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How to write a press release
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Pete Goold, MD of PR and Marketing Specialist, Punch Communications, explains the main concepts behind producing an impactful and effective press release and the most common pitfalls:
“Press releases are the cornerstone of an effective communications campaign with the media. They serve many purposes – a means of ensuring that messages are tightly controlled when communicating news, a means of raising noise to partners or potential investors and, increasingly, a means of driving additional traffic to a website. “Whilst being potentially extremely beneficial, if poorly presented, a press release can be highly damaging. It is vital that anyone distributing news to the media aims to make journalists’ lives easier by providing them with a document that is relevant, topical, accurate and, above all, useful. “The opening title needs to be brief and to the point, representing the overall newsworthiness of the story. Don’t worry about including any corporate information in the title – it will usually have little bearing on its newsworthiness and almost certainly will not influence whether a journalist thinks it is interesting, or otherwise. “The opening paragraph is absolutely critical. It must convey the entirety of the story and demonstrate its value to a reader. These first words will make or break whether a journalist – or indeed anyone - will choose to progress any further. “If the story is not presented clearly upfront, it will most likely be overlooked - therefore all the pertinent information needs to be placed in the first few paragraphs, in descending order of overall relevance. “Any announcement needs to be mindful of covering the “who, what, when, where and how”. Within this structure there is an opportunity to provide relevant facts and figures, corporate messages, quotes from the business behind the announcement and also potentially quotes from any third parties referenced in the piece. “On this point, bear in mind that third party endorsements are an excellent way of conveying good news. Consequently, if you do have a client or partner quoted in the release, favour their quote and present it above your own. “Whenever possible, technical jargon should be avoided, keeping it clean, clear and, preferably, clever. Confusion can result from an assumption that a journalist knows what is meant, which may discourage them from pursuing the story. “Press releases should be brief and not span further than two pages wherever possible. Contact details should be provided clearly at the bottom of the page with at least one name, phone number and email address. It is also important to include any details of spokespeople where possible. “Finally, online submissions of press releases are an excellent means of driving traffic to your website when they are posted across the internet. If possible, try to include links to your homepage and you may just find that you are rewarded with a significant improvement in your website’s ranking within the search engines.” Pete Goold is MD of PR agency Punch Communications (www.punchcomms.com). |
