Press Release TIPS
How do I write a press release?
Are you getting frustrated because press release services for no obvious reason are rejecting your press release? Even worse you can’t figure out how to distribute the press release?
Why use a press release?
One of the most effective ways of promoting your business is by using public relations. And one of the best tools that small businesses have is the press release. An article that is written from your press release in a newspaper, ezine or magazine, or is covered on radio or television will carry more credibility with the public than an ad that you can buy in the media.
This guide will help you write and distribute industry-standard press releases.
These are key questions that need to be answered that will help you write a better press release.
· What is a press release?
· Is your news "newsworthy"?
· How to write a press release?
· How do I mass distribute and market a press release?
· Press Release Tips
What is a press release?
It is just that – a news release for the press. The job of a release is to inform the press. The job of the press is to inform the individuals that look to them for news.
Ideas for your press release
An Idea for your press release may describe the latest achievement of your organization, a recent newsworthy event, a new product or service.
It should be something worth writing about. Good reasons to send a press release out include:
· New Strategic Partner
· Awards of major funding
· Major New Product or Service
· New sale
· Upcoming events
· Opening a business
· Change of location
· New ownership
· Bringing in a new manager
· Adding an area of expertise
· Expanding your product line
· Receiving a patent or trademark
· Redesign of product
· Signing a big deal
· Receiving funding for a project
· Receiving a significant investment
· Charitable giving
· Project Successfully Completed with Results
Is your news "newsworthy"?
The purpose of a press release is to inform the world of your news item. Do not use your press release to try and make a sale.
A good press release answers all of the "W" questions (who, what, where, when and why), providing the media with useful information about your organization, product, service or event.
Start strong. Your headline and first paragraph should tell the story. The rest of your press release should provide the detail. You have a matter of seconds to grab your reader's attention. Do not blow it with a weak opening.
Write for the Media. On occasion media outlets, especially online media, will pick up your press release and run it in their publications with little or no modification to what you send. More commonly, journalists will use your press release as a springboard for a larger feature story. In either case, try to develop a story as you would like to have it told. Even if your news is not reprinted verbatim, it may provide an acceptable amount of exposure.
Not everything is news. Your excitement about something does not necessarily mean that you have a newsworthy story. Think about your audience. Will someone else find your story interesting? This is a common problem. Let's assume that you have just spent a lot of effort launching a new online store. Announcing your company's opening is always an exciting time for any business, but the last thing the media wants to write about is another online store.
This is old news and uninteresting. Instead, focus on the features of your online shopping experience, unique products and services. Answer the question? Why should anyone care? (Avoid clichés such as "customers save money" or "great customer service".) Focus on the aspects of your news item that truly set you apart from everyone else.
Does your press release illustrate? Use real life examples about how your company or organization solved a problem. Identify the problem and identify why your solution is the right solution. Give examples of how your service or product fulfills needs or satisfies desires. What benefits can be expected? Use these types of examples to powerfully communicate the benefits of using your product or service.
If you are reporting on a corporate milestone make sure that you attribute your success or failures to one or more events. If your company has experienced significant growth, tell the world what you did right. Show the cause and effect.
Stick to the facts. Tell the truth. Avoid fluff, embellishments and exaggerations. If you feel that your press release contains embellishments perhaps it would be a good idea to set your press release aside until you have more exciting news to share. Journalists are naturally skeptical. If your story sounds too good to be true, you are probably hurting your own credibility. Even if it is true, you may want to tone it down a bit.
Pick an angle. Try to make your press release timely. Tie your news to current events or social issues if possible. Make sure that your story has a good hook. Your press release is more likely to be used if it relates to some other events that are going on in the news. Look for ways that your company's story can be told in the light of other current events. For example, if a report just came out that says holiday shopping is expected to be at an all time high, you could release a report explaining how your company is preparing to deal with the surge in business.
Google's News Alert service: Using this service, you can sign up for news headlines related to certain topics to be emailed to you each day. The service also acts as a valuable source of journal leads (people who would be interested in receiving your press release) You can keep an eye on current news that relates to your business
http://www.google.com/newsalerts
Use Trends and Documented Statistics. Connect your news to a bigger story and then your release will have more of an impact. Try to tie your first paragraph to a trend, statistic or current event.
When writing a headline, write it how a newspaper would write it.
Use active, not passive, voice. Verbs in the active voice bring your press release to life. Rather than writing "entered into a partnership" use "partnered" instead. Do not be afraid to use strong verbs as well. For example, "The committee exhibited severe hostility over the incident." reads better if changed to "The committee was enraged over the incident." Writing in this manner helps guarantee that your press release will be read.
Think economy of words. Use only enough words to tell your story. Avoid using unnecessary adjectives, flowery language, or redundant expressions such as "added bonus" or "first time ever". If you can tell your story with fewer words, do it. Wordiness detracts from your story. Keep it concise. Make each word count.
Beware of jargon. While a limited amount of jargon will be required if your goal is to optimize your news release for online search engines, the best way to communicate your news is to speak plainly, using ordinary language. Jargon is language specific to certain professions or groups and is not appropriate for general readership. Avoid such terms as "capacity planning techniques" "extrapolate" and "prioritized evaluative procedures".
Avoid the hype. The exclamation point (!) is your enemy. There is no better way to destroy your credibility than to include a bunch of hype. If you must use an exclamation point, use one. Never do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Get Permission. Companies are very protective about their reputation. Be sure that you have written permission before including information or quotes from employees or affiliates of other companies or organizations. Any dispute resolution will favor the other company, meaning that your press release may get pulled.
Write your story in the form of an inverted PYRAMID. This is easy. It simply means that the most important information is at the top, and the least important information is at the bottom. While editors DO re-write sentences, the first thing they do is trim the story for space.
Make your press release to sound like a news story, not an advertisement. Statistics will help to add factual backing to your press release.
Check out resources like:
http://www.sls.lib.il.us/reference/workshop/statnet.html
Quotes keep your press release from being too subjective. Think about individuals that could give quotes that would add vital information to your press release. For example, in a story about how your products are solving consumer problems, you could use a quote from your customers describing real interactions they have had with your company.
The goal of the headline is to be the rest of the body read. It needs to pass the “Who Cares” test. If you read the headline and it doesn’t seem interesting to you why would it be interesting to anyone else.
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How to write a press release?
Step 1: Headlines
A headline is the text at the top of a press release, indicating the nature of the news below it. Headlines are written in bold and are typically much larger in size that the press release text.
The headline is your first and sometimes only chance to hook the editor or producer and keep him or her reading. Make it newsy, clear, and interesting.
Conventional press release headlines include the use of present tense and exclusion of "a" and "the" as well as forms of the verb "to be" in certain contexts. Be creative. One sentence. Use proper title case, capitalizing every word except for the following: of, it, the, a, an, from, and, is, by.
The press release headline should be brief, clear and to the point. Generally, news release headlines should portray an "announcement"-type style in order to attract readers, i.e., journalists.
The first word in the press release headline should be capitalized, as should all proper nouns. Most headline words appear in lower-case letters, although adding a stylized "small caps" style can create a more graphically news-attractive look and feel. Do not capitalize every word.
You must include the company name in the headline, any sub-head, and in the body of the first paragraph for better visibility via search engines and for news-editorial professionals and other readers.
Treat press release headlines and sub-heads as the ultra-compact version of your entire press release content. Keep it simple, clear and short.
The simplest method to arrive at the press release headline is to extract main points (highlights) and then the most important keywords from your press release. Now from these keywords, try to frame a logical & attractive statement. Using keywords will give you better visibility in search engines and it would be simpler for journalists and readers to get the idea of the press release content.
Visit Webmaster
Promotion Tools for good key words.
Step 2: Press Release Body
A press release is simply a written statement distributed to the media. It is a fundamental tool of PR work. Press release is a factual and a newsworthy statement.
The press release should be written as you want it to appear in a news story. The press release content also in the industry called “copy” should be compact. Avoid using very long sentences and paragraphs. Avoid repetition and over use of grammar and fancy language.
Press release must deal with actual facts - events, product, service, people, target, goals, plans, projects. Try to provide maximum use of these 'real' facts and contents.
A first paragraph or two three sentences must actually sum up the press release and the further content must elaborate it. In fast paced world neither journalists nor other readers would read the entire press release if the start of the article doesn't generate interest.
A simple method for writing an effective press release.
Make a list of following things:
· What is the actual news ?
· Why is this news ie Why should I care?
· The people, products, items, dates and other things related with the news.
· The purpose behind the news
Step 3: About The Company
About the company - section is short information about the company who has actually submitted the press release and about whom the news is about.
When a journalist picks up your press release for a story, they would logically have to mention about the company too in the news article. Journalists can then put the company information from this section.
The title for this section should be - About XYZ_COMPANY
After the title, use paragraph or two to describe your company with 5/6 lines each.
The text must describe your company, it's core business and the business policy. Many businesses already have professionally written brochures, presentations, business plans, etc. - that introductory text can be put up here.
Step 4: Contact Information
Journalists need a method to contact you if they need more information or have questions.
At the bottom of the Press Release provide your full Contacts:
About XYZ Company
Include a short corporate backgrounder.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Contact Person
XYZ Company
555-555-5555
555-555-4444
http://www.YourWebAddress.com (if applicable)
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How do I mass distribute and market a press release?
a) There are many ways to effectively distribute your release. Two of the most successful methods include the use of software programs, as can be view here.
Visit the Article Circulation Store website.
b) Manual Article Submission is best done by doing it your-self or hiring someone to do it or by using
our paid manual submission service.
Visit the Manual Article Submission website.
Press Release Tips
· Use a clear, catchy & relevant headline
· Press Release must be newsworthy. Inform now, sell later.
· Press Release is a medium to advertise, but it is not an advertisement.
· Don't forget that Press Release is also known as News Release.
· Length must be minimum one page and maximum two pages. One page is ideal.
· It is better to keep it short and long text should be broken in to multiple short paragraphs.
· The write style must be clean and clear. Do not use long sentences or do not create over background information. Stick to your news and write the actual facts.
· Press Release deals with facts, avoid fancy and promotional language. Remember the purpose is to inform now, sell later.
· No HTML. Never embed HTML or other markup languages in your press release. Your press release will be distributed over a wide array of networks. Including such formatting will negatively impact the readability of your press release.
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