Press Releases are used in the PR world everyday to promote a businesses products or services, but what many people don't realise is that there are a certain amount of do's and dont's involved to make a press release successful. We will talk you through a few of them, and would love your opinions on what you think.
Before we get started on the how to create a successful press release we feel we should explain what a press release is. In its most basic form a press release is communication from yourself to members of the media to inform them of something that is news worthy. Press releases can be sent to newspapers, magazines, television networks, online businesses, and radio stations, and they are aimed at getting the person you sent it to interested in your product or service.
Your press release should not be written like a personal plea from yourself but instead should use a third person context. An editor is much more likely to take a press release written in the correct manner seriously.
This could include photographs, videos, or infographics. It is a well know fact that visual content is shared a lot more often than purely written content, so give your press release the best chance by including some visual media.
These should include the name and contact details of the person who can be contacted regarding the press release, and may include and email address, telephone number, website address, and your social media profiles. This will give the person receiving your press release the best opportunity to get a real feel of your company and and what you do.
This is where you need to grab the readers attention to get them hooked and wanting to read the rest of your press release. Make the headline factual, but engaging, and make sure it is clear from the headline what the press release is about.
This may include getting someone else to proofread your press release before you send it out. Submitting a press release with a lot of spelling mistakes or poor punctuation is not going to help promote your products or services in the way you want.
It may be tempting to exaggerate and claim your product has received numerous accolades that it hasn't, but this can only lead to trouble. If you make false claims you may be asked to back them up, and then not only will you look silly but you will also look untrustworthy.
There is nothing that puts people off more than being presented with a press release that's pages and pages long. Try and get all of the information across in a maximum of 600-700 words. A shorter press release is much more likely to be read than a lengthy one.
It's one thing to put your product across as a market leader, but it's completely another to run down your competitors. This will make you appear arrogant and untrustworthy, and bear in mind that people don't want to be doing business with companies that will happily moan about others, as they will be aware it may be them you are talking about one day.
This is a complete waste of time and will make you look like you don't know what you are doing. All it takes is a few hours research and you can be sure your press releases are going to the right people who cover your industry.
Yes your press release is to get your product recognition, but no that doesn't mean your press release should be a direct sales pitch. You want to sell how great your product is make people realise why they need it, but in a gentle manner.
