Is The Message Of Your Press Release Getting Through?
Writing press releases is part art, part strategic craft. It can be difficult to get the hang of writing an effective press release that will gain you media attention. Fortunately, if you follow a few simple rules on how to write a clear press release, you should be able to improve the chances of your press release message getting through.
1-A great headline
It should be keyworded, grab attention, and be interesting enough to make people want to read more.
2-An effective subheader
Think of the subheader as both a clarification of the headline and a tease as to what exciting information will be contained in the whole press release. Use keywords and offer a promise of why the release will be worth reading.
3-The 6Ws
There is a journalistic formula used as a checklist to make sure none of the important parts of a story are left out. Use this formula when writing you press releases and you will be offering a journalist everything they need to run with your story if they wish.
The 6Ws are:
Who
What
Where
When
Why
How
Try to get as many of the Ws as possible into the first paragraph. Use the following paragraphs to provide more detail.
4-Text formatting to emphasize what is being said
Use bold and italic strategically in order to emphasize what is being said. It will draw more attention to certain elements so you don’t have a full page of undifferentiated text.
5-Short, easy to scan paragraphs
Reading online is different from reading on paper. Make your paragraphs short, and your writing crisp and sharp. Make sure there is space between lines of text to make the content easy to read, no matter what size screen the person is reading on.
6-Jargon-free writing
Some niches or industries have certain buzzwords or jargon they like to use, but which are not readily understood by the general public or journalists who are not experts in the field. Make sure your writing is clear enough for anyone to be able to read it and find it useful – experts and non-experts alike.
7-High-quality supporting image/s
A picture is worth a thousand words, so post your press release with at least one supporting image that will help readers tell at a glance what the press release is about and what they will be discovering.
8-A quality video
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a good video can be like an entire book. The video can entice and education. You can also use videos to demonstrate and take users step by step. An “expert advice” video can position you as someone worth paying attention to in your niche.
9-Your contact information
Make sure to include your full contact information at the end of your press release, in case journalists want to learn more or clarify anything in it.
Use these tips to write effective press releases that are clear and captivating, and see how many media pick-ups you can get.
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