Your company does important stuff. You have big things going on. You are about to change the world or, at least, introduce something that will change something for someone. Let “the press” help you tell the world about it with your press release.

Writing a press release to share your big news with the world is a great way to drum up attention, traffic, leads, and more business. Press releases are the communication strategy used to standardize how organizations alert the media to important news. The following industry secrets will help you master the art of writing and presenting powerful press releases that will get your story accepted by the media.

The Goal When Writing a Press Release

A press release is successful when the media picks up your story and makes it news. With that, your goal when writing a press release is to spin your news in a way that gives the editors what they want. You are essentially “pitching” your story to the editors and they want news people will read - stuff that attracts readers. To be used, your the press release needs to be:

1. Read by the editor or reporter (unique enough to be noticed among the masses)
2. Considered for publication and rewriting (Interesting enough to not get thrown away at first glance)
3. Selected for publishing (valuable enough to get people reading)
4. Fit into the content schedule and overall coverage plan (luck can play a role here)

Selling Your Press Release

With those nasty looking steps blocking your successful press release, writing a press release can seem futile but don’t get scared. There are ways to be better than the next press release so consider the above list with your mind set in solution mode.

For starters, press releases should not be dry in voice or presentation. For me, the phrase “press release” sounds dull and boring and I always imagine black and white news print or a stuffy looking woman in a suit and a glue-on smile at a podium reading a press release verbatim in front of microphones (not sure where that comes from but it’s there). On the contrary, press releases should be intriguing and incite action.

Writing a press release should be handled the same as any other marketing or ad copy. Make it short and sweet, present the facts and figures clearly and up front, use words that sell, and send it in a snappy envelope. In fact, overnight it as this indicates importance because it arrives in a special package and has to be signed for.

Either way, don’t expect your first submission to be accepted. You might have to submit 20 press releases (or 50 or 100) before your story is picked up. In case I am not being clear on this point, the lesson here is that persistence will be required when writing a press release.
Do’s & Don’t of Writing a Press Release

• DO cover the who, why, what, when, where, why, and how
• DO get to the point. Avoid flowery descriptions and unnecessary words
• DO add quotes – perhaps from yourself or a customer
• DO format professionally, and proof it for spelling and grammatical errors
• DO plan and prepare the message before writing a press release
• DO keep it to one page
• DO NOT write an advertisement. Write in an unbiased, conversational, and informative tone
• DO NOT write in the first person (“I”)
• DO NOT forget the headline. A great headline will get your press release read
• DO NOT issue press releases that are too light on content; the content should be newsworthy
• DO NOT be overly casual. When in doubt, refer to an AP style book

Press Release Strategy

You have to spin the message in a press release so that is appropriate. For example, the opening of a fish market is not necessarily worthy of a news story. But a story about how the owners invented an award-winning shellfish harvester that protects the other species of fish and wildlife when in use is news that a local newspaper might want to report.

When planning a press release ask yourself these questions:

• Who is the target audience of this information? Who do you WANT to target?
• Why is your news of interest to the public?
• What problem does your product or service solve?
• What are the keywords that your target audience uses when searching for your product/service?

Sample Press Release Outline

In the simplest form of a press release, state the problem, position yourself as the answer to the problem, and make a call to action. For a more detailed, longer release, consider this outline: