When writing a press release, especially one that contains numbers or statistics, even seasoned public relations consultants can find their message failing to grab the media’s attention. Here are a four tips for perking up that dry, boring press release.
1. Help the media visualize numbers and statistics.
Give readers a well-know reference for what might otherwise be an abstract number: “More than [X] number of people attended the protest rally. That’s enough people to fill a football stadium.” Or perhaps: “More than [X] number of households own a particular product. That’s more than the population of Rhode Island.”
2. Help the media determine what a number or amount means.
For example, if your press release announces that a pharmaceutical company has set a marketing budget of [X] million dollars for a new drug, compare that amount with the amount spent by a rival firm to market their competing drug.
3. Work a human-interest angle.
A bland press release announcing a new board member or describing how the company assisted a community can be made relevant by developing a human-interest angle. Focusing on a specific person, including their personal achievements and interests within a community, resonates with the media.
4. Use a fact sheet.
A fact sheet is a great solution when you can’t get away from boring facts and numbers. The first page of the press release can engage the reader and contextualize what the facts mean. The second page – the fact sheet – serves to list the important facts or numbers.
This article, written by Mickie Kennedy, originally appeared in PR Fuel (https://www.ereleases.com/prfuel), a free weekly newsletter from eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. To subscribe to PR Fuel, visit: https://www.ereleases.com/prfuel/subscribe/.