How to Construct an Effective Press Release

June 20, 2019

When your company is looking to promote a special event, new product or service, or is just looking to provide customers with the latest news, you’ll want to write an effective press release. Writing a release for your business isn’t as simple as it sounds, there are different elements involved to successfully create an effective promotional tool. Once you get used to writing and utilizing press releases properly, you can expect to benefit from an increase in interest from potential customers or clients. You’ll also see your reach, as a company, extend much further.

What to Include

Of course your press release should have all of the relevant information to support your main topic, but there are specifics you should include. The document should have hard facts to back up any claims that you’re making – these facts may include numbers or proven trends. You’ll also want to include a quote from a relevant company representative talking about the main point of the article. This will give the release a human quality while also providing the reader with extra insight and data.

If the release has done its job the reader will want to find out more. Aid them in their search for more information by providing links to your company website, along with contact information for relevant representatives.

If you want to make sure that your next release will be done authentically and effectively, you may want to consider hiring a professional press release writer instead of tackling the job yourself.

How to Structure a Release

As a press release writer you’ll want to structure everything in a particular fashion, for maximum effectiveness. You’ll usually want to have your company name and logo at the top of the page, so readers know what company they’re dealing with. You may also want to put the contact information of a public relations representative at the top of the page (usually in the left hand corner) – this is especially important, as it allows journalists to get in touch and ask for more information.

The title of your article is the first thing that a reader sees, marking it as one of the most important features of the press release. You want to make sure that it is engaging but, more importantly, relevant and accurate. The title will deliver the main point of the release in a concise and enticing manner; you want it to convince the audience to read on and, in the end, seek out more information on the subject and your company. You can also add a subtitle if you’d like to expound slightly.

Your first paragraph is going to be the most important part of the press release; readers usually read the first sentence or two and skim the rest, to get the main idea. To combat this, you’ll want to put the main point of the release in this initial section, in order to tell the reader immediately what the release is about. Even though you’re squeezing a great deal of information into that first paragraph, try to keep it simple and concise. You’ll follow up this first detail-heavy section with additional paragraphs full of supporting information.

When writing your press release, as with anything written, it’s important to make sure that the spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and overall writing is flawless. You’re conveying a message to your readers and any obvious errors may take away from the message you’re trying to pass on.

You should also make sure that the release is optimised for search engines (SEO). In this highly digital age you want to be sure that the press release won’t be buried in a search engine list. Using SEO techniques will help your release get adequate attention across search engine rankings. Make sure that the writing is free of industry jargon, or technical terms that may confuse or put off the average reader. Overall, keep the document short and to the point, as a press release writer your job is to convey the given message without flowery language or filler content.