1. Why Press Releases Still Matter
HOW TO WRITE
A PRESS RELEASE
Be the exception and you can stand out in a remarkable
way. We've done this at Moz with our funding press
releases and acquisition announcements, all of which
did really well in the tech media.
Rand Fishkin, Moz
While social media platforms and other mass
communication tactics like text messaging have their
place in contemporary marketing, there is no replacement
for a strong press release.
Stacey Miller, Cision
Press releases are an increasingly viable option for getting
company news to be carried and discoverable within the
regional and national press.
Cheryl Conner, Forbes
Press releases are viewed on average about 275
times during the week, with media views coming in at
70 times per week.
Rachel Sprung, Hubspot
When a writer for a newspaper, publisher, media outlet
or blog consumes a release, picks up your story and
covers your news, that mention, citation, Google+ post,
link, and associated buzz may well help your business.
Marty Weintraub, AimClear
A press release is great for turning into case studies,
blogs, articles, white papers, landing pages, e-mail
marketing pieces, social media shout-outs, and so much
more. Consider it raw fodder that your company can
use for countless opportunities.
Ilissa Miner, iMiller Public Relations (iMPR)
Contrary to rumors that press releases are fizzling, they are
in fact still relevant and useful today.
Here's what top experts are saying about press releases today.
MUST-HAVE INGREDIENTS
TO GET YOUR PR NOTICED
6
There are many different ways to write press releases.
Having these critical elements will help get your organization's
news noticed faster.
1
NEWSWORTHY MATERIAL
Think about why your product, event,
or service matters to the public. If you
can't answer, "What's in it for them?"
then skip the press release altogether.
2
OBJECTIVE TONE
Write in third person and avoid using
"we," "I," and "you." Also avoid
emphasis language, hyperbolic claims,
and hype flags.
3 4
CLEAR AND CONDENSED
INFORMATION
Get to the point upfront and avoid
using jargon. If you must use industry
terms, define them in the piece.
VALID CONTACT INFO
There's nothing worse for a media rep to
have than the wrong contact information.
Use an up-to-date email and phone
number within the media contact text.
5
EXCELLENT GRAMMAR
AND SPELLING
Your press release will get crumpled
up quickly if there are signs of poor
grammar and typos. Proof and re-
proof your piece before distributing it.
6
RELEVANT QUOTES FROM
THE SOURCES
There's nothing worse for a media rep to
have than the wrong contact information.
Use an up-to-date email and phone
number within the media contact text.
The Structure of
A PUBLISHED PRESS RELEASE
As seen in the example below, the standard press release
format includes the following:
Buy press
releases:
shop.expresswriters.com/
content/press-release/
REFERENCES:
PRWeb | http://tinyurl.com/43ltdpv
AuthorityLabs | http://tinyurl.com/o2lzkw9
Forbes | http://tinyurl.com/ohfh5fy
Hubspot | http://tinyurl.com/bya5alp
Cision | http://tinyurl.com/ocb6hwo
Ilissa Miller, iMiller Public Relations (iMPR) | http://tinyurl.com/poy66t3
PR Newswire | http://tinyurl.com/nur4eo4
DATELINE
(the city where the news
is originating and the date
of the release)
VIDEO & QUOTE
Press release media, video and a main representative
quote can be published along with the content.
BODY
(min of 300 words, ideally no more
than 600 words,provides supporting
details, quotes, and call to action)
BOILERPLATE
(short paragraph with
information about the issuing
company or organization)
LEAD OR INTO
PARAGRAPH
(generally answers the who, what,
when, where and why questions;
in other words, the facts)
SUB-HEADLINE
(builds on the headline,
two sentences max)
HEADLINE
(short and sweet attention grabber,
no more than 65 characters)
Press releases also include a company's logo and media contact information:
at minimum, the name, phone number and email address for the PR or
media relations contact who can answer any questions regarding the material.
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