Would you want your company news to be released with a booming trumpet fanfare or a lonely whimper on a cymbal? The press release can be the text equivalent of both, turning your company into a household name or resigning it to the also-rans of history.
Getting an exceptional press release is not easy. Below, we give 10 awesome press release examples and discuss why they work so well.
1. The Well Written Press Release
A press release is a very specific document. Even if you are adept at writing, you may not necessarily have the kind of writing skills for a press release. It involves telling a story, conveying news, and selling a product or service all in one document.
State an objective clearly, then tell a story using easy to read grammar. Finally, let people know why they need your product or should have an interest in it. If you struggle with this, then research some well-written examples or hire a professional.
2. The Know Your Audience Press Release
All press releases should know their audience. However, nailing this perfectly is very hard to do, even if you know your demographic. This is because you have to tailor everything from the language used to the look of the release, to your audience.
Once you have done this, they must be targeted at the right medium. It is a waste of time to send a product aimed at over 60-year-old men to a website aimed at 18-year-old women. While this may be an extreme case, it can often be tough to find the correct outlets for your release.
4. The Great Elevator Pitch Press Release
A great elevator pitch should grab the attention and sum up who you are, along with what you do, in all the time it would take to share an elevator ride with someone. Essentially, it needs to grab attention quickly.
This needs to include knowledge of your product and service along with a grasp of the target audience. Then, you must wrap it up in language that shows why your product is better than the competitors and why it is so unique.
3. The Questioning Headline
One great way to capture attention is to pose a question to the reader. This can be done in the headline, with the body of your press release adding interest and fleshing out your news and story. The hardest part is to get the question right at the start.
Think of your question as something that will solve a problem. In the body of your press release, give a solution that is related to your service or news. For example, someone selling a new, healthy soda might write “So you thought soda was full of sugar?” then use the body to explain how their product is different and newsworthy.
5. The Well Edited Press Release
Press releases need to be succinct. Thousands of others will be vying for the attention of editors and your releases need to stand out, while not going into too much detail. As such, you need to edit it properly.
Try running your release through a grammar and style editor. This will show you any hard to read sentences. It will also give suggestions for any unwieldy wording that confuse readers.
Any suggestions made must be balanced against the language you must use to appeal to your target demographic. Follow the editor’s recommendations, but if it is scoring you as hard to read because of youthful or age-appropriate words, then remember it is just a guide.
6. SEO Optimized Press Release Examples
Press releases don’t just have to be read by the people you send them too. In fact, if you optimize them correctly they can be picked up by search engines. To do this, they need to be suitably SEO optimized.
Make sure they contain a keyword that has low competition and has some secondary keywords. Try to get some backlinks from other sites that may have included your press release or news of your service. Finally, make sure all keywords are included in pictures and they have relevant alt tags.
7. The Social Media Aware Press Release
Gaining traction on social media is a dream come true. It will get your press release and product out to hundreds of more potential customers. But it is harder to do than you think.
There are a lot of free tools out there to boost your social exposure. Try looking for tools that will put your release out to even more people through blogs and magazines, such as Pitch Engine. You can also go directly to reporters by using sites such as Help a Reporter.
8. The Collaboration Press Release
Collaborative press releases work brilliantly as they are being promoted by two companies. Both have a vested interest in getting the release to as many people as possible, meaning double the exposure.
Look at how huge corporations do this for some of the best press release examples. Mcdonalds promoting the use of branded confectionery in ice cream, or product placement in big-budget movies are a great example.
Of course, yours does not have to be on such a large scale. You may try teaming up with others for a charity event, combining the press release with that of the charities and other companies.
9. The Syndicated Press Release
When releasing, make sure your press release is set up to syndicate across all your social media channels and any channels you have sent it to. If you are providing the press release to others, mail them out in advance and set a date so that everything will be published at the same time.
Set all your social media posts to release at exactly the same time. Take a day out, or hire someone to take charge of your press release on this day. When a release goes out on one media outlet, make sure you link back to it using your own social media channels and tools.
10. The Well Formatted Press Release
Finally, remember that a standard press release example format always works. They have been tried and tested and proven to grab their attention. Firstly start with the attention-grabbing introduction.
Secondly, answer and question then provide a story. Use quotes, then wrap it up in a call to action to make people engage with your product and follow up.
Crafting the Release
Once you have press release examples, discuss them with your team. Pick a few out that would work for your company. Try to adapt the ideas, then follow some of the rules laid out to prepare your press release.
If you need more professional advice, then look no further than our website. We are industry leaders in press release distribution for small businesses who can help craft your release from inception to distribution, getting it to the right people fast. Call for a quote today.