Having your brand featured in a major media publication can mean thousands of dollars in sales. But how do you generate awareness about your business? And how do you encourage journalists to write about your products or services? You write effective and attention-grabbing press releases.
Press releases raise awareness about a newsworthy development within a business or organization. The purpose of a press release is to generate media coverage.
To write the perfect press release you need to understand what elements to include and the best pest practices to follow.
Keep reading to find out the top features of successful press releases.
Importance of Press Releases
Writing press releases helps businesses develop their brand and build lasting relationships with journalists.
Positive media coverage can help businesses build a solid reputation within their industry and attract more customers. If journalists are interested in your products/services, you may have the chance to be featured in more articles going forward.
That’s why an eye-catching press release is so important. A badly written press release, on the other hand, won’t bring any benefit to your business.
When they are combined with content marketing and SEO, press releases form a powerful part of your digital marketing strategy.
It’s important to note that press releases are objective pieces written by journalists. If you’re looking for guaranteed positive coverage or editorial control, you should rather purchase advertisements.
Press Release Top Features
Every organization has a different way of writing press releases. However, there are some important best practices that you should always consider.
No Fluff
Make sure your press release is fluff-free and straight to the point. Journalists don’t have time to pour over content with no real substance.
Your press release should include the following important information:
- Who the piece is about
- Where it happened
- What they are doing
- When things took place/will take place
- Why it matters
Your press release should include basic facts and important information that the journalist needs to write a story. Start with the most important information and then add detail later in the report.
Short and Sweet
There’s nothing worse than a long-winded press release. Decide on a word count and stick to it. As a guide, most press releases are between 300-600 words.
When it comes to the length of your press release, shorter is usually better. Why? Because shorter pieces are jam-packed with important information and facts, whereas longer pieces can often get off-topic.
If you have a lot more to say, mention that you’re available for interviews and wait for a journalist to contact you.
Informative and Interesting
When writing a press release you should try to include important facts and statistics.
This helps make your writing compelling and attention-grabbing. Putting statistics in headlines is a great way to draw in the reader.
Including relevant statistics in your press release allows journalists can use these when writing about your business.
Attention-Grabbing
An effective press release grabs the reader’s focus right from the start. But remember, the point of a press release is for your brand to get attention – so mention it in the headline.
The headline of your press release should be easy to read and full of useful information. The headline should give the reader a taste of what’s to come and set the tone for the rest of the piece.
Once you’ve created the perfect headline, you should turn your attention to the body. This is where you’ll include the most important facts and information about your products/services.
This could include dates, names, places, and important people. Present this information in a clear and concise manner. Your press release should be easy to summarize and simple to understand.
Mixed-Media
Including graphics and other visual data in your press release isn’t necessary, but it can be a nice way to highlight your points.
Including visuals can improve the readability of your press release and helps to convey relevant information quicker. Mixed media press releases are definitely gaining in popularity.
Including images in your press releases is a great way to make your brand stand out as most businesses still use the text-only approach.
Impeccable Writing
The most important part of writing press releases is to ensure your writing is perfect. In other words, there should be no grammar mistakes and no spelling errors anywhere in your piece.
If journalist spot errors in your writing, they’re likely to look elsewhere for interesting content to read.
On top of that, the average journalist looks through hundreds of emails every day. Why would they want to give attention to yours if it’s riddled with mistakes?
These days, there is no excuse for bad writing. Every computer has editing software for checking spelling and basic grammar and there is a host of online tools for this too.
Your press release should also follow the correct format. Make sure to write in the third person and use the active voice as well.
Start Writing Your First Press Release
Now you know how to start driving success with press releases that journalists will love.
Crafting an effective press release starts with an eye-catching headline that grabs the reader’s attention. The body of the article should focus on important facts and information about your brand.
Press releases should always be well-written, easy to read, and mistake-freeAre you looking to get your press release in front of the right media outlets? eReleases can help! We offer a national newswire distribution service to ensure your press releases end up in the right place.For more information, contact us today.