A press release is a written statement to the media. It can contain a range of news, including schedule of activities, promotions, awards, new products and services, sales results, etc. Press releases can also be used to create special stories. Reporters will usually consider a news idea more if they receive a press release first. This is a very basic public relations tool, one that anyone who wants to use it can use in the right format. We'll show you how.
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Method 1 of 2: Creating a Press Release That's Interesting to Look at
Step 1. Write an original title
The title should be short, clear, and to the point; in other words, a very condensed version of the main point in the press release. Many public relations experts suggest the title should be written last, after all other content has been written. If you follow these instructions, keep writing the press release and write the title after it. The title is an attention grabber and a very important part of a press release.
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wikiHow is known as the most popular source of information.
You've seen it haven't you? Now you want to know more about the news! The title must be able to attract the attention of journalists, just as the headline in a newspaper attracts readers. The title may describe an organization's recent achievements, an event worth reporting, or a new product or service.
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The title must be written in bold!
A title is usually written in bold and uses a font size larger than the body of the manuscript.
- The first letter is capitalized. And also all nouns that must be capitalized. Most of the words in the title are in lowercase, although using "lowercase" can make it more visually appealing. Don't capitalize whole words.
- Use important keywords. The simplest way to create a press release title is to take the most important keywords in your press release. From these key words, try to form a logical and attention-grabbing statement. If you include a summary sentence after the title, you can use the same method. Using keywords up front will make your page easier to find in search engines, and it will be easier for journalists and readers to pick up on ideas from the content of your press release. Take a look at the entire explanation in this first step, and note that they can all be press release titles.
Step 2. Write the body of the script
Press releases should be written the way you want them to be in the news. And remember this: most journalists are very busy, and don't have time to research announcements from your company, so what you write for your press releases will be used by journalists to write about your big events. Whatever you want them to say, put it here.
- Start with the date and city where the press release was written. This city can be deleted if the results are confusing – for example if the release is written in Bandung, but describes activities in the Jogjakarta branch.
- The first sentence should be able to grab the reader's attention and clearly state your point. For example, if the title is "Carpren Publishing publishes new novel about World War II," the first sentence might be something like, "Carpen Publishing, Ltd., today published their World War II novel by renowned author Arcy Kay." This expands the title enough to provide a bit of detail, and keeps the reader interested in your story even more. The next paragraph or two should expand on the first sentence.
- The body of the press release script should be solid. Avoid using long sentences and paragraphs. Avoid repetition and excessive use of jargon or fancy language. Keep your writing simple and avoid wasting words.
- The first paragraph (two to three sentences) should conclude the entire press release, and additional content should explain it further. In a fast-paced world, no journalist or other reader will read an entire press release if the beginning of the article is uninteresting.
- Work with facts – activities, products, services, people, targets, goals, plans, or projects. Try to maximize the use of facts. This is news. A simple way to create an effective press release is to use the following list of clarifications: Who, what, where, when, why, and how.
Step 3. Say "5W" and "1H" clearly
Who (Who), What (What), When (When), Where (Where), Why (Why), and How (How) can tell readers all the information they need. Pay attention to the points below, we will use the above example to create our press release:
- Who are the main actors? Carpren Publishing.
- What's the main story? Carpren Publishing publishes the book.
- When did this happen? Tomorrow.
- Where does this activity take place? All over the big stores.
- Why is this in the news? Because the book was written by the famous author, Arcy Kay.
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How did this activity take place? The main activity is a book autograph in Chicago, followed by a book tour throughout the metropolis.
- With the basic information defined, supplement it with information about people, products, goods, dates, and other things related to the news.
- If your company is not the main topic of the news, but is a source of press releases, explain that in the body of the text.
- Keep the script short and to the point. If you are submitting a printed form, the text must be double-spaced.
- The more compelling your press release is, the more likely it is to be covered by journalists. Find out what is "interesting" for a particular market and use this knowledge to attract editors and reporters.
Step 4. Create a press release that is clear, crisp, and appropriate for your readers
Chances are, wherever you send your press releases, they already have dozens of similar press releases piled up and ready to be dumped. If you want your press release to be voted on, it has to be good. Not only does it have to be good, but it has to be very "ready to publish".
- When an editor sees your writing, he or she will think, how long will it take to print your press release. If your writing is full of errors, has very little content, or needs a lot of revision, they won't waste their time on it. So make sure you write it with good grammar, with all the basics and complete writing content.
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Why should these people care about what you say? If you send it to the right readers, this question has a very clear answer. If not, why are you wasting your time? Give the right people the right news (news, not ads) and you're on the right track.
They will appreciate it more if you send it in the morning. This gives them time to add your writing to what they're working on. Consider that
Step 5. Connect with other things
Provide links to additional information that supports your press release. Does the company you write for have additional information on the internet that readers might find useful? Good. Add that.
If you're in doubt about what you have, do some research on what's commonly published. Someone may have written an activity like you wrote. PR Web and PR Newswire are great places to start
Method 2 of 2: Mastering Format
Step 1. Learn the basic structure
OK, now that you know what you have to write, how do you put it on paper? For starters, keep your press release as short as possible, one page maximum. No one wants to waste time reading five paragraphs unless you're writing about World War III. Here's what you'll need (some of which have already been mentioned):
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FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLISH must be written at the top left of the page.
If you want the publication to be delayed, write down "EMBARGOED UNTIL…" and the date you want it to be. Releases not accompanied by an issue date will be deemed to be issued immediately
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The title, usually in bold type, is placed below it and centered on the page.
If you want, add a subtitle in italics (explaining the title briefly)
- First paragraph: the most important information. Can be written like news, which starts with the date or source of the news.
- Second (and possibly third) paragraph: additional information. It's a good idea to include facts and quotes.
- Company information: more information about your company. Who are you? What achievements have you made? What is your mission?
- Contact information: more information about the author (maybe you!). If you catch someone's attention, they may be interested in getting more information!
- Multimedia: in this modern era, you should have a Twitter account for promotional activities.
Step 2. Write the company information in the body of your press release text
This is the time to include information about your company. When a journalist writes your press release for his story, he will need to mention your company there. Journalists can get company information from this section.
- The title of this section should be something like this: "About [COMPANY_XYZ]."
- After the title, write a paragraph or two describing your company in five or six lines for each. The text should describe your company, key line of business, and business policies. Many businesses already have brochures, presentations, business plans, etc. professionally written. They can be included here.
- At the end of this section, write your website. The link must be in the full URL so that when printed, the link remains searchable. For example: https://www.example.com instead of "Click here to visit our website!"
- Companies that have separate media pages on their websites must include a URL to that page. Media pages usually have contact information and a press kit.
Step 3. Add your contact information
If your press release really deserves coverage, journalists will definitely seek out more information or interview key people associated with it. If you don't mind having these key people interviewed by the media, you can provide their contact details on the press release page. For example, if you are writing about innovation, you can provide the contact information of the research or engineering team for the media.
- Otherwise, you must provide details from the media/public relations section in the "Contact" section. If you don't have a dedicated team for this, you should appoint someone to act as a liaison between the media and your company.
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Contact details should be limited and specific to the relevant press release. Contact details must include:
- Company official name
- Media department's official name and contact
- Office address
- Telephone and fax numbers with appropriate city/country code and telephone code
- Mobile phone number (optional)
- Availability time
- Email address
- Website address
Step 4. If possible, include a link to an online copy of the press release
We recommend that you keep all logs of press releases available on your website. This can make the process of adding links easier, and can also be used for company history purposes.
Step 5. Mark the end of the press release with three hash marks (#)
Place it in the middle of the page just below the line at the end of the release. This is the standard of journalism. This may sound like an exaggeration, but it really isn't. This is the proper way of writing.
Tips
- Research press releases online for the right tone, language, structure, and format of press releases.
- Make each release aimed at a specific medium and send it to reporters who cover this type of news. This information can usually be found on the media's website. Sending identical press releases to various media outlets and reporters in those media is a sign that you are lazy and not targeting a specific market.
- Timing for press releases is very important. The news must be relevant and new, not too old and not too deviant from the news that is currently popular.
- Send your press release by e-mail, and use additional formats wisely. Big font and bold colors won't make your story any more interesting, but will distract readers. Place your press release in the body of the e-mail, not in an attachment. If you must use attachments, use plain text format or Rich Text Format. Word documents are generally accepted on most media, but if you are using the latest version (.docx), save with an earlier version (.doc). Newspapers usually have tight budgets, and many haven't updated their version of Word. Use a PDF file only if you are sending a file with a lot of images. Don't write your press release on another piece of paper, then scan and e-mail the image file – this will only waste both you and the editor's time. Type your press release directly in the e-mail.
- Avoid using jargon or special technical terms. If you must use it to make your writing accurate, explain the term.
- Include further information in your press release. This is information about what you want from people with the information you publish. For example, if you want your readers to buy a product, include where you can get the product. If you want readers to visit your website to enter a contest or learn more about your organization, include a web address or phone number.
- Don't waste your time writing the title before the release is complete. The editor will write the original title in the newspaper or magazine, but it's a good idea to write a catchy title for your release. This title may be your only chance. Make it precise and short. It's best not to write it until you have completed the press release. You don't know for sure what you – or the person you're interviewing with – will say. When you have finished drafting the release, you can decide whether or not to revise your opening paragraph. After that, then think about the title.
- Use your title as the subject of the e-mail. If you write a very catchy title, it will help make your message stand out in the editor's mailbox.
- Include the company name in the title, subtitle, and in the body of the manuscript from the first paragraph to make your release easier to find in search engines and easier to read for professionals and other readers. If you are sending a printed version, you can put it on letterhead.
- Follow-up calls can help develop a press release into a full story.
Warning
- Articles should be written in as positive a tone as possible. Avoid sentences like "after the resignation of the previous president" or "after a period of inactivity". Journalists may decide to find out about it and not cover what is included in the press release and – even if the circumstances are not really negative, for example, the previous president resigned due to serious illness – the results may not be what you expected.
- Always include a quote – usually from an important person involved in the main idea of the release. The text doesn't have to be a direct quote, but it should make sense. Always make sure that the person being quoted is happy with the quote. Quotations allow busy journalists to prepare full articles without having to conduct follow-up interviews.
- Do not include other people's contact details without their consent. In addition, they should always be available at reasonable times a few days after the release ships.
- When sending a press release by e-mail, do not send it with the subject "press release". This will only make your press release sink among other press releases. Get the editor's attention by including a catchy title as the subject of your e-mail, for example "Brand Co. gets a corporate contract of Rp. 300 billion."
- Always remember that many editorial teams have too much workload or too few staff. If you can make their job easier, your press release will be more likely to be covered. If you're writing a press release that's similar to what the editor will publish, your press release probably won't need as much editing. However, if your press release is full of errors and doesn't follow a standard writing style, the editors will definitely delete it immediately. Everyone said they were in power. Don't waste editor's time. The place to put a company description is in the company information section of your press release, but make it accurate and factual.
