What is Press Release?

What is Press Release?

Press Releases is a tool for creating an image, generating leads and piquing the media’s interest in what you are doing, i.e. your product or service. An effective press release tells a riveting story with a precise media angle, while at the same time covering the necessary components of: who, what, when, where, why and how.

An effective press release should also have a title that encompasses the main facts and message of the release. Press Release title and summary are the client’s “elevator pitch,” and they are the tools in capturing a consumer or media outlet’s initial attention. They get the client’s press release read!

When the client is preparing a Press Release, should ask the following questions:

1. How does this news impact my specific industry?
2. What does our company bring to the table that makes us unique and fills a gap in the market?
3. Who is our targeted audience for this news? Who do we want to hear our news?
4. Who is our wide or more peripheral market for this news?
5. Where and/or who does our company’s primary revenue come from?
6. Which publications, news programs, Internet sites, radio or TV talk shows reach our target market?

Making notes based on the above questions will give the client a clearer idea of how to structure the press release to have a relevant news angle or angles.

Although it sounds elementary, editors and reporters say that one of the biggest mistakes people make in their press releases is leaving out the five Ws.

1. Who the news is about?
2. What is the news that you are announcing?
3. When will it go into effect or take place?
4. Where can people find the goods, service, event, product, etc.?
5. Why your product/service/event/new development is relevant at this time?
6. How you are doing it or how it is being executed?

Another common mistake that media professionals cite are press releases that are way too long. A press release is not a book report. You do not need fillers or repetitive writing to bulk it up with a lot of length. Too much length is a time hindrance and tends to cause the reader to lose interest and become bored. The standard press release is approximately 400 words and is the length of one page, and no more. One notable exception is when you are distributing a press release along with a media invite or some sort of invitation to an event.

Obviously you need enough text to introduce your organization, the purpose for the event and the details of the event itself. Even in this case, you should be mindful of the length and ask yourself what facts are needed to get all of the information to the receiving party and what text is superfluous.

Another good tool is making sure that your press release does not stay “stationary,” but rather that it has movement and versatility, kind of like a good haircut . What I mean by that is… keeping your basic press release template but adjusting the release depending on your audience. As you distribute the press release, you can add, subtract or stress certain points that you think that particular recipient will respond to. This also goes back to determining your target market versus your wide market.

For example, your company’s product or service might fall into several news categories. For the sake of argument, let’s say the target market is: products for kids. However, your product or service might also fall into the categories of: niche products, innovative inventions, fun soft news items, and great Christmas/Chanukah gift ideas. Yes, you can sometimes get that much mileage out of one product or press release. So angle your news wisely depending on who you are pitching.

Finally, in this day and age we must consider a concept called “keyword” or “search engine optimization” when composing a press release. The Internet has completely changed the way people search for news. The right keywords can triple or quadruple your estimated traffic to your press release.

How to write a Press Release – or – Example of Press Release – Format