"The surest way to arouse and hold the
attention of the reader is by being specific, definite, and concrete."
-William
Strunk Jr. & E.B.White
Writing a press
release can be a hard task especially if writing isn't your forte. The
key to actually getting people to read your press release is to write them in
English. Plain old English. Industry
lingo can get lost in translation and put your press release in
the fast lane to the trashcan. An affective press release has a strong idea
with a well defined focus as well.
Do your best to be clear. Like I
said, make sure you're writing for your audience in simple English and in the third
person. Leave out acronyms and names which can become mind-numbing to readers.
Clean up the extras, and make your ideas and issues easy for the ready to
understand.
Your first sentence must be effortless. This is
the most important sentence of your press release so make sure you don't
clutter it with names, numbers, acronyms, etc. This will clasp your reader's
attention and they will hopefully read on.
Answer the 5 W's. Remember in middle school when you
were taught the 5 W's? The who, what, where, when, why? Your press release should
read like a news article and by answering the 5 W's you will accomplish just
that. Here's a simple example:
Saddle Brook's, Hudson
Horizons announces their hiring of new Marketing Strategist, Lauren
Bozzi today, to meet the company's growing demand.
This covered the 5 W's in one
sentence. Who: Hudson Horizons. What: Hudson Horizons hired her. Where: Saddle
Brook. When: Today. Why: To meet company's growing demand. In that one sentence
the reader will know what the press release is on and that will hopefully keep
their attention.
Include
your contact information. Be sure to be clear on how the reader can
contact you about your brand, product, or industry. Include your e-mail address, website,
telephone number, fax number, Twitter, what have you. Normally these are placed
in the top left corner, but it is also acceptable to include them at the end of
your press release. If you are contacted
by a reader in any format make sure to contact them back immediately.
Fine
Format. Press releases are left aligned, single spaced, two to three
paragraphs, and about two pages. Your press release also includes a title and
headline. Press releases are flexible, though, all depending on the subject. In
your first paragraph include the location and date in italics or paranthesis as
so: Saddle Brook, NJ - June 20, 2012 or Saddle Brook, NJ (June 20, 2012). Press releases traditionally end with a
series of three pound signs, or, ###. Here's a great example of a press release
format.
Call
to action. It's important to give your readers steps to take to get
interaction on your brand. It can be steps to sign up for weekly emails,
newsletters, a special offer, free information, etc. These steps should be
located near the end of your news release.
Read the press release aloud. After you
have done so, does it make sense? If not, revise.
Ask a colleague for help. Have a
friend at work read your press release and give you suggestions.
Three tips to avoid the trashcan - Press
Release Edition:
1.
Send your press release to relevant businesses
and people.
2.
Include pertinent information for the reader.
3.
Outdated, dull press releases will not be read
especially if they're written poorly.
Answer the
5 W's and comprise your press release in plain English for all readers to
understand and I promise your press release won't get tossed in the trashcan.
Good luck and please feel free to contact us with any press release or
marketing questions you may have!