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Tips to Writing a Good Press Release |
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Marketing Articles -
Marketing: Advertising Articles
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Written by Sharon Housley
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 Distributing a press release to editors and news
organizations is only half the battle. Writing a press release that
will be published by the media is equally important. Press releases are
public relations opportunities. A well written press release, can
generate exposure in publications that could be worth thousands in
advertising dollars, for a fraction of the cost.
Newsworthy
News Press releases should contain a newsworthy item and be written as
an announcement--not advertisement. Releases can cover a wide variety
of topics.
Ideas for Press Releases - http://www.small-business-software.net/kinds-of-pr.htm
Plain English
Press releases should be written in plain language so that the general
population will understand. Keep explanations simple. Press releases
should be in laymen terms, avoiding overly technical language .
Focus on Facts
Press releases should not contain superlatives. Avoid "fluff" and focus
on facts. Editors will often use copy from a press release, and if
extensive editing is required they will opt not to use the release at
all. The press release should articulate the news item, in a factual
way avoiding qualifiers like "best".
Illustrate Benefits Not Features
Too often press release writers will use fancy terms to describe
feature sets, all the while never conveying how a specific feature will
benefit an individual using the product or service. It is important
that the press release explain the benefit of the product or service.
This is best done by providing concrete explanations and articulating
time saved, money saved etc...
Headlines That Grab
Press releases only have a few moments to attract the interest of
readers. The headline should be relevant, but should attract the
interest of readers. Many websites use RSS feeds to distribute news
headlines, often only the press release headline will appear, therefore
it is critical that the press release headline be an attention "getter"
while still remaining relevant to the release.
Hook
The first paragraph should contain a hook, to secure the interest of
readers. You only have the first few sentences to keep the interest of
the editors and readers.
Inverted Pyramid
The contents of a press release should be in an inverted pyramid with
the most important item appearing first. Each succeeding paragraph
should contain supporting information with the least important
information on the bottom.
Contact Details
In the event that the media decides to print the press release, they
may often wish to contact the company to obtain additional details or
graphics for print publications. Be sure to include appropriate contact
details in the release.
Press Release Analysis:
Example Well Written Press Release: http://www.feedforall.com/press-release-rss2html-cache.htm
This release announcing a new application contains specific benefits in non-technical terms that the reader will understand.
Example Poorly Written Press Release:
http://www.valentine-shop.com/press-release.htm This release announcing
a new web site contains no contact information and the most important
information appears last rather than first.
Press releases can be an excellent tool for increasing product exposure
without incurring a significant expense. Consider how press releases
can become part of your business marketing plan.
About the Author: Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In
addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net
a wireless text messaging software company. |
