How to Write a Press Release: A Guide for Businesses

You’ve probably heard that a press release is a powerful tool for promoting your business. That’s true because it’s one of the best tools you can use to reach journalists and other audience members outside the confines of your conventional marketing channels.

If you’re looking to announce a new product or event, you need to craft a press release that will get your business the attention it deserves. This means you should understand how to write a press release. It’s the only way you’ll ensure that journalists read it and that it generates media interest.

Writing a press release can seem daunting. But with a little know-how, it’s quite easy. This guide will show you how to write a press release that will grab attention and get results.

Choose a Newsworthy Angle

One of the crucial press release tips is to write about something that will interest journalists. Your story is more likely to get the journalists’ attention if it doesn’t cover what they cover regularly.

One good practice is to include exclusive research or data in your business press release. You can also take advantage of the newsjacking strategy to gain traction. This strategy involves writing about hot topics in your industry and incorporating your brand into the story.

You should also ensure that your press release offers value to journalists’ readers. Ensure that your story has an emotional appeal that will capture the reader’s attention.

Write a Catchy and Clear Headline

Your headline is the first thing that journalists and other members of your target audience will see. So, you need to ensure it’s perfect. It should be short and describe what’s in the press release without sounding too promotional.

The goal is to grab the attention of busy journalists who are scanning through dozens, if not hundreds, of press releases. The headline should give the journalist an idea of the press release. It should also be interesting enough to encourage them to read more.

One of the benefits of a press release is boosting your website’s SEO through backlinks. You can help in this course by ensuring that your headline has the crucial keywords. These will help journalists searching for stories on specific topics find yours and ensure your press release ranks higher in search engines.

Create a Compelling Lead

The lead is the opening paragraph of your press release. It should be concise and summarise the most important points of your story.

Your lead should answer the following questions:

• Who is this press release about?
• What does this person or organization do?
• Why should I care about this story?
• Where is this story taking place?
• When did this happen? When will it happen?

If you can’t answer these questions in your lead, journalists and other target audience members will likely lose interest and move on to something else.

This would be a good time to work with PR distribution services. Besides helping you reach a wider target audience, they’ll ensure that your title and opening paragraph hook the journalists and convince them that your story is newsworthy.

Write Valuable Body Paragraphs

Once you’ve written a compelling lead, it’s time to flesh out the body of your press release. Journalists receive hundreds of different types of press releases daily. So, you need to make sure that yours is well-written and easy to read.

A crucial tip here is to use the reverse pyramid style of writing. This style means that you should start with the most important information and then move to less important details.

The style is vital because journalists often don’t have time to read through the entire press release. They will likely only read the first paragraph or two.

So, make sure you include all the most important information at the beginning. This will ensure that journalists and other target audience members get the information they need even if they don’t read the entire press release.

Include a Compelling Quote

You can make your press release more interesting and engaging by including a quote from someone involved in the story. These could be quotes from experts, customers, or employees. For example, if you’re writing a press release about a new product, you could include a quote from the CEO.

The quote will add some personality to your press release and give readers a glimpse into your company’s culture. Quotes add credibility to your story and can make it more interesting. Just make sure that the quote adds value to the story and that it’s not too long.

Include a Boilerplate

A boilerplate is a short paragraph that gives information about your company. This could include your company’s history or mission statement.

Including a boilerplate at the end of your press release is a good way to give journalists and other members of your target audience more background information about your company.

It’s also a good way to promote your brand and make sure that people remember your company name. Make sure that your boilerplate is short. It should be no more than a few sentences long.

Include Contact Information

At the end of your press release, you should include contact information for someone who can answer journalists’ questions about the story. This could be a member of your PR team, a company spokesperson, or someone else who is familiar with the story.

Including your contact information will make it easier for journalists to get in touch with you if they have any questions about the story. It will also make it more likely that they will use your press release as the basis for a story.

Understand How to Write a Press Release

Knowing how to write a press release is an important skill for any business owner. While it seems like an uphill task, following the tips in this guide will make it easier for you to write a press release that gets the attention of busy journalists and bloggers.

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