How to write a captivating press release

Does the thought of writing a press release make you cringe?  Every small business owner will be required to write a press release at some point.  Self-promotion plays a big part in the success of any business. Publicity generated by press releases is free, and often the coverage is far more extensive than anything you could have hoped to say in an ad. There’s no denying the power of the media and the power of free media is better still. 

So how do you write a press release which will catch the eye of a busy editor or journalist?  The key to writing a good press release is to keep it short, to the point well structured and relevant.  

Most editors would much rather get a press release and a follow up phone call than have to go to some fancy event, cooked up by a PR company at considerable expense to their client.  While press events I am sure would be fun and cant hurt when there’s plenty of money to throw around, they are by no means essential to getting through to media.  What is essential is a winning press release, and that doesn’t have to be difficult, nor cost much more than a little time and imagination.

Keep in mind that your goal is to attract favorable media attention while following these steps:

• Lead with a headline - Believe me, unless your press release has an eye catching subject line, it is likely to end up in deleted items.  You have approximately 2 seconds to hold their attention.  The headline is the most important factor it is your hook. The more the media can see a headline that could accompany your story the more interest they will take.  So before you do anything make sure there is a clear hook somewhere in your content.
• Make your press release newsworthy - There is an alarming statistic that tells you the average amount of text people read after reading the headline is very small, maybe two paragraphs max.  The headline is the most important factor but not only do you need to have a captivating headline you need news worthy content.  Most journalist are interested in writing interesting news and features for their target audience, they are not particularly interested in finding out your company has just promoted the receptionist whilst this may be exciting to you, its not to the rest of the world.  Journalists simply want interesting, facts based news.  The biggest villain in PR writing is too much fluffy unnecessary stuff and not enough facts.  The first thing a reporter learns is: Every story must answer the five questions: Who? What? Where? Why? How? So think like a journalist and make sure your press release delivers the key information.
• Get excited - The secret to being newsworthy is not so much what you have to say but how you say it.  Language can make all the difference to success with media communication. Rather than expecting editors or journalist to call your company for a quote, do the leg work for them include several quotes from the relevant people.
• Keep it short and to the point - A press release should be several paragraphs long and certainly no longer than 500 words in total.  
• Style & formatting - Make sure you write your release in the third person.  Spell check several times and ask colleagues to proof read before pressing the "send" button. Clearly mark the publication as a "Press Release", and write "End of Release" following the content. If you are sending a press release via email (most likely), I'd recommend using plain text and not HTML. The simpler, the better.

Finally 

If in doubt hire an expert / outsource - If you want to make sure you hit the nail on the head first time with your press release, why not hire a professional to write one for you. A single page release shouldn't cost more than a few hundred dollars to create. If your "news" is worthy of a press release in the first place, this could be money well spent

Good Luck

Louise