The important key to writing a press release is keeping it concise and to the point. Editors receive hundreds of releases every week. A tight, well-written release will help an editor understand quickly why your news is important to their readers. Make sure your release does not read like a sales pitch. This will often send up a flag in an editor’s mind to be skeptical of the release.
The first item on a press release that a journalist will see is the headline. It is important to write a headline that will grab the journalist’s attention. The headline should sum up the entire story. It should be concise and descriptive so the journalist receives clear picture of the contents of the release, and if it is of interest to their readers, they will read the release. If the release is on a new feature, or an update to an existing product, state that information in the headline.
After the headline, the first paragraph of the release is the most important. Just as we learned in journalism 101, the first paragraph should answer the following questions:
• Who • What • Where • When • Why • How
In some cases, it may take two paragraphs to accomplish this, but never more. The rest of the press release supports the first paragraph. A journalist wants to be informed, not sold. It is important that you are factual and honest with your statements about the product. The document should provide supporting information to substantiate any claim made. You should avoid marketing “hype.” This can be put in the boilerplate at the end of the release. 4 It is important that you avoid unsubstantiated claims in your release. A journalist judges the credibility of a release based on the credible back-up information provided with each claim. It is also important that a release supply the answers to potential questions about your product.
Keep the writing style dynamic and to the point. It is important to engage the busy reader of the release immediately even if the release is about an “industrial staple.” If you are not excited about your product, you cannot expect a journalist to be.
Your release should preferably be one page and no more than two. Realize, most stories about new products tend to be one or two paragraphs in most trade magazines. A release longer than two pages will most likely not be read to the end. Again, as stressed earlier, be concise and to the point.
Avoid the temptation to use industry terminology and jargon. Write in a conversational style using conversational English. You will find a large number of journalists do not have the same technical background as you even if they write for a trade magazine. While avoiding too much jargon, you want to add keywords and key phrases commonly used by your customers to create keyword-rich press release. Include them in the headline and first paragraph of your release.
This will make them more effective on your site as a search engine optimization tool. When describing your product remember Feature, Function & Benefit. What it is, what it does and the benefit to the user. This will help the journalist communicate to their readers why they should consider your products. It is important that you provide specific and detailed information.
The last information in a release is about your company and the important contacts as it relates to the product. The company information should describe your business and the industries you serve. You need to provide a contact name that the journalist can contact for more information.
This person should be familiar with all the news in the release, and should be ready to answer questions. Include the contact phone number, fax, Email address, Web address and mail address. You can also issue your release on company letterhead to give it a professional appearance. Lastly, have someone you trust proofread your work. Typos, spelling and grammatical errors will hurt your credibility with journalists.
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