Writing the Perfect Press Release:
Are You Newsworthy?
Press releases are a great way to get some free (or low-cost) exposure out there on the web. In fact, well-written, well-positioned press releases should be a key aspect of any conventional marketing plan and a definite “must-have” for a viral marketing strategy.
There are companies that will distribute your press release using their email database to make sure your newsletter finds its way to the right people. Or, you can distribute on your own through content syndication sites or free “press release” sites where site owners and editors look for content to fill their web pages.
Problem is, an awful lot of newsletters fail to get picked up. They languish in the inbox of some site owner who gets dozens of press releases everyday. So, how do you make sure your press releases receive the most notice?
Stop the Presses!
A press release is a news story – about you, your products or services, your business model, discovery, web site, areas of interest, site topicality – whatever it is you’re trying to promote. These informational news stories are used to introduce you to potential customers or clients. They can be distributed by snail mail or sent directly to previous clients’ email addresses.
They can be a stand-alone piece or part of a larger “media kit” that could include brochures, a sales letter, product information or samples and other elements designed to capture the attention of a site editor – most often the site owner in the case of smaller sites. (Larger sites usually maintain a writer/editor on staff to develop content for marketing, site text, blog posts and other written communications.)
What makes a press release valuable? Newsworthiness. Look, another site owner isn’t interested in sending traffic to your site. However, she is interested in keeping her site up to date and her readership informed. So, if you send out a hypey sales letter and call it a press release, it may look like a duck and quack like a duck but it ain’t no duck. And, as such, it won’t get much (if any) exposure.
In order for your press release to have the desired effect – raising awareness within the web community – it should have lots of news value and go "lite" on the hype. Of course, you can mention the qualities, features and benefits of a new product or concept but the text can’t sound like a sales letter.
Formatting Your Press Release
While there are no hard-and-fast rules about formatting a press release, there are certain conventions that are followed. Employing these style and format conventions more easily identifies the text as a press release, and when a site owner is going through 150 emails each morning, the easier it is to identify a press release the more likely it will be picked up.
First, use letterhead stationery for your press release. The letterhead should include the company name and general company contact information. Next, provide complete information for the company’s contact point – the person to reach for additional information, limitations on use and other editorial and legal questions. This person may not be able to provide immediate answers, but he can at least direct you to the person who has the information you’re after.
Indicate when the press release can and should be released to the public. In most cases, press releases are sent out “For Immediate Release,” which should appear in the upper-right corner of the press release. If, for some reason, you want the release delayed, indicate when it’s okay to publish the release.
The press release itself should start off with a big, attention-grabbing headline – something that piques the curiosity of the reader. A second subhead should appear directly under the headline providing the reader with an indication of what the release is about.
Next comes the body of the press release. The first paragraph of the release should answer the standard Journalism 101 questions: who, what, where and when. Some readers will never get past the first paragraph so it’s the most important text in the entire release. Succinctly (no more than two sentences) provide all relevant facts upon which you will elaborate further as the readers move on.
Again, structure the press release to be newsworthy. It’s not an advertisement. It should provide useful information in order to receive wide distribution.
Keep paragraphs short for easier eye scan and remember, web users scan left to right and up to down. If you use a sidebar – a story within a story – it should appear on the left side of the release in a separate box with its own headline. In fact, a sidebar is another opportunity to place a headline above the fold – always a good thing for readers and spiders who calculate the importance of information using type size as one of the criteria.
Don’t use a the three- or four column format used by print newspapers. Your press release should look more like a letter than a newspaper.
Use quotes from authority sources – people, institutions, associations and other “reliable” sources. This not only adds credibility to what you’re saying, it also adds to the “newsiness” of the piece. Pictures, if they somehow clarify or amplify the text, are also useful. Carts and graphs are eye-catching and, when structured and labeled clearly, these illustrations can convey a lot of information in a small space.
Always write in the third person. Never use “I”, “me” or “my.” It’s not about you so leave your ego at the door and pick it up on the way out.
Avoid anything that smacks of hype – words and phrases like “The Best,” “AN ABSOLUTE MUST” and “Leading Edge.” Not only are these kinds of phrases clichés (they’ve been so overused they’ve lost all meaning), they also give your informational press release a sales letter feel. Avoid at all costs.
Use a style manual. There are lots of them. The New York Times style manual is used by press release writers to answer questions such as whether “like-minded” (an adjective) should or should not be hyphenated. It should be according to the NYT's Manual of Style and Usage. However, “businesslike” doesn’t get hyphenated according to the Times editorial handbook.
Keep the release short – two pages (500-600 words) max. Less is more in the press release realm so say it fast, make it complete and know when to get off stage.
To let the reader know that she’s reached the end of the press release, use ### three of these “number” signs. That’s one of those conventions mentioned earlier. It’s just the way it is in journalism.
Finally, you can provide a second contact after the ### end symbol – a contact for a specific purpose. For example, “If you would like to book Ms. Smith for a speaking engagement please contact Ms. Jan Jones, VP of Media Relations, XYZ Corporation, (123) 555-1234.
Writing a good press release is no simple task, and if nouns and adverbs aren’t your thing, outsource the writing to a professional. You can find plenty of freelance writing talent on the web.
It has to be newsworthy, informative, properly formatted, written in the third person and short on the grandiose hyperbole, aka, hype. It has to deliver all information in the shortest space possible. Use graphs and charts to deliver a lot of information in a small space.
It must have complete contact information for those with questions and it should appear on company stationery with company logo if you have one.
If you think you can do it, do a few drafts and let an impartial set of eyes read it. Accept criticism graciously and listen to suggestions for improvement. With a bit of practice, you can develop a PR a week to keep your subscribers or buyers up to speed.
Practice makes perfect and a picture is worth a thousand words.
One final thought: avoid clichés like the two in that previous sentence.
Webwordslinger.com
