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If you’re a marketer, copywriter, or business owner, you’ll likely have to write a press release at some point in your career. Terms like “press release” and “news release” might seem intimidating, but writing great press releases that grab readers’ attention gets easier with practice and experience.
There are many situations in which writing a press release is appropriate, and there are a lot of simple tips you can follow to impress journalists and readers the very first time around. Keep reading to learn more about when you might publish a press release and some of the things you should keep in mind when doing so.
What is a press release?
In this context, a press release is a form of content created by a business to share information with the public. In the case of a brand or an organization, it’s usually a piece of writing or mixed-media publication that talks about specific business developments or situations such as product launches, interesting survey results, upcoming events, important announcements or changes, exciting new partnerships, etc.
Why write a press release?
Press releases certainly have their time and place. You won’t be writing a press release for every website update you make or supplier contract you sign, but they’re useful for things that you would like to get social media coverage (or more mainstream news coverage) for.
For example, if you’re launching a revolutionary new product that has amazing beta test results, or if you begin a partnership with a prominent influencer in your industry. Here are some other occasions you might want to consider writing a press release for:
- Events: Live events, PR stunts, and experiential marketing events, as well as charity and fundraising events
- Big changes: When you make a considerable and significant change to a product, service, or fundamental aspect of your customer experience. For example, when YouTube made changes to the function of the dislike button.
- Survey reports: Sharing your findings on anything from the flavor preferences of Canadians to the public’s perspective on genetics research.
This still doesn’t really answer the question “why?” Well, press releases can help you get coverage in blogs, on social media, and in journalists’ news articles. This bodes well for your business’s visibility and can help your target audience get excited about new developments. Other benefits might include increased traffic, contributions towards better search engine optimization (SEO), and a boost in the trustworthiness and overall authority of your brand.
Most businesses’ press releases aren’t going to be making the front page, but they’re still a good way to share your most important news in an organized and concise format.
How to write a press release headline
Just like the title of a book or a movie, the main header on your blog posts, or the first line of your social media posts, the headline of a press release is one of its most important aspects. The headline is what draws people in and helps them decide if they want to click and read more.
As such, it needs to be attention-grabbing and enticing. You can do this by writing your headline with a hook. A hook can be a tie-in to currently popular news pieces, a reference to something that is currently trending, a hint regarding a burning question, or a very specific topic or phrase that appeals to a particular region for the purposes of content localization. Your hook can even stir up some controversy (though preferably not the bad kind).
Your exact headline structure will differ depending on the kind of press release you’re writing, but it’s good practice to start the headline with the exciting news and the enticing hook rather than starting off with business-centric language and filler phrases such as “[business name] to release new update…”
The bottom line is that your press release is assumedly about something new, exciting, and worthwhile, so your headline should match or exceed that energy.
General press release tips
Other parts of the press release include the subheadline, the lead (first few sentences), the body text, and some forms of multimedia (if appropriate).
When present, the subheadline is a great place to add statistics and extra specifics to help explain the headline. Like the headline does, the lead helps the reader determine if they’re going to keep reading, so it should provide some valuable information. This could be anything from a statistic to a punchy explanation of a new product feature.
The body of the press release should be created with readability in mind. This means using shorter paragraphs than long-form content usually has, adding more bullet points, and maybe even implementing some pulled quotes and engaging media.
Alongside the headline, each of these components should be written in the third person to ensure objectivity. Writing in the active voice is also a good idea, as many consider it to be more direct and powerful than the passive voice. Consider the following examples:
- Passive voice: The charity event is to be organized by [company name] at the local theater to support small businesses that have been struggling.
- Active voice: [Company name] to organize charity event at local theater in support of struggling small businesses.
Final thoughts
Whether you’re using a press release in your marketing strategy or you need to write one to share an official statement, be sure to follow the basic guidelines above. Writing a great press release takes practice, so don’t worry if it’s not perfect the first time around—you’ll just have to keep doing noteworthy things and writing more press releases to get more experienced!
