Yet thousands of others have written releases for their companies and non-profits. When you are writing a press release, you have to write one that stands out from the rest. But that isn’t always easy.
How long should a press release be? What are the qualities of the best press release? What can you do to keep the length of a press release down?
Answer these questions and you can write a press release that stands out from your thousands of competitors. Here is your quick guide.
Finding a Press Release Purpose
You can draft a press release for several reasons. You may want to tell others that you have hired a new executive or launched a new product. You may also want to get ahead of news developments like an executive leaving or a branch shutting down.
Your press release should focus on one thing at one time. If you have two events you want to promote, you should write two press releases.
Think of a purpose before you start writing. Then tailor your release to meet your purpose. It is okay to include some details to encourage someone to attend an event or buy a product.
But don’t write about anything that does not help you get your message across. Keep in mind that many newsletters will just publish a press release as written. Think about what your audience needs to know to help you out.
Presenting the Most Important Details First
Writing the most important details at the top of a document is a common rule in writing. It is paramount in a press release because you need to grab your audience’s attention.
If you are advertising an event, describe the event. Give the details on what the event is, where the venue is, and what time the event will take place. You should also include one sentence about who is running the event.
Leave a quote or background details for the next paragraph. Your quote should be something of substance, describing how important the event will be. But your quote should offer a little color to your writing as well.
You can write a couple of body paragraphs with additional details. You may want to describe activities at your event or how it helps people in your industry.
Your closing paragraph should summarize everything in a few sentences. You can provide the contact information for the person in your company heading the event. You should follow the paragraph with a boilerplate that describes your company itself.
You can come up with your own format, or you can follow the standard press release format. The best press release is a conventional one, though you can be a little unconventional to grab people’s attention.
Using Bullet Points and Subheadings
Some people like to include bullet points in their press releases. They are a good tool for making complicated information easy to understand.
They naturally break whole sentences into smaller pieces. They also allow you to make a list, which may be good if you need to write a few statistics.
But they can come across as choppy or informal. Try to write things in complete sentences.
Subheadings are also helpful for breaking up long paragraphs. Yet a heading can create too big of a break. A release with many subheadings can seem too choppy and disjointed.
Include a subheading when you need to group one section of your press release off from another section. Try to have two or three subheadings, as having just one can seem a little sloppy. When in doubt, do not include subheadings and try to create better transitions between paragraphs.
Writing Succinct Sentences
You can keep your press release length down by writing shorter sentences. Remove any adverbs from your sentences. Most of them are unnecessary, and you can add color to your writing by using stronger verbs instead.
If you have a compound sentence, try breaking it into two sentences. If one sentence seems unnecessary, you can remove it.
Write in the active voice instead of the passive voice. In addition to cutting down on your sentence length, it will help your writing seem forceful.
Proofreading
You should never send the first draft of your press release out. As you write your press release, read it aloud. Change sentences that seem gangly.
Once you are done with your press release, read it aloud again. Check to see if you included any unnecessary details or made any typos. Then read it aloud to see how it flows from sentence to sentence.
You can try handwriting your work. Handwriting helps you remember details better than typing. You can handwrite the first draft, then type up the second draft and change details as you go along.
When you are feeling uncertain about your writing, contact a press release writing service. They can edit your work and give you suggestions on what to do. If you like their work, you can ask them to write a press release for you.
So How Long Should a Press Release Be?
People have many questions about press releases. How long should a press release be? That depends on what you are doing.
Your press release should be as long as you need to fulfill the purpose of the release. The most important details should go right at the top. You can then follow them with other important facts.
Bullet points can make complicated details easier to understand. But you can make things easy by writing succinctly and proofreading your work.
Touch base with professionals if you are confused. eReleases helps small businesses write great releases. Contact us today.