Press Release Writing Tips For More Publicity

Crafting a news release may seem difficult at first to you, but with some education and experience you will be able to write an excellent story. To start, just follow the tips shown here for writing and sending your news release.

1. Include Company Information - If your company is going to take the time to write a news article, you should probably take the time to write a paragraph about the company. This gives the reporters a little background information on the business and qualifies the source of information.

2. Be Newsworthy - The entire point of a news release is to distribute news related to your business. So if your news release doesn't contain news, you shouldn't even bother sending it. If you submit news that isn't truly newsworthy, the editors will just learn to ignore you.

3. Clear Headlines - Keep in mind that the reader should be able to catch the idea of your story from the headline alone. Focusing on the angle and idea of the story is more important than developing a 'catchy' slogan.

4. Personalize Your Distribution - Get the name of the person you are sending your press release to and place it in a prominent position. Be sure to double-check the spelling.

5. Stay Relevant - Journalists want news that is relevant to their audience. Writing to meet the needs of the publication your submitting to greatly improves your odds of inclusion.

6. Remain Objective - Press releases are not the place for being biased. Journalists are seeking news. It may be ok to use later paragraphs for dispelling or confirming rumors, but it's best to cover your bases with a little objectivity.

7. Communicate Pertinent Information - An old rule in journalism says that you should include the 5 W's and H. This holds true for press releases. Be sure to answer the questions What, Who, When, Where, Why, and How.

8. Demonstrate Positive Intentions - If space permits, allow an executive of your organization to inject some human interest to the story. These types of quotes can be used to demonstrate compassion, show good intentions, or simply transition a negative story back to a positive tone.

9. Avoid Hype - Press releases are not an appropriate place for marketing copy. You should avoid excessive use of adjectives and other promotional language.

10. Location Matters - You should define the location your press release originates from. Editors love to find a local angle on popular stories. And for certain industries, location matters.

11. Utilize Proper Attribution - If your press release includes information or quotes from other sources, it's a good idea to attribute that information to the original source. This allows the journalist to verify the information, plus it provides credibility.

12. Be Prepared - Just because your press release has been sent, doesn't mean you're done crafting your message. Be ready to answer calls from journalists and prepare statements for them. Keep a log of the questions they ask, because there's a good chance that another reporter is going to ask the same thing.

13. Use Controversy - A great way to generate publicity with your press release could be to create controversy (even where there is none). If you run a computer store, for example, you might consider a headline that says "Is your software stolen?" It doesn't offend anyone, but instantly places you in a position to be the trustworthy whistle blower.

14. Proofread and Edit - You should always read over your press release before submitting it and have someone else look it over. A second set of eyes can often catch typos that you might miss.

15. Avoid Jargon - Industry jargon isn't appropriate for all publications. You need to keep your readers in mind when writing your release. Using common language makes your release easier to understand.

If you apply these tips for writing powerful press releases, you greatly increase the chance of your press release being published.