Make it newsworthy and timely.

1. Components of a Good
Press Release
by Monique Sherrett

2. Is it newsworthy? Is it timely?
A good pitch letter or press release answers “so what” and “why is this important to
cover now”. It’s newsworthy and timely.
Common topics that are NOT newsworthy: A new book. Winning an award.
Attending a festival.
To be news, the story has to affect people in some way. It needs to change the
landscape or have an impact on people.
Find the story that makes it news.

4. Headline
Summary
Date
1st Paragraph
Link
Body
Boilerplate
Contact
Attachment

5. 1. Headline
A headline establishes the content of the press release.
It’s a promise of what the reader will find out by reading on.
It should include keyword phrases relevant to the content of the press release.
ShortStack Releases New Facebook Marketing eBook for the Holidays

6. What are keywords?
Keyword phrases are the words people type into a search engine in order to find
things on the web.
ShortStack Releases New Facebook Marketing eBook for the Holidays

7. Keyword Matches Get Bolded

8. Checklist for Headlines
•
A Headline Should Appear in Title Case
•
Capitalize Every Word Except Prepositions and Articles
•
Aim for 60-170 characters
•
ALL CAPS FOR EMPHASIS SHOULD BE AVOIDED.
•
Include relevant keyword phrases
•
Articulate the content of the press release
•
Provide a good hook (a reason to keep reading)
•
Include the company name

9. Example Headline
Indigo Launches Mobile App for Android
Winners for the 2013 Trillium Book Award Announced
Random House Canada to publish book by Canadian
astronaut Chris Hadfield

10. 2. Summary
The Summary is a synopsis of the information in the release. It follows the headline
and is usually 1-4 sentences only. Sentence case is used for summary text.
Checklist for Summary:
•
•
•
•
•
•
A Summary should appear in sentence case.
Aim for 1-4 sentences
Include relevant keyword phrases
Articulate the content of the press release
Provide a good hook (a reason to keep reading)
Include the company name
ShortStack Releases New Facebook Marketing eBook for the Holidays
Holiday guide from custom app platform offers 39 ways to promote a business on Facebook.

11. Summary or 1st Paragraph May Appear

12. 3. Body
Checklist
•
•
•
•
Be on-topic
•
•
•
•
Model the lead paragraph on the summary.
Deliver on the promise established in the Headline
Include relevant keyword phrases
But avoid keyword stuffing—overusing keywords repetitively—which makes
search engines think you’re trying to scam the system.
The lead paragraph is 25 words or less.
Body Copy is 300-800 words.
Always write press releases in the third person. No “I” or “you.”

13. Example Lead Paragraph
ShortStack Releases New Facebook Marketing eBook for the Holidays
Holiday guide from custom app platform offers 39 ways to promote a business on Facebook.
Reno, NV (PRWEB) October 30, 2013
ShortStack, a self-service app building tool, has released "Facebook Holiday Marketing
Ideas," a Holiday eBook for businesses who want to market on Facebook during the
upcoming holiday season. The eBook is available for a free download onShortStack’s
Facebook Page.

14. 4. Links
Links are the currency of the web. They are what we use to endorse content
(retweeting links, blogging and linking to another site). Provide a relevant link in the
first paragraph of your press release.
Search engines look at links pointing at your domain, and a link from a press
release service such as PRWeb.com is a vote of legitimacy.
Providing a link early on in the press release also helps journalists and bloggers
understand where to find more relevant content about this topic. They are also
likely to use the link you provide in their follow-up stories, which means more links
to your domain, and more votes of credibility for your content in the eyes of the
search engines.

15. 5. Boilerplate Statement
The boilerplate statement is the one-paragraph “About Us” snippet at the end of a
press release. Most organizations reuse the same piece of copy for all press releases,
which is a wasted opportunity as this is another place to add keywords and to
establish the “so what?” of what you do.
Boilerplate Checklist:
• Include the facts: company name, location, what you do.
• Include the “so what?”, or the positioning statement: what is compelling about what
you do? Are you the 1st company to do it? Does 80% of the market use your products?
• Remember a press release is no place for a sales pitch, but you can write a compelling,
relevant boilerplate statement that helps reinforce the message you are trying to get
across in your press release.

16. Example
ShortStack is a self-service web app design tool that allows individuals and
businesses to create custom Facebook apps for their Facebook Pages. The dynamic
platform contains more than 40 tools and templates where users can integrate fangates, contests, sweepstakes, RSS feeds, Twitter, YouTube, and MailChimp
newsletter signups that maximize their social media presence and potential. Custom
Facebook apps designed using ShortStack are viewable via a mobile device or PC.
To learn more about ShortStack visit http://www.shortstack.com.

17. Tips for Writing a Good Press Release
• Start Strong: You have a matter of seconds to earn attention.
• Be Newsworthy: The headline, summary and 1st paragraph should clarify the news. The
rest of the release provides the details. It’s not a marketing pitch or advertisement.
• Use Keywords: The headline and summary use keywords people are likely to use when
searching for this type of information.
• Identify Yourself: Identify the company, brand or product in the headline and summary.
• Economize Your Words: Be concise. Aim for 60 characters including spaces for the
headline and 1-4 sentences for the summary.
• Pick an Angle: Make sure your release has a good hook.
• Proofread: No spelling or grammatical errors.

18. Pulling It Together
Headlines:
• A Headline Should Appear in Title Case
• Capitalize Every Word Except Prepositions and
Articles
• Aim for 60-170 characters
• ALL CAPS FOR EMPHASIS SHOULD BE AVOIDED.
• Include relevant keyword phrases
• Articulate the content of the press release
• Provide a good hook (a reason to keep reading)
• Include the company name
Summary:
• A Summary should appear in sentence case.
• Aim for 1-4 sentences
• Include relevant keyword phrases
• Articulate the content of the press release
• Provide a good hook (a reason to keep reading)
• Include the company name
Body:
• Body content is on-topic and delivers on the
promise established in the Headline
• Lead paragraph is 25 words or less
• Aim for 300-800 words
• ALL CAPS FOR EMPHASIS SHOULD BE AVOIDED.
• Include relevant keyword phrases (but avoid
spammy repetition)
• Content is focused on a core message (not trying to
cram in 3-4 ideas)
• Include a link early on in the release
Boilerplate Statement
• Include the facts: company name, location, what
you do.
• Include the “so what?”, or the positioning
statement: what is compelling about what you do?
Are you the 1st company to do it? Does 80% of the
market use your products? Remember a press
release is no place for a sales pitch, but you can
write a compelling, relevant boilerplate statement
that helps reinforce the message in the release.

19. Common Traits: Press Release & Pitch Letter
Headline
=
Email
Subject
Line
• Keyword
Rich,
En1cing,
Makes
You
Want
to
Read
the
Full
Thing)
• 60-­‐170
characters
1st
Paragraph
Keyword
Rich,
En@cing,
Makes
You
Want
to
Con@nue
Reading
• Includes
a
link
to
relevant
content
Body
• 300-­‐800
words
• Newsworthy,
Timely,
Factoids
that
Provide
Context
to
Bigger
Picture,
Reason
for
Other
People
to
Care
Boilerplate
(Short
statement
about
who
you
are)
Contact
Details
(with
phone
number)
Links
&
ALachments
(Valuable
Content)
*The
pitch
leRer
oSen
links
to
the
full
press
release
as
a
way
to
provide
more
details,
aRachments
that
can
be
downloaded,
etc

20. Press Release Assignment - 10% (DUE Nov 6, 5pm)
• Read the sample pitch letter
• Identify the 3 goals of the press release (what outcome does 49thShelf want
from the release?) What KPIs should they have tracked?
• What news outlets covered this story? List 5 and provide headline, 1st
paragraph and URL. What phrases or talking points are included in the article
that appeared in the pitch?
• Make a list of 5 keyword phrases included in these articles that also appear in
the pitch

21. Outreach Assignment (Nov 8 15) 10%
• This will be submitted as part of Draft 2
• Thinking about Long Gone Man and Cocktail Culture, what existing stories are
covered on this topic or author? List 3 and provide headline, 1st paragraph
and URL
• Make a list of the top 3 keyword phrases included in these articles.
• Revisiting your list of 5 media and bloggers to pitch, how would you revise
your pitch angle to be newsworthy? Updated your 5 pitch angles.
• Submit this component as part of Draft 2 on Nov 15 instead of Nov 8.

22. Readings
How to measure the success of a press release: http://www.bloggingprweb.com/howto-measure-pr-success
Friends with Benefits: Chapters 10-13
Copyblogger, “The Simple 5-Step Formula for Effective Online Content,” http://
www.copyblogger.com/content-marketing-formula/
Copyblogger, “10 Sure Fire Headline Formulas That Work,” http://
www.copyblogger.com/10-sure-fire-headline-formulas-that-work/