A press release is a very useful form of communication. Therefore, it’s highly recommended that companies should utilize the best methods when writing press releases in order to effectively communicate with the public. Do you want to learn how to write a press release that attracts public attention? Then i advice you read on.
Now what is a Press Release?
A press release is an official statement from a company to the online or offline media outlets. It could serve a number of purposes, such as announcing the launch of a new product or allaying damaging rumors about a company or brand to regain customers’ loyalty and trust.
For instance, let’s say an important change was made in the company or firm, you need to issue out a press release to the public to notify them of the occurrence of such an event and how it will affect the future of the company or organization. It can be a press release to inform the public of the launch of a new line of products, or the employment of the a key person in an organization or a political press release for an event that just took place in the country or state, whichever it is.
The main aim of press release is to help the business, company or country attract valuable PR which in turn increases the positive image of the firm. A good press release has key elements in it and most corporate entities use it for public relation purposes. Typically, feature news is released to the public with the aim of provoking the attention of the media. Firms need this if they want to be talked about and if they want the news to be published in more platforms. Press releases can contain a range of news that can include promotions, awards, accomplishments and financial data.
Because a press release is one of the most effective tools that companies use to communicate to the public, it should be crafted by individuals with good communication and public relation skills. It’s important that you learn how to write press releases as this will allow you to communicate essential news to stakeholders. A good press release will more often than not, elicit a positive feedback.
Contents of a Good Press Release
A good press release should contain this three main information amidst others;
- Banner-: The banner should contain the timing date and contact information of the person or the company issuing the press release.
- Headline-: This is the title of the press release and should be written in a short and straight to the point form.
- Lead Line-: This should be the first paragraph of the press release which contains a short summary of what the body of the press release should look like.
- Body-: This is the second paragraph and should expatiate on the contents of the first paragraph.
- Closing-: This is the final content of the press release and contains just the # mark which marks a close of the release.
Let’s now go through the format for writing an effective press release;
How to Write a Perfect Press Release for an Event or New Product Launch
I. Timing of the Press Release-: I mentioned above that this should be one of the main content of a press release and not only that; it should be the information that will come first in your press release page. The timing should be found at the topmost part of the page. It can be an immediate release, release after or release before.
II. Release Date-: Immediately after the timing should come the release date; that is the current date you are writing the press release.
III. Headline-: Following the release date is the title of the press release; the title should be short and straight to the point. Try to make the title to be attention grabbing and concise.
IV. Contact Information of the Individual or Company Making the Press Statement-: The contact information of the person or the company making the press release statement should be listed in vertical lines in this order; contact name, mailing address, contact email address and website address if any.
V. Location-: This should contain the name of the town; city and location the event took place or is going to take place.
VI. Subject or Body of the Release-: This is where the real information you are trying to share to the public is contained. It should begin with a short summary of the subject matter; then it should followed a first paragraph that will explain all the important information, while the other paragraphs will expand the information contained in the first paragraph.
VII. Other Details-: When you are done writing, you should add one or more testimonials from other customers (especially if it is a press release for a new product), and also where customers can get more information on the subject matter.
VIII. Conclusion-: After you have written all you wish to be contained in the press release, you leave a line space and add ###, this signifies the end of the press release writing.
6 Factors to Consider When Writing a Press Release for your Company
a. Publish truthful information
When constructing a press release, you should include only news that is of value to the firm and the public. Make sure that what you decide to disseminate to the public is something that is true and of good use to those on the receiving end. You would not want to publicize news that is false because this can greatly affect your company’s reputation.
b. Craft a catchy headline
A good press release contains a headline that is concise but catchy. You have to take into consideration that thousands of press releases are being published in a day. Newsrooms and reporters are being bombarded with endless statement from different companies. The headline will establish the interest or otherwise of those you want to read your news. Make sure that you put them in bold letters and include a subheading below that will contain further explanation of your headline.
c. Your first paragraph should hold the reader’s attention
With all the news that the media receives every day, you should assume that these people would not have all day to read your article. Usually it only takes a few seconds for them to scan the statement, and in those precious seconds, they can already tell if the statement is newsworthy or not. This is why the first paragraph is the most crucial part in the body of your press release. Try to include most, if not all, of what you have to say in the first lines of your press release. Make it sound interesting and be sure the message is powerful enough to catch the attention of the reader.
d. Share your information concisely in the second paragraph
The second paragraph should contain the reasons why the news is important to you and to the public. Make sure to make it concise and try to get your point across with the fewest words possible. Your words in this part should be able to move the reader to find out more about the story and write about it.
e. Insert your company’s logo and details
Be sure to include your company logo in the press release. If the company is well known, then most probably the readers will not hesitate to take time to read your press release once they recognize the logo. If not, the logo will at least facilitate familiarity of your company. Also include contact details of the company so that if ever the readers want to take on the news from your company, then they can immediately contact you.
f. Scan your press release for grammatical errors
Check your grammar. Of all things, one mistake you must avoid is to publish press release that contains a lot of grammatical errors. A well-constructed, grammatically sound press release will create a positive impression from the press. The internet is teeming with examples of previously constructed press releases. You can take a look at them to learn the structure of a good press release.
The above are detailed guidelines on how to write press release, and should be strictly followed. Communication of useful information is crucial for any agency. A firm does not function by its internal environment alone. It thrives by establishing rapport with external users- and one of the best ways to do so is by issuing a good press release.
This is the format for writing a good press release but to help you get a clearer understanding of what a press release looks like, I will write a sample of a press release using the sample below. Let’s take the sample below as a press release from a company named Ceser Plizer, a Chinese restaurant; and the press release will be to announce the opening a new chain of their restaurant in another part of the town.
A Sample Press Release Template or Outline
‘For Immediate Release
Ceser Plizer Chinese Resturant
Voice (847) 94059868
Fax (847) 374657847
ceserplizerresturants@hotmail.com
www.ceserplizer.com
Springfield.
GRAND OPENING OF CESER PLIZER CHINESE RESTURANT IN COLOMBUS AVENUE
Springfield; December 21 2015. The Ceser Plizer has opened a new Chinese restaurant on Columbus Avenue; the restaurant is a chain of Ceser Plizer restaurants and will be the same with every other Cezer Plizer Chinese restaurants.
Cezer Plizer which is known for serving your favourite Chinese cuisine is now bringing her services closer to people living in Columbus Avenue in Springfield. The new outlet is expected to open on the 21st of December with a ground breaking opening ceremony. So far, the new Cezer Plizer is the only restaurant that serves well prepared Chinese cuisine and a posh environment and at a very affordable prize; making it a good combination for good meal, comfort and economic at the same time.
The opening ceremony will start by 4pm on the said date and you can get your free invitation by visiting the Ceer Plizer website to download your own copy of the invitation. Dress code is a white top and blue pant to make the theme colour for the event. For more information contact our Customer Support Service Via;
www.ceserplizer.com or customersupport@ceserplizer.com
Voice (847) 94059868
Fax (847) 374657847
10 Characteristics of a Good Press Release That Gets Attention
Writing a good press release involves understanding what makes a press release effective in the modern world—where most press releases are published online rather than in print media.
Unfortunately, most press releases today are written by individuals who lack the required background and skills and are adopting strategies that last worked decades ago. This explains why many press releases fail to achieve their publisher’s objectives, and why the fallacy that press releases are dead has become more popular. Here are 10 characteristics of an effective press release that will achieve its goals in the modern world.
1. It is professionally written
If you browse through the tons of press releases on online press release “dumps”, you will find that most of the press releases published today are junk. This is because most of them are written by people who lack the required background in communication science and public relations studies, such as freelance writers who know nothing about the company or brand publishing the press release.
A good press release must be written by someone with in-depth knowledge about the company or brand and that has the skills required to craft a professional press release.
2. It focuses on a single purpose
A press release is written and published for a purpose. It could be to announce a new product by a company or brand. It could be to alert consumers about a new development in the industry. And it could be to allay damaging rumors about a company or brand. The golden rule is to stick with just one purpose.
Aside that aiming for multiple goals in a single press release would make it overly long, it could leave the reader confused rather than enlightened.
3. It addresses an issue exhaustively
A good press release focuses on one issue and exhausts it. If it is meant to announce a new product, it gives every relevant detail about the product. And if it is meant to address another issue, it gives every detail relating to that issue. In short, a good press release leaves the reader enlightened and satisfied.
4. It is succinct
Another characteristic of a good press release is conciseness. Though it must leave out no important detail, it must be written in as few words as possible to avoid boring the reader. Truth is that people’s attention is becoming harder to attract, and publishing a press release stuffed with unnecessary words and sentences will put people off rather than attract their attention.
5. It clearly indicates the company’s location
Nothing could be more unproductive than a well-written press release that attracts readers’ attention and gets the company or brand’s message across, but does not include the company’s location or other important details.
Although the company’s details can be found through a simple web search, most readers won’t go through that “mild” pain. For big and very popular companies or brands, this might not present any disadvantage, but for smaller or developing brands, it’s a huge disadvantage.
6. It includes a subhead
While a subhead might seem to have an unclear role in a press release, it really offers valuable supplementary guidance to readers as it helps them decide whether to continue reading the release or move on to something else. So, a good press release must have a catchy subhead that complements the headline.
7. It includes multimedia
Most of the press releases that attract attention in the modern world include a photo or video, with the vast majority of those including a photo only. So, it’s important to include relevant photos in a press release in order to make it stand out and render it aesthetically more appealing.
Examples of relevant photos to include in a press release include product photos, charts, infographics, company executives, and high-resolution logos.
8. It is scan-able
Gone are the days when readers could patiently read through huge blocks of text that contained few paragraphs. A good press release in the modern world must have smaller paragraphs comprising few sentences and a lot of white space. This is because people’s attention spans have become shorter and they now scan rather than read. Smaller paragraphs and white space makes scanning easier.
9. It contains relevant links
A good press release contains links to relevant sources of authentic information that related to its content. The aim is to prove to the reader that the writer has not made any unverifiable claims. This will boost the reader’s credibility on the information contained in the press release.
10. It encourages sharing
The ultimate goal of a press release is to communicate a company’s message to as many people as possible. A good way to facilitate that in the modern world is to include social sharing buttons within the press release and encourage readers to share the information with their friends and relatives on social media.