Writing Effective Press Releases

Writing effective press releases is key to successful communication in public relations. Press releases serve to inform the media and your target publics about events and important occurrences at your company. Writing effective press releases is key to making your public relations campaign successful. Below are five tips on how to write effective press releases.

Write About What Is Newsworthy

How can I decide what information is newsworthy and what information is not for press releases?

When writing a press release, the first question to ask yourself is how newsworthy your information is. If you are struggling with this, switch your perspective. Think about what information a reporter would want to know. Your goal with your press releases is to gain media attention for your business, so, you need to tailor your messaging in order to convince reporters to pick up your story. Because of this, when you are putting together your press release, write the information that a reporter needs to know. Also, do not forget about your target publics. While you need to keep them in consideration, they also align with the media as they want to know why your content is newsworthy.

When writing your press release, lead with the who, what, when, and where, why, and how. Think of these aspects as your information in a nutshell. These points cover the first questions reporters will ask when deciding whether they should cover your company or not.

Be Concise

Why do I need to be concise when writing effective press releases?

Effective press releases should be one page in length. This can be challenging depending on your content, however, if the press releases drags on, reporters will not take the time to read it. In order to effectively write press releases, you need to write like a reporter. To do so, you need to be concise in your language and cut out qualifiers. Qualifiers only take up space and weaken your content. One of the best editing strategies you can do is going through your press release and cutting qualifiers out. You’ll be surprised how much that strengthens your content. 

Use Inverted Pyramid Structure

How can inverted pyramid structure help me write effective press releases?

Inverted pyramid structure is the structure that most reporters write in for their articles. What, then, is inverted pyramid structure? Just as the name suggests, inverted pyramid structure starts with the broader information and then narrows with the specific details of your content. This is why you need to put the who, what, when, where, why, and how in your first paragraph. Then, as you write your press release, your information should narrow the further you write. This way, your reader gains the most important information at the beginning of the press release and can then skim the details at the bottom.

Include Quotes and Quantify Information

How can including quotes and quantifying information make my press releases more effective?

Quotations should also be included in your press releases. This will make your story more enticing to reporters as they already have quotes they can use as well as an idea of who they can contact if they want more information. One to two quotes should usually suffice for a press release. Once you have more than two, then it may appear that your other information is lacking. Choose quotes that are relevant to your content and place them in the press release logically.

If you are able, quantify your information. This will give reporters more accurate and credible information. It is better to say, “We had 500 participants,” rather than, “We had a lot of participants.” Quantifying your information will also help you cut out those qualifiers and make your content more specific at the same time.

Apply the Proper Formatting

How can writing with the proper formatting make my press releases more effective?

Press releases have specific formatting guidelines that you need to follow. This standard formatting helps reporters read through the information quickly and effectively. At the top of your press release you should have the title “News Release” and then on the line below when you would like it released. If you want it released immediately, write “For Immediate Release,” if you have a specific date, write “Hold Release Until _”.

You also should include the city, state, month, date, and year as well as your media contact’s information. This way, reporters have a contact who is prepared to answer questions and provide information. To end your press release, put “#”.

Check out the Forbes Agency Council’s article, “14 Big Mistakes To Avoid When Creating A Press Release,” at Forbes to learn about what not to do when writing press releases.

In order to write effective press releases, write about what is newsworthy, be concise, include quotes, quantify information, and use the proper structure and formatting. Once you have these tactics down, your press releases will become more successful. Want to learn more about writing press releases? RedMoxy has you covered! Contact us here to learn more.