Would you prefer to follow some old school thought for your business or brand’s recognition? Definitely not! Following the old school of thought is not advantageous for your business anymore. It can seek to ruin all the efforts that you have made to build your brand. Success comes to us when we follow a new school of thought and the current trends. Similarly, when it comes to devising a public relations strategy, you need to come up with strong content to represent your brand.

A few years back, people used to go through the newspapers for the news but nowadays, the internet has replaced the role of the newspapers. Am I right in saying this or not? I am sure that you will agree to the fact that the first thing we do in the morning is to check our social media accounts. We go through the news feed on our Facebook profile and scan through the headlines on Twitter. We do all of this to see what is trending but what exactly makes us stop and actually read something? It’s the catchy and engaging content. That is where writing an engaging press release comes in.

Press Release Template

To be exact, press releases actually draw our attention and make us read about the trending events and happenings from around the world. These press releases are usually used by professionals with the core reason of building public relations and gaining publicity. In the proceeding article, we are going to discuss about how to write a press release, how it works, its samples and formats along with some more important information and tips. So, without further a due, let us begin.

 

What Exactly is a Press Release?

Well, for starters, a press release has several names; a press statement, media release or a news release. No matter what we call it, the purpose and identity of it remains the same. It is basically an officially recorded and written announcement which is issued by an organization for the target audience. To be exact, it is a compelling and short news story where the ultimate goal is to pique the interest of the target audience by containing all the information about an event (what, why, who, when, where, and how).

If we concisely talk about writing the press release, then it should read like a news story written from the perspective of a third person in an informing tone. Also, the sources and quotes must be cited with the information to make it more authentic and genuine in the eyes of the audience. Most of the companies try to keep the press releases succinct while some of them are lengthy. Regardless of its length and size, a press release should cover the entire information and should have enough content to convey the complete and clear message.

Moreover, press releases are in public domain; that is why they are easily reachable and visible to the target audience. For this reason, a press release is considered as a valuable piece of marketing content as well as a ticket to earning news coverage. The upcoming sections will discuss more about the press release format.

Press Release Format

 

What is the Ultimate Goal of Writing Press Release?

Now that we have discussed much about what a press release is, you may have gotten an idea about the aim of the press release. Anyway, the main reason of a press release is to get media attention for anything that is new or upcoming in your business such as a launch of a new product, an upcoming event or any current happening. The aim is to write a press release in a compelling manner so that it attracts the journalists and other audiences, ultimately enhancing the image of the company or brand.

In addition to this, the newsworthy press releases immediately grab the attention of the media people. So, making sure that it is interesting should be a key consideration. Apart from this, you must keep in mind that a press release is not an advertisement or a sales pitch. Rather, it should cover factual information cited with quotes and sources. With that being said, here are certain press release examples that will give you detailed insight as to why business professionals should write a press release.

  • Introducing a business or product
  • Beginning an entirely new business
  • Restructuring the company
  • Celebration of anything in business
  • Receiving an award
  • Offering series of articles for publishing
  • Opening up franchises or branches
  • Participating in an event
  • Joining hands or announcing a partnership
  • Introducing something new and novel
  • Changing the product’s name or company’s name
  • Earning recognition from executives
  • Announcing about your availability to show interest
  • Launching website
  • Declaring public appearance on radio, in person or on television
  • Obtaining new customers
  • Attracting vendors
  • Revamping the business
  • Declaring about the free information
  • Custom advisory group
  • Taking on challenges in the face of adversity
  • Restructuring the business model or business entirely
  • Sponsoring a seminar or a workshop
  • Announcing company results or surveys
  • Forming a new strategic alliance or partnership
  • Announcing about future conditions and trends

All of the above examples are just a few; there are and can be other examples as well which fit the description of a press release. You just need to remember this that you should write a press release effectively to make it newsworthy for the purpose of involving media and your target audience.

What are the Types of Press Releases?

Broadly speaking, there are 2 types of press releases as explained below;

Positive Press Releases

The main goal of any press release is to garner the positive image of the business or company. Therefore, any press release which is written for positive purposes is considered as a positive press release because they have the positive spin to blanket even the worse situations if they arise.

No matter what it is, a press release must read like a news story. When writing about a positive press release, you must ensure to use appropriate keywords so that it can be optimized and come on the top of the search engines.

Defensive Press Releases

While there are some positive press releases used to promote positive events such as extension plans or product releases, some occasions ask a brand to come up with a defensive one. Since positive press releases can be threatening to some, they can publish some negative news in retaliation. When it comes to writing a defensive press release, these can be a sharpest weapon to protect and defend a company from bad publicity.

Bad publicity could be due to anything such as an industrial accident, a racist statement, a product recall or anything else. A defensive press release is required to resolve such issues and clear the misunderstanding from the minds of the consumer. In this type of press release, the language and tone is different. The tactical language ensures you put a good spin on the bad news to make it uplifting.

Press Release Examples

 

How to Write a Press Release?

When it comes to writing a press release, this is how you go about it;

The Beginning

A press release is written in different ways depending on the situation. However, if we consider a standard press release template, it begins with the name of the company, their contact number and email address of the person who wrote it. Also, the press release is printed on the letterhead of the company which must have the company’s slogan along with the above mentioned particulars.

The Headline

After the first step, the second most important component is the ‘Title’ or the ‘Headline’. This should be bold and centered. On demand, the font size can be made bigger than the other text to make it stand out. The headline is the main element of the press release and the reason for making it stand out is to draw the attention of the people who might be interested in reading it.

Summary

A one line summary about the press release should be written underneath the headline. The summary should be very interesting and should be highlighted by strong vocabulary to capture the attention of the reader. Also, it should be written in such a way that it motivates readers to find out more of what is written in the main body of the press release. However, you should keep in mind that the headline and summary should synchronize with each other and maintain relevance to the news being discussed.

The Body

This is the main body of the press release which means that this is the place where you share all the information you want to while making sure it is newsworthy. But before you go into writing the details, you first need to write the date and the name of the city where of the press release originated from. The body must answer all the important W’s (what, why, who, when and where) in the body of the press release.

The first paragraph must explain all the W’s while the second paragraph should talk about what is the purpose of the press release, why should you care, when it will happened and where can people find it. Also, it should cover the statistics and other factual elements to make the information more genuine and authentic for the media and audience to believe.

The Background to the Company

The second last thing that is necessary to be put in the press release is the background of the company. In this section, you need to include the complete information and bio data of the company. You can describe your company, talk about its products and services and everything that you think is necessary to be discussed.

The Contact Information

The last step in writing a press release is to write the phone number(s), fax, email, website addresses and other links for social media platforms where the business is active. In addition to this, you can also write about your business partners and potential clients in this section. Make sure you conclude the press release with a call to action.

Sample Press Release

 

Some Tips for Help

Now that we have told you about how you should you go about writing a press release, we are sure that you can write one on your own. But when you are writing, you must keep in mind the following tips;

Tip # 1: Make Your Headline Irresistible

Just like when we write a blog, we need to choose a catchy title, right? Similarly, when it comes to writing a headline, you need to make it look appealing and captivating. You can use action verbs and simple, understandable language to keep it short and simple. The simpler and shorter it is, the better it will be.

Tip # 2: Keep Everything Simple

Most people think that press releases get most attention when tough vocabulary is used in them. Well, everyone does not understand difficult terms and vocabulary. Unless an individual is able to understand the terms, they are never going to take an interest in reading it. Therefore, you should not use difficult jargons but should rather explain the main text in a simple an interesting way. The body should cover all W’s in addition to every detail only related to the news. No one can spare the time to read through the tons of information.

Tip # 3: Add in Quotes

Quotes add life to your press release. When you add a relevant quote to your press release which emphasizes on the core announcement, the media will quote that in their own coverage of the news and you will likely get the attention and generate the positive image you had hoped to establish.

Tip # 4: Make Everything Valuable

You must know that a reader already has all the information they need to profile your image. A press release is just a way to help them add in more information to what they already know. So, always ensure that you write your press release in a way that it has valuable for them to read. You need to write a concise and a helpful piece and most importantly a valuable one.

It takes times to write a press release effectively. After all, it is only half the battle. But once written nicely, it can add a spark your business and its sales. Now that you know how to write a press release, have its template and format, we are sure you will never get stuck when tasked with writing a press release. Even if you do, follow the tips or search for a sample press release which is easily available online. Good luck!

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Tagged:Businesspress release
TemplateLab April 29th, 2021