How To Write A Press Release
How to write a press release is a lesson many businesses will benefit from especially if they’re new to the industry or announcing new services or products. When written well, press releases can attract new audiences, create new customers, and bring awareness to an organization.
Not all organizations have marketing departments, access to public relations or media experts, or even communications experts. This blog will share the correct press release format for organizations to maximize their resources. Organizations should know how to publish updates on their own and bring more awareness to new audiences, and we’ll show you how!
What Is A Press Release?
A press release can be issued by organizations, businesses, or individuals for several reasons. Businesses can publish press releases to announce new products or services or even to apologize for public recalls and organizations can use press releases to announce new charities, to name a few examples.
According to Grammarly, a press release is a formal statement that is shared and distributed to media outlets. They provide information to the public and are considered primary sources.
Whether it’s how to write a press release for a product or how to write a press release for a book, you’ll learn about it here and how to get it started with The Write Direction! Check out our other how-to blogs like “How To Write A White Paper” for more business writing tips and tutorials!
Benefits Of Knowing How To Write A Great Press Release
Writing an effective press release has plenty of advantages. Press releases are a great way to get favorable attention and are a great way for organizations to do self-promotion. Here are just some of the benefits of writing a press release.
- Exposure and Publicity
Having a press release distributed for your organization or small business potentially exposes you to a newer audience and boosts your public image. A well-written press release helps build public trust and authority in the industry especially when it is distributed through well-known publications. - Enhanced Revenue OpportunitiesPress releases are a great avenue to talk about all of your business’ best services or products. By highlighting all the best reasons to support your business, knowing how to write a good press release can increase sales and profit margins. Your organization is bound to gain attention from potential customers you wouldn’t have reached without a press release.
- Maximized Marketing Strategy Effectiveness
Content marketing is a great way to generate new sales. For new businesses that haven’t built up an audience or are looking for an affordable marketing strategy, a press release is a great option. Press releases are great for promotion purposes, increasing online visibility, and thus bringing in more revenue.
Other types of content that are great for your marketing strategies include informational blogs and social media copywriting which The Write Direction can do for you! - Established As A Thought Leader In The Industry
Establishing your organization as a thought leader in the industry you’re in lets you share innovative ideas, opinions, and inspiration. By providing valuable information through press releases, you are labeled an authoritative figure, thus building more credibility and trust within that industry. You want to be able to build your organization up because people are more likely to support businesses that are trustworthy and credible. - Increased Website Visibility
In today’s digital age, consumers are constantly looking for new stories and valuable content. By knowing the correct press release format, you can actually increase the number of people or traffic that visits your website. Press releases that are shared online can contain links that lead directly to your website where readers can access your services and products, and learn more about what your organization offers. Press releases are a great way to boost organic traffic as long as you know how to optimize your content, headlines, and keywords correctly. - Beneficial For SEO Purposes
Press releases can be published under several outlets and they will link back to your website. This is great for SEO because it’s a way for business content to be easily searchable. Learn from a good press release sample and see how other organizations leverage press releases by optimizing the content based on important tags and keywords that will increase your own search visibility.
Want to boost your organization’s SEO but don’t know where to start? The Write Direction can help you get started! - Reaching New Audiences
Most press outlets and press release distributors are industry-based which means publishing a press release with these outlets helps you reach new and targeted audiences. By working with industry-specific and location-targeted outlets, you’re more likely to maximize your reach to the potential customers you’re looking for who are also more inclined to buy your products or services. - Chance To Distribute To Different Channels
It’s no secret that penetrating any market as a new business has its challenges, especially with so many competitors that are more established. New businesses especially should explore all the mediums where they can promote themselves and press releases are a great way to do so. This type of media coverage lets organizations platform themselves and is a great marketing effort that allows new businesses to rival existing ones in the market. - Establishing Relationships With Journalists
Distributing a press release under news outlets allows organizations to spark up a good relationship with journalists. With media outlets in your network, it further solidifies a business’ reputation as a credible entity that is worth supporting. Networking and keeping a relationship with journalists can also mean you’ll get good press whenever you need to announce anything new within the organization. - Attract Investors
A well-written press release is a cost-effective way to entice investors. When written well to brand your business as trustworthy and credible, you become desirable for investors looking for small businesses to support and help grow.
Small businesses run by solo entrepreneurs should be on the lookout for cost-effective marketing strategies like distributing press releases. Listen to an episode of An Entrepreneur’s Vibes featuring Hilary Mackay for more cost-effective marketing tips for small businesses!
How To Write A Press Release In 9 Steps
- Know Who Your Audience Is
Angling your press release write-up with your intended audience in mind allows you to craft an impactful one. By considering your audience’s perspective, you’ll be mindful of what they’re looking for and what they need as consumers and weave that information in your press release to ensure that it will interest them. Not only does this make for a compelling press release, but it shows a well-researched angle that will also capture the attention and pique the interest of other journalists who are looking for great stories. - Create A Catchy Headline
The first few lines of your press release are crucial. With so much short-form and catchy content available online, you have to learn how to grab the attention of readers within the first few seconds of reading your headline. The headline has to be concise and informative enough for readers to want to read the rest of the content. - Lead With Important Information
Important information should follow right after your catchy headline and it should capture the essence of what you’re “releasing” to the public. It’s always good to consider the five W’s in this case; what the content is about, who is involved, when and where it happened, and why it’s important to share. The subheading is an immediate point for skimming content so it should immediately try and capture the attention of your readers. - Write A Dateline
A dateline is an essential piece of text that is added to articles and contains information like the location of where the article is being published and the date. The date can sometimes be omitted but the dateline is part of any press release template and should not be overlooked. - Make The Content Informative
While press releases can be a good marketing strategy, it’s ultimately an avenue to share an interesting story more than a platform to make direct sales. When learning how to write a press release for a new product, you’re better off with a storytelling angle of the worthiness of your story being shared. The point is to relate to your audience well enough that they become interested in what the organization is offering rather than just reading a sales pitch on a news outlet. Relate to your readers by providing valuable and informative content and try not to push your product or service too much, let them investigate on their own organically through the resources you share on the press release. - Add A Quote For Credibility
A very important component of a good press release is a direct quote. The quote should ideally come from someone within the organization with the most credibility or whoever has the highest profile. The direct quote should be relevant to the story you’re trying to paint within the press release. If you’re trying to understand how to write a press release for a new business, perhaps the quote should highlight the uniqueness of the business, and how innovative it is. While the quote is supposed to paint the organization in a good light, it’s also best not to use sales-like language either. - Create A Boilerplate
A boilerplate, similar to the dateline, is supposed to provide essential information in the press release. The boilerplate contains information about the subject organization that is concise and to the point. It’s essentially an “About Us” section that is short but packed with information. For example, if The Write Direction distributed a press release it could say “The Write Direction is the premier destination for professional, technical, and business writing services, trusted by organizations throughout North America.” Your boilerplate can also contain your awards and other notable information. - Add Your Company / Organization Logo
Your company or organization’s logo is another essential part of the press release. Your logo represents your brand’s identity and can be added either at the beginning or end of the press release. - Provide Information For The Media
After learning how to write a press release for a business or for other reasons, don’t forget to add your information for the media. The purpose of a press release is to gain attention after all so make sure your company information is there for potential customers and journalists to reach back out or direct all their inquiries toward.
Choose The Write Direction For All Your Business Writing Needs
A press release should always follow a professional angle that sometimes only trained technical writers can excel at. If you don’t have internal writers for the job and are unsure which publications and news outlets to reach out to for a press release, you’re in luck!
The Write Direction can create the most concise, professional, and relevant press release for your organization or company no matter what industry you fall under. The Write Direction has a team of writers who are trained across many disciplines and we’ve successfully created press releases for ourselves and other businesses.
Look no further in which direction to choose, The Write Direction is the way for you! Check out our complete list of services and see how else we can help.
