PR provides an effective way of engaging with your target audience when announcing a big event (such as an upcoming webinar or speaking engagement), sharing news of a great achievement (such as a business award) or simply informing the market of a new product or service offering. Here are some top tips which can assist you in crafting an appropriate press release in order to maximise your chances of hitting the right notes with your chosen media:
It Starts with the Format
Your press release should be confined to one page and about 350 – 550 words. It starts with your complete contact information, followed by a catchy title. The release itself should begin with your office address and date.
A Grand Opening
Your opening paragraph should leave the reader wanting more. This paragraph should summarise “The Deal” or the “Big News”.
The Supporting Acts
The next two paragraphs should support the opening paragraph with more detail. A quote from a senior member of staff (such as the MD or Head of Sales) should be included in this section.
Close it out
You should wrap up with a final summary and a call-to-action paragraph telling readers exactly what you want them to do (i.e., “log on to our website today”). You should then wrap up with a 3 or 4 line biography of the company detailing “who we are and what we do”.
There’s No Point in Creating a Great Press Release and Not Sending it out
You should try to be consistent by writing and submitting press releases frequently. When you do this consistently, people tend to expect to hear the great things happening in your business. They look forward to your next release to keep them up-to-date on what you are doing. You should add all of your press releases to the news page on your company website.
Emailing the Journalists
When sending a press release to the media via email you should be very mindful of the subject line. The quality of the subject line in a press release will dictate whether it will even get opened. Test it out – send out a few dozen with one subject line and wait to see if you hear back; then try more with a different subject lines. Over time you will develop a feel for what works and what doesn’t.