If you’re looking to get media coverage for your business, knowing how to write a press release is an essential skill and strategy to include in your marketing plan. Press releases are beneficial for individuals and businesses, enabling you to communicate with stakeholders, the public, the media and potential customers.
There are specific guidelines to consider when it comes to writing a press release, each one changing depending on the platform you use. But would should you include when writing a press release? And how can you optimise it to get the best possible results?
What is a press release?
In simple terms, a press release is a short, engaging story written with the primary purpose of being sent to media professionals or for public viewing. The main goal is to grab the interest of an individual or group who can then use the information to produce their own resource. A press release can be on anything and everything and will cover the main pieces of information including who, what, where, when and how.
When is a press release used?
A press release is useful in a range of different situations and scenarios and is used for the following purposes:
- News and reports
- Crisis management or risk mitigation
- Product launches, case studies and projects
- Employee updates and schedules
- Business news or internal communications
- Resources and information
How to write a press release
Before approaching this task, you will need to understand how to write a press release to speed up the process and create something which impacts the reader and gets the right results. Although the topic can vary, the general template and procedure is the same from industry to industry.
Start with an engaging headline
A strong headline is key for any piece of marketing material. Used to engage with the reader, convince media outlets and outline the content topic, an engaging headline delivers the facts in a concise and impactful way, encouraging people to carry on reading. A common feature of a good press release headline is the inclusion of keywords and enhancing the font.
Ordering your core content
The general structure of a press release involves laying out your core content in order of importance and ensuring that the copy flows nicely. Placing the most important information towards the start will ensure you can get all your valuable points across and reach those readers who are skimming the article rather than taking a deeper read.
Use facts and statistics
The media is a broad space, and there are hundreds and thousands of resources and articles available, meaning you need to make sure your press release is accurate, reliable and valuable. Whether you’re announcing a news story or launching a new product, using facts and statistics is key to adding value to the content. Alongside this, you will also need to cover all the basic facts such as who, what and where and make sure any necessary details are included depending on your demographic and their situation.
Tailoring to your audience
Like any marketing strategy, tailoring your content to your audience is key. A press release needs to include specific details that your audience is after and meet their needs and questions. By doing some prior research, you can discover your audience’s writing style, tone of voice, whether they prefer traditional or digital PR and also what they’re actually aiming to get out of your piece. You could also tailor your press release further by including personalisation.
Use a template conclusion
The ending of a press release is typically a summary of the individual or company who has written it, followed by personal information such as phone numbers, emails and website links. No matter what platform or topic you’re writing for, it is always a good idea to have a template ending to save time and provide consistency.
Main features to include in a press release
A press release and its content will vary depending on the company, subject and audience, however, they will typically include the following:
- An engaging headline
- Statistics or results
- A clear timeline of events
- A general overview of the business or writer
- Links to internal and external content
- Contact information and social media channels
How to pitch a press release
Once your content is written and or published, it is time to distribute it, whether that be to a journalist or media outlet. The easiest way to pitch a press release is by email but there are a number of different avenues you can go down.
Pitching to a journalist or media outlet: you can email either a journalist or media outlet directly with a pitch, typically consisting of the release and a summary of why you’re sending it.
Social media: some companies choose to host a press release on their own channels which provides further awareness and coverage. This also encourages engagement with the company’s core demographic or current customers.
PR list: adding your resource to a list of different press releases will ensure your story reaches a wider audience and also provides direct contact with those who need the information. There are a range of different PR lists available, many of which are industry or topic-specific.
Build Your Brand Awareness With Imaginaire
Are you a business owner looking to build brand awareness through the engineering, construction, jewellery, retail and luxury e-commerce sectors.?
Whether your business is newly established, or if you are looking to shake up your existing marketing strategy, Imaginaire is here to help with our specialist SEO strategies across Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and the rest of the UK.
As a leading SEO and marketing agency, we can bring a range of techniques to the table to get your products in front of your customers. Based in Nottingham, we work with businesses just like yours across the UK and beyond.
To let us know more about your project, please drop us a message, or give us a call on 0115 697 1367.
