A press release announces news (upcoming events, staff promotions, awards, new products and services, sales, and so on) and is aimed at the media, often to generate newspaper articles (reporters are more likely to consider this if they are the first to receive it). It is a fundamental tool for anyone involved in PR. Here's how to write one!
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Make It Stand Out
Step 1. Write the title:
short, clear and straight to the point. It will need to be an ultra-compact version of the main theme of the press release. Many PRs recommend writing it at the end, once the content of the release has been drafted. The title attracts the reader and is very important to the whole document.
- Example: "wikiHow recognized as the most trusted source of information". Do you see how it works? Now you want to know more! Headlines must have the ability to attract journalists and can describe an organization's latest success, recent event, or new product or service.
- For titles, use bold, small caps, and one font larger than the body of the text. Traditional press releases use the present tense and exclude conjunctions and articles, as well as the verb "to be" in certain situations.
- Use capital letters for the words that require them.
- Extract the important keywords from the press release to write the title and eventual bolt. The keywords give greater visibility on search engines and allow the reader to immediately understand what it is.
Step 2. Write the text
The press release should be written as you want it to appear in a news item. And remember: most reporters are very busy and don't have time to research your company's big announcement; therefore, it will use most of your words. Enter anything you want them to say.
- Write the date and city. You could omit this last information, if it causes confusion (for example the press release is written in Milan about company events related to the Rome department).
- The lead, i.e. the first sentence, should conquer the reader and explain everything concisely. For example, if the title reads "Publication of a new novel on the Second World War", the first sentence should be something like this: "The Rossi publishing house today publishes a novel on the Second World War written by Mario Bianchi". Thus, you will expand the title and provide more details. The following sentences will give more information starting with the lead.
- The body of the text should be compact. Avoid long sentences and paragraphs, repetition and extreme use of jargon. It's all about simplicity. Few words, but good.
- The first paragraph consists of two or three sentences and summarizes the content of the press release. Nobody would go on with the reading if the beginning of the text were not interesting.
- Name concrete facts: events, products, services, people, targets, objectives, plans, projects. This is what makes the news. Remember the journalistic rule of "who", "what", "when", "where", "why" and "how". In English it is called the "5 W and H rule": "who", "what", "when", "where", "why" and "how".
Step 3. With the above rule you should explain to the reader everything he needs to know
Make a checklist to use for your press release, using the example below:
- Who are we talking about? From the Rossi publishing house.
- What's the news? The Rossi publishing house will publish a book.
- When? Tomorrow.
- Where is it? In the most well-stocked libraries.
- Why are we talking about this? The novel was written by the famous author Mario Bianchi.
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How will the event take place? The author will sign the book in Rome on the day of its release and then tour the major Italian cities.
- Define the basics, fill in the information gaps by adding details about the people, products, dates or any other element related to the news.
- If your company is not the main subject of the news but the source of the release, this must be clear in the text.
- The length of the press release should be short. If you are sending a hard copy, use double spacing.
- The more interesting the press release is, the more likely it is to be selected by a reporter to make an article about it. Find out what "newsworthy" means for a particular market and use this knowledge to hook the editor or reporter.
Step 4. Make it clean, fresh, and appropriate for your audience
If you want it to be considered, it has to be really good and as "ready to go" as possible.
- When an editor looks at your piece, they immediately wonder how long it could take to print. If it's full of errors, lacking in content, or needs to be revised, no one will want to waste time on it. You must therefore make sure that it is complete and well written, without grammar errors.
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Why should these people care what you have to say? If you're sending the press release to the right audience, the reason will be obvious. Otherwise, you will have wasted your time. Give the right people news - news, not advertisements - and you'll find yourself on the right track.
You will have more opportunities if you send it in the morning, because you will allow journalists to insert your piece into what they are already preparing. Try to meet them
Step 5. Build it right
Provide some links to other information to support your press release. Does the company you are presenting offer other information online that readers may find useful? Very well: add them!
If you are nervous about the success of your piece, do some research on what is already available. Someone has probably already written something about an event similar to the one you are creating your press release for. PR Web and PR Newswire are good places to start
Part 2 of 2: Mastering the Format
Step 1. Prepare the basic structure
Now that you have the content, how can you go about putting it on paper? Well: to begin with, cut to the length. At most it should go to one page. Nobody has time to waste on 5 paragraphs, unless you're talking about World War III. Here's what you'll need:
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At the top of the page, in the left margin, you should write "For immediate release".
Otherwise, type "Launch blocked until …" and add the date. If you don't write any dates, it is assumed that you prefer immediate publication
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Below it should be the title, usually in bold, centered.
If necessary, insert a subtitle in italics, briefly reworking the title
- First paragraph: contains the most important information with date or origin of the news.
- Second (and possibly third) paragraph with secondary information. It should include facts and quotes.
- Schematic information: something more about the company in question. Who are you really? What goals do you have? What is your mission?
- Contact information: information about the author - you, probably. If you can get someone's interest, they'll want to know more!
- Multimedia: for example, some very current Twitter references.
Step 2. Write a paragraph containing information about the company
If a reporter chooses your press release for an article, they will logically have to quote it.
- The title of the paragraph will be: "Who is COMPAGNIA_XYZ".
- After the title, write a paragraph or two (five to six lines each) to talk about the company: what it does, what its policy is… Many companies have brochures, presentations and business plans written by professionals. That introductory text needs to be inserted here.
- At the end of this section, it points to your website. The link should be the exact and complete URL address without any links, so that if this page is printed, only the text of the link is printed. For example:
- If the company has a specific page for the media, write that address: there they will find contact information and Press Kit.
Step 3. Enter your contact details
If the release is noteworthy, reporters will either want more information or want to interview someone from the company. If you agree with the opportunity for key people to be contacted directly by the media, you can provide their contact details on the press release page itself. For example, in the case of an innovation, you can give the telephone number of the engineers or research team.
- An alternative is to provide the press office details in the "Contact" section. If there is no team dedicated to this, you will need to hire someone to act as an intermediary between the company and the media.
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Contact details must be limited and limited to the press release. Include:
- The official name of the company.
- The name of the press office and contact person.
- The office address.
- Telephone and fax numbers with prefixes and any extensions.
- Mobile phone number (optional).
- Times at which it is possible to call.
- Email addresses.
- Web page.
Write a Press Release Step 9 Step 4. If possible, include a link to an online copy of the same release
It is a good idea to keep them all on the company's website to print them immediately and keep them in a chronological register.
Write a Press Release Step 10 Step 5. Mark the end of the release with three #s, centered directly below the last line:
it is a journalistic standard.
Advice
- Include a "call to action". Make it clear what you want the audience to do with the information received. For example, do you want readers to buy a product? If so, include information on where it can be found. Do you want readers to visit your webpage to enter a contest or learn more about your organization? Write the website address or a phone number.
- Write the company name in the title, subtitle and first paragraph for better visibility on search engines. If you send the release by post, use the company's letterhead.
- Search online to read real press releases and grasp their tone, language, structure and format.
- Email it, but don't use block letters or colors - it won't improve the news, it will distract. Insert the press release in the body of the email, do not attach it. If you really have to, save it as Rich Text Format or.doc format. Not everyone has Office or its updated version. Use the PDF only if you send a graphically rich press kit. Do not write the release on letterhead or scan it and then send it by e-mail: it is a waste of time for you and the publisher.
- Each press release must be created and designed for a specific target. Send it to the reporter covering that industry. Sending the same text to all reporters will not allow you to make a good impression.
- Don't waste time searching for the title before you're done: you can write an interesting and concise one when you have completed it and corrected the release.
- Avoid jargon and technical terms. If you have to do this for accuracy, define complex words.
- A call to reporters after submission can be helpful in turning the release into a newspaper article.
- The subject of the email must be the same as the title of the release, so that your message can stand out in the inbox of the editor.
- Timing is important. The press release must cover relevant and recent news, not too distant in time.
Warnings
- Always include a quote made by a person involved in the subject of the release. The text must not contain his words, but be plausible. In any case, first talk to the person concerned. Quotes allow busy journalists to prepare a full article without the need to schedule interviews.
- Always remember that many editors are overworked and don't have large staffs, so make their life easy and you'll have a better chance of getting an article. If you write a press release similar in style to that of the publisher, the chances will undoubtedly be higher. But if you make a jumble of advertising materials and the format is not uniform, you will be discarded. Editors get a lot of press releases from companies that claim to be leaders in a certain industry and don't want to waste time with texts that say everything and nothing. Enter your company information in a separate section, which should be short but accurate.
- The statement should be as positive and optimistic as possible. Avoid words that indicate passivity or inactivity. A reporter may decide to investigate the seemingly burning issues instead of just using the text you submit, and even if the circumstances are absolutely innocent, you may find yourself reading a different article than you expected.
- Do not include contact details belonging to company members without asking them for permission. Also, make sure they tell you when they are available to speak to reporters.
- When sending a press release by e-mail, do not write "Press release" in the subject or you risk not getting noticed. The subject must be the same as the title of the text or, in any case, draw the attention of the publisher.
