Writing a Press Release

A press release is not just about writing up a 1-page informational piece and sending it to the media. From preparing the news to tracking the effects of a press release, there is a lot more to managing your press releases.

Step 1: Preparing your news
Before you write a press release, you have to critically evaluate whether an event is newsworthy or not. There are several important factors, including the public value of your company (i.e. how familiar the news media and consumers in your industry are with your brand). Not all news is important enough (within the industry), and if you think it will be dismissed as unimportant (and there is little chance of a newspaper running a story about your latest increase in employee
benefits), save yourself the time and money and wait until there is something more substantial to report.

Step 2: Writing a press release
One you have established the importance of your news, you are ready to write your press release. There are standardized templates for press releases, and while they differ slightly in style, following the main elements will ensure that your press release is not rejected because of something as silly as an incorrect format (something that happens more often than you might think). There are general guidelines for writing a press release, but apart from that there is little in the way of style to stop you.

Step 3: Preparing it for distribution
Before you can send your press release for distribution, you need to prepare it for maximum exposure. From proof-reading and editing to optimizing for search engines to formatting the press release correctly, there are several small details that are very important.

Step 4: Distribution
The most cost-effective method of distributing a press release is to use an online press release / news release distribution service.

Step 5: Track results
A press release, like I said before, is a marketing tool. As such, it is important to track its success (or lack thereof).

It is also important to understand what a press release is not.

A press release is NOT:
• From your business or company’s point of view.
• An advertisement for your services or products.
• A sales letter.
• Aimed towards your customers.
• For every detail about your company.

A press release is a news item that journalists and newspapers can use to write a news article / story. As such it is very important to give your press release a news hook, a story angle and to tie it in with current events in your industry.