Is The Message Of Your Press Release Getting Through?
You know that press releases are a great way to grab the attention of the media and to achieve key marketing goals. However, if your press release isn’t clear then it may not get the results you want. Many times people spend too much time focusing on the structure of a press release that they forget the importance of clarity. Does your audience know what your press release is about? Do you? Let’s take a look at how to make sure the message of your press release rings loud and clear.
Know Who You’re Writing For and What You Want to Achieve
Before you can ensure that your message is clear, you need to understand exactly what that message is. This means you must know who you’re writing for. It can become a bit complicated with press releases – are you writing for journalists or are you writing for your audience?
Best advice… write for journalists first. If you plan on sending your press release to your email list or publishing it on your blog then you can tweak it for your prospects and customers. Understanding your audience will help you write using language and voice that they will respond to.
Answer Three Key Questions
Once you’ve identified your audience and the goals for your press release it’s now time to answer three important questions. These questions are a surefire way to make sure your message is apparent.
#1 Why should I listen to you?
Ideally this benefit or value will be stated in the headline and/or first paragraph. You need to address the benefit almost immediately to grab interest and to let readers know what the press release is about.
#2 Why should I trust you?
This is the evidence section of your press release. It’s where you’ll use carefully chosen statistics to back up your promise and your claims. If you say that ABC is a problem and XYZ can solve it, then show why ABC is a problem with evidence. Support how XYZ solves it with facts, testimonials and quotes.
#3 Why should I do anything about it?
Here’s your call to action. What do you want your readers to do next? What action can they take and why should they take it?
Be Brief and To the Point
Make sure that everything in your press release serves a purpose. Any quote that’s included needs to be relevant to the message. All facts and statistics must support your message. Eliminate any superfluous content. These three simple steps will guarantee that the message you want your readers to understand is clear and apparent. It all starts with knowing who you’re writing for and what message they’ll respond to.
