How to write an attention-grabbing press release

Press releases are concise, engaging, and primarily newsworthy pieces of writing distributed by companies or public relations firms to announce new products, share business news, or generate interest in a new business strategy. They are short, sweet articles designed to catch the attention of journalists in an attempt to get them to cover the story. In fact, they are traditional tools for securing a news story, a magazine interview or even television coverage. The further your press release progresses, the more visible your story and your business will be to potential clients.

The press release template is generic, but the content shouldn’t be. Your content should grab the attention of journalists who see thousands of press releases falling into their email inboxes every day.

Here are some helpful tips for writing a great press release for your business:

Write a strong headline with an information-rich caption

The headline should be attractive enough to pique the interest of the reading journalists, and the subtitle should contain the main points. Many journalists will stop reading if the title and subtitle don’t interest them. Say something a little different: don’t just regurgitate a story from two weeks ago to journalists who already know it!

The first paragraph should contain the ‘heart’ of the story.

Get straight to the point in the first paragraph. Journalists don’t have all day to read meandering press releases to find the relevant information or the “meat” of their story, so to speak. Put out the cool facts about your business or the new product you’ve created that is changing the face of your industry to keep your audience reading.

Get some data there

Don’t try to do journalistic work for them; leave them creative writing. All they want is the facts. So, have you created a product you’ve never seen before? Tell them about this. Does your product outperform all other products on the market? Get some solid stats there. Journalists love details.

Put at least one appointment in

Include a fruitful quote from your CEO or chief designer who created this fantastic new product that you want the world to know about. If you are developing brand awareness, include some quotes from fans or customers who have left comments on your website or Facebook page. Including quotes from leaders in your market will add credibility and flavor to your press release.

Correct

It may sound simple, but proofreading is a commonly overlooked practice in many forms of writing. Make sure your press release is grammatically correct and contains no spelling errors. There is nothing more unprofessional than a company that cannot verify your work before publication.

keep it short and sweet

Press releases should be kept to one page, maybe two if you have a lot of important information that you can’t cut out. Journalists don’t have all day to read long texts, so try to be concise and convincing in as few words as possible.

Include information about your business

At the bottom of every marketing article you submit, you should include the contact details of the person the journalist can contact if they need more information. It is also helpful to provide a link to your main website and more information about your products or services.

We hope these tips help you or your business write a fantastic press release to spread the word about your brand and what your business does to the media and potential customers.