Press releases can be a valuable method of increasing business and letting people know who you are, what you do and what upcoming activities you have planned.
However, it is easy to fall into a few traps that can get your release ignored or discarded as general sales spiel by an editor.
Here are seven tips to help avoid some common pitfalls and gain some much needed exposure:
1. Follow the pattern
Start with a short, snappy paragraph that summarises the whole story in as few words as possible. Then, as you continue, flesh out the details with other, less crucial information. Imagine you are telling the story to a friend, what do they need to know first for them to be interested in your story?
2. Focus on one issue
3. Tell them who you are and what you do
4. Quotes
5. Remember, it’s news
6. Think about your audience
7. Check before you send
Here’s a quick example of a press release written for a fictional brewery launching a Christmas beer:
PRESS RELEASE
-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –
Ace Beers launch special Christmas ale for festive period
Award-winning East Midlands brewing company Ace Beers (web address) are gearing up for Christmas with their limited edition Sauced Santa Ale.
Sauced Santa Ale, of which only 80 barrels have been made, will be available in selected free-house pubs across the East Midlands in time for the Christmas period.
“We are very excited to be launching this very special Christmas Ale,” said Ace Beers Managing Director Andy Webb, “we hope people will really enjoy the taste of Sauced Santa Ale which is a mix of traditional winter flavours and some secret ingredients that are sure to bring plenty of Christmas cheer.”
Ace Beers have only produced a limited quantity of the ale due to their traditional brewing techniques which take much longer to complete.
“We can only produce so much at a time because the demand is high for our other beers and we stick to the old brewing methods, which is one of the reasons people enjoy it so much”, said Ace Beers Chief Brewer Pete Fisher.
Barrels of Sauced Santa Ale will be delivered to their destinations during the third week of December to ensure pubs have enough to last over the busy period.
Sauced Santa Ale is the first Christmas beer the company has produced since they were founded three years ago when they launched their Inaugural Bitter in 2009.
Ace Beers won Best New Microbrewery at the UK Brewery Awards in 2009 and picked up the Best Bitter Trophy for their Flying Aces Bitter in 2010.
[Ends]
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Hi Alex,
Some good points, however you don’t mention the importance of the headline!
The headline is probably THE most important element as it is the first thing that a busy journalist will see. If the headline doesn’t grab their attention and isn’t relevant it’s likely the release won’t get published.
Also, in this digital age, when news items get Tweeted and shared on Facebook etc, it’s important not only for the headline to grab attention, but also for it to not be too long.
This is also the case for web pages and blog posts – the headline is where it all begins. It’s the first impression of your piece so it needs to be a good one!
Thanks,
Gary.
Hi Gary,
Excellent point, the headline is without doubt the most important part of any news story, especially with any online material. I often find that the simpler the better with headlines, don’t try and be too clever, what do you think?
Regards,
Alex
Yes, I agree. It’s all about finding the fine line between making the item stand out and getting to the point. It also depends on the media you’re targeting, even down to individual publications. I often write different headlines (and slightly different releases) for different publications so they include something of interest to that specific audience. Including the location if it’s a local newspaper, or the industry if it’s a vertical trade magazine, for example.
Sound advice Gary, maximising the versatility of a release
One further point re headlines: NO deathless puns, please. Not only do they seldom make sense, but they often lead to the wastebasket.
We have one monthly magazine here in the UK whose headlines were so excruciating that I cancelled my subscription, and perhaps I was not the only one.
Hi Alan,
I agree completely, puns are best left confined to sports stories or red top tabloids, and even then used extremely rarely. I would never consider using a pun headline for a press release for the reasons you state above
Thanks Alan,
Alex
Good tips but it’s rare than someone who decides to do pr for the first time will ever get any decent coverage because you learn along the way, I started a delicatessen in my local town and used a company called Pressat to write my release, I have enough things to do besides learning to write one and send it to the media.
Nice!When is the next installment? 🙂