Top tips for writing the perfect press release
While press release writing might be part of the ‘day job’ for those of us whose job it is to help with a brand’s storytelling, it may be that you are occasionally called upon to write one for your business, your sport club, a charity you’re involved in – or even for your own individual fundraising initiative.
There’s no ‘perfect science’ to which press release will grab a journalist and which won’t, but you can certainly increase your chances of use and pick-up, simply by incorporating a few carefully considered features.
A HEADLINE THAT GRABS
You know yourself, that as a reader of news – on your iphone or in a paper – you’re drawn in by the first headline you spot. Think about the attention grabbing element of your story. Is it dramatic, does it require wit, is it something which will surprise or delight?
THINK LIKE YOU’RE CHATTING IN THE PUB
One of the biggest mistakes made by press release novices is to feel the need to write lots and lots of information, often with plenty of preamble and detail.
Try to consider a press release in the format of what we refer to as the ‘inverted pyramid’.
This means putting the important and gripping information at the top of your story, with it fading away into the ‘less important’ components.
This is much like walking into a pub and sharing a story with your best mate. You’d tell them the ‘top line aspect’ of any story you were about to share, rather than bore them for the first 20 minutes about how you woke up, brushed your teeth, put your shirt on, walked to the shop…and then eventually saw the drama unfolding of Batman rescuing a damsel in distress in the car park of your local Tesco!
STYLING AND SPACING
It may sound like a very minor factor, but we always think it’s important to write a press release in a font and with line spacing which makes it really easy for a journalist to read, then to copy and paste.
What works for us, is to use a font like Arial, in 12 pt, and to double space or 1.5 space our paragraphs.
INCLUDING THE W’s
So what do you need to include in a press release?
Always remember the following W’s of your story format:
Who – who is the story about (name of the person to whom this happened or is happening or who it affects). Who is the contact for this story?
What – what exactly are you telling your reader; what do you want them to know from this story
Where – if this is an event or a business story, remember that location is really relevant (particularly to regional media)
Why – think of this one in several ways. Why does this story even matter to your audience? Why are you considering this story to be relevant? Why is a press release the right format to share this story?
When – When is this event happening or when are you expecting people to respond to what you’re sharing. Think also – WHEN is it pertinent that the journalist runs the story? Does it tie in with a national awareness day, or a news topic, or something that’s been said by a celebrity or significant person in the community?
CALL TO ACTION
While press releases always seem like a good idea, are you really thinking about what it is you want the person to do with the information they receive by reading this?
Do you want them to visit your website, attend an event, give an opinion, join a campaign?It’s amazing how often people forget this.
FEATURE PEOPLE
Stories without people have very little attraction or interest. Always try to feature an individual or group of people in the context of your story. People buy into people, and not brand names alone.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Please don’t underestimate how important a good photograph is. Always caption it, and feature names in full, with the name of the person who has taken the picture too. The picture should be around 1mb in size and sent in jpeg format.
CHECK CHECK AND CHECK AGAIN
No matter how good you think your spelling and punctuation is, do check several times. Accuracy is imperative.
NOTES TO EDITORS
These are usually placed at the foot of a press release to tell a journalist who they can go to for further information. Do not forget to leave your number, name and email address in full.