and continue to work today even though the news market is changing over
time.
1. Be a
writer. First and foremost good prose will make
people stick around to find out what you’re saying and will make them return for
more. Communicate your thoughts clearly and effectively. Write well and people
will notice.
2. Be an entertainer.
No matter how well you write you are going to alienate readers by delivering
your thoughts in a manner that reads like a physics text book. I’m not saying
you should stumble over yourself trying to be the class clown, but you will
retain readers if you are witty and can make them smile. You can frequent blogs
that are way off the beaten path for me, all because they were so well written
and entertaining that I was engaged with the first article.
if you have a genuinely original idea for a blog, and that idea is going to
appeal to people, you have a winner. Unfortunately that is like trying to invent
electricity. Everyone has thought of everything, and that is why so much of the
world, much less the internet, is derivative. It’s ok to be derivative as long
as you’re good. That’s the boat most of us sit in. Truly original ideas are few
and far between, and the ones that will enjoy mass appeal are even scarcer. If
you find yourself fortunate enough to come up with something great, something
that fills a void, something that others will emulate, then do everything else
you need to do and expect great things.
