How to Write an Inspiring Call to Action for Your Press Release
Not including a call to action in your press release is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. The purpose of issuing a press release is to grab attention and to motivate readers, including journalists, to take some sort of action.
People generally don’t take action on content unless they’re specifically told what to do and how to do it. That’s the role of your call to action. The second biggest mistake people can make in their press release is a weak or ineffective call to action. Let’s take a look at how to write an inspiring and motivating call to action for your press release.
Identify Your Goal
The first step is to identify a goal that you want your press release to achieve. And the truth is that you may have several goals. You may want the media to pick up on the press release and write a story. You may want people to share your press release via social media. You may want to drive traffic to a webpage or blog post, generate brand awareness, or the goal might be to sell a product or service.
These are just a few of the potential goals you might have for your press release marketing campaign and a particular press release. There are basically two different approaches to consider when putting a call to action your press release. One is likely more effective than the other.
If you have several goals to achieve, one approach is to include multiple calls to action. In fact, some experts recommend a call to action for the media at the end of your release and a call to action for your prospects in the middle of the release. The call to action for readers, they say, should be in the form of a few embedded links. The call at the end of your release, for journalists, should say something like, “visit mywebsite.com for more information,” or “contact James Smith for more information.” If this approach appeals to you, make sure to test and track results. You may likely find that multiple calls to action divide attention and cause confusion.
A Better Call to Action
Another option is to create a general call to action at the end of your press release. However, to be effective at achieving multiple goals, it needs to be quite powerful. A powerful call to action is one that continues with the idea embedded in your press release.
For example, your press release should be designed to solve a problem and deliver value. Your call to action should expand on the value that you’ve hinted at in the body of your release and take readers to the next level.
For your call to action to work, your press release does have to include a few key features including your company mission, your website address, contact information, and links to any other relevant and supporting information like videos and your media page.
An inspiring call to action doesn’t have to be flowery or emotional. In fact, it shouldn’t be. What it should be is a logical step for your readers to take based on the content of your release. If you’re promoting a book then direct readers to the book’s sales page. If you’re building your email list, then send readers to your opt-in page. A compelling press release naturally leads to an inspiring call to action.
