Press Release - How to Write and Submit a Press Release
Writing a Press Release?
Don't let the thought of writing a press release scare you?
By the time you finished reading this article, your press
releases will flow from your fingertips… well, maybe not,
but you will have learned the basics of writing a standard
press release.
Let us begin by reviewing what a press release is. By
definition a press release is simply a statement prepared
for distribution to the media. The purpose of a press
release is to give journalists information that is useful,
accurate and interesting. Get it? Useful, accurate and
interesting, it is that easy.
Pay Attention to the Content of Your Press Release. When we
talk about content, we refer to the news story you are
telling. Keep the following points in mind when writing
your press release.
Is your news "newsworthy?" The purpose of a press release
is to inform the world of your news item. Do not use your
press release to try and make a sale. A good press release
answers all of the "W" questions (who, what, where, when
and why), providing the media with useful information about
your organization, product, service or event. If your press
release reads like an advertisement, rewrite it.
Start strong. Your headline and first paragraph should tell
the story. The rest of your press release should provide
the detail. You have a matter of seconds to grab your
readers' attention. Do not blow it with a weak opening.
Write for the Media. On occasion, media outlets, especially
online media, will pick up your press release and run it in
their publications with little or no modification. More
commonly, journalists will use your press release as a
springboard for a larger feature story. In either case, try
to develop a story as you would like to have it told. Even
if your news is not reprinted verbatim, it may provide an
acceptable amount of exposure.
Press releases are in all actuality 'cookie cutter'. Once
you get the hang of writing them, all you have to do is
fill in the blanks. Press releases conform to an
established format. Journalists receive so many press
releases a day, they have set standards and expectations
that you must conform to just to have your release read,
let alone published. If your press release is printed 'as
is', without changing even one word, then you know you have
conformed to the journalistic standards of that particular
medium. "Write on", you're doing a great job!
Not everything is news. Your excitement about something
does not necessarily mean that you have a newsworthy story.
Think about your audience. Will someone else find your
story interesting? Announcing your company's opening is
always an exciting time for any business, focus on the
features of UGC and SLAM. Answer the question, "Why should
anyone care?" and make sure your announcement has some news
values such as timeliness, uniqueness or something truly
unusual. Avoid clichés such as "customers save money" or " great customer service." Focus on the aspects of your news
item that truly set you apart from everyone else.
Does your press release illustrate? Use real life examples
about how UGC and SLAM has solved a problem. Identify the
problem and identify why your solution is the right
solution. Give examples of how your service or product
fulfills needs or satisfies desires. What benefits can be
expected? Use real life examples to powerfully communicate
the benefits of using UGC and SLAM. Stick to the facts.
Tell the truth. Avoid fluff, embellishments and
exaggerations.
Use active, not passive, voice. Verbs in the active voice
bring your press release to life. Rather than writing"entered into a partnership" use "partnered" instead. Do
not be afraid to use strong verbs as well. For example,"The committee exhibited severe hostility over the
incident." reads better if changed to "The committee was
enraged over the incident." Writing in this manner, helps
guarantee that your press release will be read.
Use only enough words to tell your story. Avoid using
unnecessary adjectives, flowery language, or redundant
expressions such as "added bonus" or "first time ever". If
you can tell your story with fewer words, do it. Wordiness
distracts from your story. Keep it concise. Make each word
count.
Beware of jargon. While a limited amount of jargon will be
required if your goal is to optimize your news release for
online search engines, the best way to communicate your
news is to speak plainly, using ordinary language. Jargon
is language specific to certain professions or groups and
is not appropriate for general readership. Avoid such terms
as "capacity planning techniques" "extrapolate" and "prioritized evaluative procedures."
Avoid the hype. The exclamation point (!) is your enemy.
There is no better way to destroy your credibility than to
include a bunch of hype. If you must use an exclamation
point, use one.
Make sure your press release looks like a press release.
Formatting Your Press Release
How you present your news is just as important as its
content.
Headline Announces News in Title Case, Ideally Under 80
Characters
The standard press release is 300 to 800 words and written
in a word processing program that checks spelling and
grammar before submission.
The summary paragraph is a little longer synopsis of the
news, elaborating on the news in the headline in one to
four sentences. The summary uses sentence case, with
standard capitalization and punctuation. Include a
one-paragraph summary. Some distribution points only
receive your headline, summary and a link to your press
release. If you fail to include a summary paragraph, you
may reduce the effectiveness of your press release.
NEVER SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE IN ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS.
This is very bad form. Even if your press release makes it
past the editors (highly unlikely) it will definitely be
ignored by the journalists. Use mixed case.
City, State (UGC/SLAM) Month 1, 2006 -- The lead sentence
contains the most important information in 25 words or
less. Grab your reader’s attention here by simply stating
the news you have to announce. Do not assume that your
reader has read your headline or summary paragraph; the
lead should stand on its own.
Correct grammar usage. Always follow rules of grammar and
style. Errors in grammar and style affect your credibility.
Excessive errors will cause your press release to be
rejected by the editors.
Avoid directly addressing the consumer or your target
audience. The use of "I," "we" and "you" outside of a
direct quotation is a flag that your copy is an
advertisement rather than a news release.
Write your press release on a word processor instead of
composing online. Writing online will not achieve best
results. Take the time to do it right. Write, print, proof
read. Rewrite, edit.
No HTML. Never embed HTML or other markup languages in your
press release. Your press release will be distributed over
a wide array of networks. Including such formatting will
negatively impact the readability of your press release.
Write more than one paragraph. It is nearly impossible to
tell your story in a few sentences. If you do not have more
than a few sentences, chances are you do not have a
newsworthy item.
Do not include your e-mail address in the body of your
release. Most all press release submission sites have a
special place during the submission process for you to
include your e-mail address. If you include your e-mail
address in the body of your press release, you run the risk
of receiving spam. This is because your e-mail address will
be available to the public. Spiders routinely scour the
Internet harvesting e-mail addresses. Provide your e-mail
address only in the space(s) provided during the submission
process.
The final paragraph of a traditional news release contains
the least newsworthy material. For an online release, it’s
typical to restate and summarize the key points with a
paragraph like the next one. You can also include details
on product availability, trademark acknowledgment, etc.
here. Include a short corporate backgrounder, or"boilerplate," about the UGC/SLAM or the person who is
newsworthy before you list your name and phone number and
your UGC website URL.
Submit Your Press Release
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