FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
I write a lot of press releases. They’re a simple, inexpensive way to get publicity and raise your profile – if they’re done right. More recently at WritingEngine, we’ve started using a professional journalist to write our client’s press releases. As an insider, he has a unique perspective on what might catch another journo’s eye.
Based on some of our ‘tame’ journalist’s best advice, we offer this simple guide to getting your Press Release read.
A well written, informative and professional press release will boost the profile of your company, enhancing business and reputation. However, if you fail to adhere to certain professional standards; you’ll end up looking like an amateur.
Ensure that you gain positive exposure by issuing a press release that is:
• Newsworthy
• To The Point
• Remarkable
Newsworthy means that it doesn’t simply try to sell something to the reader, it is actually of interest to the general public.
To the Point means short and punchy, journalists receive a lot of press releases, spare them reading your waffle.
Remarkable is a concept often lauded by Internet Marketing God Seth Godin. Something that’s remarkable is something that makes people want to talk to others about it. It makes people want to ‘remark’ to each other, it spreads by word of mouth or Twitter.
A press release must simultaneously grab the reader’s attention and offer robust credibility. A great press release will be no more than a page in length and have an eye-catching headline and an informative tag line.
The content of the press release should be informative and sincere. It should be clearly focused on the information that you wish the reader (the journalist or media representative) to convey to others. It’s not just dry facts though, some journalists may lift whole phrases from your release, so make sure the content is snappily written.
You should always aim to include two or three quotes from well-placed sources that will vouch for your business and give your press release credibility.
Don’t forget to fact and spell check your release before you send it off! Recalling a press release is very embarrassing.
RELEASE ENDS
Contact details should be clearly placed under the ‘RELEASE ENDS’ marker. Include a name, a phone number, an email address and a website. They may want to interview you later, so ensure that these details are all accurate before sending it off.
Mark Westbrook is owner and content/copywriter for WritingEngine, a company providing cost-effective SEO article marketing, SEO copy, Blogs, Press Releases and other written solutions.