If you’ve taken my advice and employed the leaky faucet approach to PR, you’re writing a number of press releases on a consistent basis. Obviously, you don’t want to spend any more time writing your press releases than you have to.
I’ve come up with a short list of tips to help you write your press releases faster, without sacrificing quality. In fact, if you follow these tips, you should be able to crank out a well-written, newsworthy press release in as little as 15 minutes.
- Keep a list of ideas – Jot down ideas for news stories whenever you think of them. Don’t have any good ideas? Check out our Ultimate Collection of Press Release Ideas for inspiration. Having a list of good ideas ready to go can save you a lot of time when you sit down to write.
- Stay on point – You’re not writing an epic. You’re writing a press release. Press releases should be focused and on point. Focus on getting the story across as clearly as possible in the fewest number of words.
- Outline your press release – Before you start writing your press release, create a basic outline of the main points you need to cover. This can be in bullet point form. This will help keep your writing focused, so you don’t waste time trying to figure out what to write about or writing fluff that will later get edited out.
- Write when you’re inspired – I don’t know about you, but I have to be in the right mood to write effectively. If you’re not inspired, you’ll have a hard time cranking out that press release in 3 hours, much less 15 minutes.
- Recycle old information when possible – No, I’m not saying to put out the same press release over and over. However, there will be general information about your company and products/services that will probably go in multiple press releases. Keep this basic information handy so you can quickly recycle it when needed.
- Edit later – A lot of writers waste time trying to edit their press releases as they write them. Don’t do that. It kills your writing flow. Focus first on getting everything typed up, and then come back to it later for editing.
Do you have any time-saving tips you use when writing press releases? Share them by leaving a comment below.
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download a free copy of the PR Checklist – a 24 point list of Press Release Dos and Don’ts here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/pr-checklist/