How To Write A Press Release In 7 Easy Steps
In this article, you will learn how to write a press release easily and effectively. But first, let’s discuss what press releases are. They are written program lines distributed to the media. These letters are used for announcements of news, events, promotions, new products, services and awards.
Press releases can also be used to produce feature stories. They can make their way to the hands of reporters and would likely have attention if it has a story idea to generate. It is one of the best PR works that you could use when being written properly.
Here are 7 important steps on how to write a press release:
Step 1: Write the Headline.
Headlines should be concise, clear and direct-to-the-point. It is the ultimate source of impact of the whole press release, and is a powerful statement that can make or break the entirety of your press release.
• When writing the news release, headlines should employ enticing words that can grab the attention of the readers the same as when it is in the newspaper. It may contain the recent award of the organization, event that was worth telling for, new product release or service.
• The words should be written in bold and should be larger than the plain body text, which is always in a present tense.
• Capitalization of the first word on the headline is necessary as well as proper nouns, while most of the remaining words are written in lower-case. If you want more style, you can use the small caps style but do not capitalize every single word on the headline.
• Find the most significant keywords on the body of your press release for you to have a quick start in writing the headline. Use powerful words and include those keywords you have extracted to form a logical, powerful and attention-grabbing headline.
Step 2: Write the Press Release Body.
Write the body of the press release the way you would write a news story.
• The press release body should start with the date and city where it originated. You can omit the city if it will only confuse the reader.
• The first sentence is very vital in every press release body. If it grabs the attention of the reader firmly, the reader would want to read the entire press release. If it does not have firm hold on your reader’s attention, chances are he/she will skip the whole body and move on. It should briefly summarize what is currently happening. Furthermore, the next sentences would be supporting sentences of the first one.
• The first paragraph could be the entire summary of the press release and the rest of the body is just the full detail of the summarized story. Journalists and other media men would not read the rest of the body if the first paragraph is poorly written and is not interesting.
• Include facts in the body of the press release.
Step 3: Answer the 5 Ws and the H.
Press releases should answer who, what, when, why, where and how questions.
• Write the press release in this manner: Headline first – the brief summary at the first paragraph – the event or if there are, achievements – products involved – people behind it – concluding summary – the profile of the company.
• Length of press releases should not exceed three pages.
Step 4: Include the Company Information and Profile.
Journalists and the media people can get the company profile in this section of the press release, especially if your press release is picked up and written about.
• Write the title, which is about the company.
• Describe the company in the following 5 – 6 sentences.
• Lead readers to your company’s website at the end of this particular section of the press release.
Step 5: Wrap It All Up.
If there are available supporting links, include them in the press release.
Step 6: Include Contact Information.
If journalists like how you have written your press release, and if it really is newsworthy, they can contact you for more information and interview the principal people behind the press release.
• You can provide the contact information of the people behind the press release or provide the contact information of your PR department.
• Include the following in your contact information:
1. Company’s name
2. PR department and the contact person
3. Office address
4. Telephone and fax numbers with proper extensions
5. Mobile number
6. Availability of time
7. Email address
8. Website address
Step 7: Signal the End.
It is also important that your press release is ended properly by putting signs. Put three number (#) symbols at the center right after the last line.
Hope this article has given you sufficient guidance to write a compelling press release worthy of being published by the media authorities.
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