great press releaase writer

Are you looking for some strategies for writing an effective press release? It is important to get your message across through a sea of noise and clutter which fills the digital space. To put things in perspective, it is said that there are five public relations pros for every working journalist. Now imagine the volume of press releases they generate on a daily basis. Add to that the number of releases generated from folks who are not professional marketers or public relations pros. Now you can see the challenge!

Tips for Success

The key to success when writing a great press release is getting someone’s attention with information that matters. That takes a bit of thought and using some basic fundamentals of the writing process. Here are some great tips for hitting the mark with a great press release.

The Headline Matters – Writing a great headline is what gets the attention of a journalist. You need something that grabs their attention. Keep the length to six words, and feel free to use a subheading to support the point of the heading.

Lead with Purpose – The first paragraph of a good press release conveys the message in a concise manner.

There is a good chance the reader won’t go past the first paragraph, so make it count.

Remember the Basics – Hit the basics of storytelling: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. These points, of course, should be followed up with How. This is the meat and potatoes of your story. Without the basics, there is a solid chance your press release will be deleted.

It’s All About Style – Style matters with a press release. Keep your sentences short, be mindful of grammar, and tedious about spelling. A journalist’s basic skill sets encompass spelling and grammar. Too many errors will get your release deleted.

They Said – Including a quote will be a strong attribute that carries weight with a journalist. Make sure it is relevant, relatable, and strongly associated with the topic at hand. It adds a great deal of credibility to your story.

When you use these tips, you can compose a great press release that gets great results!

What Not To Do

You have spent a lot of time composing a press release and with the few strokes of a keyboard, you can destroy a body of great work. Here are a few pitfalls which can spell doom for your press release.

Get to the Point – Keep your work on topic and concise. A press release should convey a compelling story in 300 – 600 words. Stick to the topic at hand and stay away from fluff or jargon.

Stuffed to the Gills – Be very judicious using links in your press release. Since the advent of the digital age, links have become a way to convey a reference to the subject of the press release. However, some folks just cannot help themselves using too many links. Avoid the trap! Using what is considered too many links in a press release will get your work labeled as an advertisement and abruptly deleted. Be thoughtful.

What is the News – A press release is all about the news! One of the worst habits to hit the industry is the blatant use of a press release when there is nothing newsworthy to share. For some, it has become a simplistic tool, just like another social media channel. Make sure that when considering a press release, you are announcing something that is newsworthy. Most all newswire services have stopped accepting releases which do not have a news focus. 

Now that we have seen what makes a great press release and what habits can damage them, you should be able to develop a product that is effective.

Interested in learning more about EDK’s press release writing services? Give us a call at 818.488.1543 or email info@edkandcompany.com!