22
How To Write An Effective Press Release
0 Comments | Posted by kpolacek in How to Distribute a Press Release, How to Get Media Attention, How to Write a Press Release, How to Write an Online Press Release
Press releases are the most important publicity tool. A good release is precise, easy to read and captures an editor’s attention.
You can write a press release about anything; announcing a product or sale, highlighting an event, etc. No matter what the release is about, there is a standard form to follow.
WRITING A PRESS RELEASE
The first place to start is with a good headline. You want to keep it short and to the point, but catchy. Think of newspaper headlines. A press release title is basically the same thing. Also, words in a headline start with capital letters. The sub headline, a short italicized sentence explaining the release, is not.
Here’s an example of a good press release headline from PR NewsChannel:
Universal Orlando Resort Unveils the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Stars of the wildly-successful ‘Harry Potter’ films like Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Tom Felton in Orlando for the opening.
The body of the release should first start with a dateline (city and date). After that, you can write your copy. Make sure to keep it precise and catchy. You should have as much information in the first paragraph as possible. Most editors only read the first few lines of release before deciding whether or not to ditch it.
It is important to include the correct contact information for your release. If you are not using company letterhead, make sure to list your company name, a contact name, address, email and phone number at the top, followed by FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (in all caps) or a specific release date. You will also want to make sure to list the media contact information at the bottom of the release.
PRESS RELEASE DISTRIBUTION
Once your release is written you need to get it in the right hands. That’s where a press release writing service, like PR NewsChannel, comes in handy. You can post it on your company website, mail or fax it to newsrooms and even use free press release posting websites, but if you want to give your company the best chance at media attention, you should consult a professional.
Press release writing and distribution services can help you edit your release, but more importantly can send it to reporters, producers, editors and other specific people within a newsroom. Wouldn’t you rather have the release go to someone specific, rather than hoping someone will see it in the general newsroom email or mail. Using a service is also helpful because you can get a list of who the release was sent to and in some cases read receipts for those email distributions.
Another important thing to remember when distributing a release is deadlines. It’s one thing to get it to the right person, but if he or she’s deadline is 1 p.m. and you sent it at 5 p.m. you are out of luck.
