A press release is not like other types of media, such as an article or video. It’s not content that people can read or watch outside your company or organization.
With a press release, you are announcing something to someone else. In this case, journalists and editors at media outlets.
Press releases are usually one short paragraph followed by a link to more information. (often called a “buzzword” or “call-to-action” phrase).
Because they are only one paragraph long. It can be difficult to tell how much influence the press release will have.
That’s why it’s important to pick your target. If your goal is to inform the community about what you covered, then the length doesn’t matter too much. You want the community to know about it, so that’s enough!
If your goal is to get attention for your product or service, yet, then shorter isn’t always best. Even if no one reads your press release, there may still be ways to use it to gain exposure for yourself or your team.
For example, you can spread the word via social media, keep up with reporters to see who might run with the story or both.
In this article, we’ll talk about some easy ways to write good press releases without overdoing them.
Write and issue a press release based on the following topic
Writing a press release is one of the most important functions for anyone who wants to spread their message around the world.
A well-written, solid announcement can have an incredible impact on your career or business!
Press releases are usually three paragraphs. The first two do not need a length of more than 250 words, while the third adds 10–20 pages.
This article will help you write a strong, eye-catching press release that gets attention.
Tell your story
A press release is most effectively done if you know who you are talking to and what you want to say to them. Make sure your message is focused and succinct, and state your call-out clearly.
Your audience will be looking at you for information so make it clear and concise. They will also expect an introduction, a main topic, and then a conclusion that ties everything together.
When writing your press release, try to use active voice. Emphasize action verbs such as “call”, “write”, or “message”.
These are easier to read and understand than the passive voice. It uses words like “someone writes messages”.
The active voice creates more impact on the message being delivered not by the word but how they are said as well.
The tone of your text should be formal, direct, and honest. Your audience needs to feel that you have their best interest in mind when reading the press release. Thus using basic grammatical rules such as using correct punctuation and avoiding slang or casual language.
You can now publish your press release! It depends on the size of your organization or company. You may need to upload or write yours directly on a free publishing platform such as CanIItDoThat or Business Insider.
Both allow you to edit your content after posting and produce live previews of your article before letting people view it.
Choose your audience
Now that you have determined what kind of press release you want to write. The next thing to do is determine who will be interested in reading it.
Your potential readers can be categorized into three main groups:
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media,
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public, and
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influencers.
This article will talk about how to issue a press release for each one of these groups.
Create your press release
Now that you have your story, your lead (topic or question), and your body (the supporting details). It’s time to create your press release.
Press releases are an effective way to spread key messages about your business or organization. They can be used for new products or services, updates, anniversaries, and more!
Your readers will need a place to store the press release so they can read it later. Most websites offer free storage, such as Dropbox or Google Drive. You can also use our free Press Release Builder to produce a quality PDF document. It is searchable and mobile-friendly.
After publishing your press release, you’ll want to promote it by adding its link to social media accounts and by distributing it via email and direct messaging apps. Your followers and contacts may find it in relevant conversations or news feeds.
Edit it
After you have completed drafting your press release, you will want to edit it! There are several ways to do this, but the most common is using Google’s free tool or one of the paid ones.
You can use an online tool like Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, or Netlify. It helps to upload your press release after editing it in Microsoft Word or other software.
This way you don’t need to re-type everything which could lead to lost words or mistakes.
Some tools also offer extra features such as creating a link to the website or social media account associated with the content, setting advanced SEO options, and more.
By using a web hosting service that allows you to create pages or domains, you get better control over your site.
This is especially important if you plan to update the home page or add new sections to your site later.
Publish it
Now that you have done some of the work for your press release, it is time to publish it! Depending on the platform you use to write your posts, there are different ways to do this.
With most online postings platforms like Facebook or Twitter, publishing a post gives you the option to include links in the body of the article and/or to add pictures or videos.
This way, you can maximize the exposure of your PR!
Publishing your press release does not need to be the same thing though. Some companies have separate pages for media announcements. So instead of linking to the announcement, they have an area to type up a short description and then push “Post”.
Monitor your results
The first step in issuing a press release is to check the result! You must check if your press release was read, what media sources reported on it. And whether that information was positive or negative for you or your product/service.
It’s very common to start promoting at once. Then have to take a break due to a lack of interest or something else getting in the way.
Don’t worry about losing momentum. Instead, use this time to review your press releases and see how they performed.
By monitoring your results, you’ll be able to determine which ones worked and didn’t work and why. So that you can improve upon your promotional strategies in the future.
Also, don’t forget to look through the archives of your press release to make sure no one has mentioned it before!
This may sound tedious but it’s important to do it. Because people might not search their social media accounts (or even have them) after reading your press release.
Respond to your audience
As mentioned before, you should always consider what kind of media coverage your product or service has received as well as which publications your target market reads.
If you are trying to get more attention for your company, then it is important to know who those people are!
By adding an article to your website or social media account, you can use some keywords in the body. Add the link to the press release at the end.
To make sure your message gets seen by someone, put it up for review. So that other users can edit it or comments may be made about it.
This is especially helpful if you want feedback on your announcement. You could also ask friends, family, and colleagues to spread the word about your new initiative or offer them a small gift for doing so.
