Writing an Attention-Grabbing Press Release in 7 Easy Steps

With pending deadlines hanging over your head, the last thing you need is a writer’s block holding you back from writing a capturing and newsworthy press release. After all, writing half-heartedly just for the sake of getting work done will not be helping your cause. A marketer must be meticulous with what they put out for the world to consume. At the end of the day, writing a captivating press release to grab journalists’ attention is as crucial as ensuring your company has enough funding and revenue to keep its operations running. They are a key aspect of a corporation’s communication and marketing arsenal.

If you want to make sure the public, and most importantly the media, are well informed about the latest news updates, then you must look for a platform like itempnews.org.

Keep on reading to learn how to write the most effective press release in 7 easy steps.

1. Format Your Press Release

All press releases follow the same general format, and it is advisable to stay true to that. By using a consistent format, journalists and media personnel will always know exactly where to look for the relevant information. A standard format is as follows:

For Immediate Release

Name of Press Contact:

Phone:

Email:

[INSERT HEADLINE]

Summary Bullet Point One

Summary Bullet Point Two

[DATE], [CITY], [STATE]

Introductory Paragraph

[QUOTE]

[Second, Third, Fourth Paragraph – if it makes sense]

[QUOTE]

Closing Paragraph

Optional: [BOILERPLATE]

2. Know Your Audience: Think Like A Journalist

As Winston Churchill, one of the most gifted public speakers, once said, “Opening amenities are often opening inanities.

Ensure that your press release is not overdone. Keep your statement to the point with relevant facts and figures and stay clear of clichés. Every company or organization believes that they have the ‘finest’ new product, the ‘top’ upcoming event, or the ‘greatest’ innovative idea. You must stay clear of such statements because journalists are busy and do not want their time to be wasted by such fluffs. Understand what will capture their interest and stick to it.

Many amateur press releases fail to interest their audience because they are too opinionated and lack a journalistic tone. If you do not want your press release to be disregarded, think like the journalist who will be reading it and write it accordingly.

On top of that, ensure that your story is valuable to the publication you are sending it to. If your company and its readership value different things, you can’t expect the publication to give your company much head. After all, a publication focused on writing about women’s sports will not care much about you if you are a pharmaceuticals company.

3. Define Your Goals

Every press release has an angle, whether that is the impact to the local community, highlighting progress made towards a specific current affair, giving another side to a popular conflict, or trying to evoke an emotional response out of the readers.

This is why before you start writing your story, figure out how you want to tone it. By knowing this, it will become much easier for you to start writing your press release cohesively without having to keep editing it again and again.

4. The Ultimate Game-Changer: Make Use of a Powerful Headline

Once you have defined your goals, figuring out an eye-catching and captivating headline will also become a piece of cake. The headline of any press release is by far the most important aspect in marketing terms because it is the first thing the audience will read. On the top of the press release, in a large and bold font, it is what grabs a reader’s interest.

Not only will the headline define the news angle of your press release, but it is also going to be the subject line of your media pitch emails. If you cannot attract them with the heading, they will not be reading your story no matter how good your content may be.

An ideal headline is one that not only includes the main plot of your press release but is also short and crisp. Research has shown that headlines that incorporate numerical, for example, percentages, or statistics, are found to be more interesting than those without them.

5. Keep It Relevant

Too many cooks spoil the broth. Make sure you stick to one story per a press release. Discipline your writing style to know when your story has ended, and it is time to conclude. If your press release is going onto a second page, you are probably talking about one too many things. Talking about more than one story simply dilutes the strength of your original point, and bores the journalist.

Moreover, make it a habit to use relevant and timely statistics to give your points further weight and strength.

6. Make Sure to Include Your Contact Details

Whether you send your press release to the media, break it up on various social media platforms, or upload it onto your official website, your readers should be able to get in touch with representatives of your company for more information; be that for further clarity on the subject matter or exclusive information.

Including details such as the point of contact, i.e. your name and job title, your professional email, your as well as your company’s phone number, and your company’s URL address are a must. You could even go the extra mile and include your mailing address to make it convenient for all parties reading your story.

Adding a Boilerplate copy at the end of your press release is also advisable. It includes:

  • Organization’s name;
  • Mission Statement;
  • Founding;
  • Company size; and
  • How your company is staying true to its mission statement currently.

If you are still unsure of how to write a properly formatted, compelling press release, you can get in touch with a press release writing service to help you get the job done in a professional and timely manner. With all its advantages, you may want to read more about them and find out whether this is the right way to go for your business. After all, a specialist press release writing service has the know-how to write a compelling release that grabs media attention and hits the market in all other aspects.

7. Figure Out When to Release

You have written your press release, but that was only half the battle. After production comes distribution, and that is an ordeal of its own.

However and whoever you choose to send your press release to, the timing is key. If you can choose which hour to have your press release published by the organization you send it to, make sure it is a little while after the top hour. Most companies publish at the top hour, and that would force your story to get lost in the shuffle. By catering to that, you will ensure your story gets noticed. As ironic as it may sound, it is best to avoid the top hour.

Also, do not forget to double-check for errors before submission. The quality of your PR, through misspelled names, incorrect statistics, grammatical mistakes, will determine whether or not editors consider your story credible enough to give it any media coverage.

Figure Out When to Release

Well, there you have it! You can now craft an effective press release in 7 simple steps that are guaranteed to grab any journalist’s consideration. Though it can be a challenging and stressful ordeal, we hope that with our tips and tricks, you will be able to help your company or product get the media coverage it deserves.