4 Tips for Writing Press Releases that Actually Get Read
I offer this advice as a former reporter, editor and news director responsible for sorting through hundreds of releases each week.
- Be Social
- Make keywords the foundation of your release. A keyword provides a a focal point for both you, the writer, and me, the reader. It also provides a way for others to find your release in the future. I may only spend a minute or two with your release, but on the Internet your pitch will live forever as readers search for the keywords that are the foundation of your message.
- Double-check to make sure that all of your copy points supports those keywords. That will keep your release tight and crisp, increasing your chances that the release will be read from the first line to the last. This will increase the chances that your story will make it into print or on the air.
- Include media. While reports of the death of print media are premature, we live in a multimedia world. Including images and audio file or links to them increases the odds your story will get picked up.
- Include links. Keep the release to 1 page. External links allow you to provide more information while you keep the release to 1 page. Whether or not I want to follow those links is up to me. All of the keywords and their supporting data should comprise the body of the release. Just don't make me work to hard to find the information. Links should not be gratuitous, but should point me to additional information that would help me understand your message. A link to an organization's data sheet would be appropriate. Keep links to a minimum and never use the same link more than once. Your organization produces a lot of information that will help me get to know you better. these are appropriate sources to link to. These could include your press release service, such as BusinessWire or PR Newswire, social media sites like Facebook or LinkedIn or Twitter. Many of these I will find on my own. Product slicks, customer rankings and similar internal information are more helpful.
- Keep your caption or headline short. A handful of word.
- Banks are required to know their customers. So are PR writers. I am your customer. Read my publication or listen to my newscast to know the kind of stories I need.
- Always include a call to action. What do you want my audience to do. What do you want me to do. What should the outcome of the release be. You get the idea.