When to Write a Press Release and How to Get It Published

A press release is more than an announcement about what is happening in your business. It is a sales tool, and works especially well if there is a newsworthy story behind it. You can write your press release as if you’re an outside reporter, provide some good quotes and information from top movers and shakers either within your company, customers, or field. Then you need to figure out who to send it to in order to make it worthwhile.
The set-up of a press release is standard throughout the industry. You must write it this way in order for any news organization to take it seriously.
* Headline – There is a right way and a wrong way to write a headline for a press release. They need to be in bold font, with the first word capitalized, carry the right keywords, and grab the attention of your audience as well as the gatekeeper.
* Body Copy – You have to put the name of the city and state, as well as the date, on the first line. Then include an attention-grabbing first sentence that leads the reader to want to read more about the story. You want to avoid using filler words and make the body copy as compact as possible. State only facts, and save the smoke and fluff for other marketing copy.
* Who, What, When, Why, Where and How – As you write, try to answer the five w’s and the h too. This will help you keep your copy short and to the point. You want to put the most newsworthy information at the front and at the end of the press release.
* Make It Press Ready – Remember that no one is going to edit your press release for you; it needs to be ready to print and be edited. Double check your spelling and fact check the information you include in the press release.
* Give Them More – At the end you can include links or even a QR code that directs people to more information about your event or business. Providing that little bit of extra information can be the difference of getting your press release published or not.
* Send It to the Right People – One huge key to getting your press release published is that you send it to the right people. So many press release companies are disingenuous when it comes to this part. They blanket out the press release without any regard to where it’s going. Don’t do that; send it to the right people. That may mean that you need to do some research first.
You can draft a press release that gets results if you follow these rules. Write it in third person, include just the facts, provide contact information, and send it to the right people so that it will get the attention it deserves.