HOW TO: WRITE A KILLER PRESS RELEASE

In the dying age of print media, and with the rise of the competitive, multi-channelled online realm, it can be hard to stand out in the crowd. How can you jump to the top of that press release pile?

Attention to the smallest of details can make the world of difference. Follow these tips to grab the attention of the publisher and most importantly, your audience.

1. Keep your headline short and sharp (under 140 characters). Although tempting to steer towards a witty headline, it may be best to avoid the risk and remain factual.

2. The ‘Grabber’. Grab your reader’s attention with an engaging first sentence. Leave them wanting more and asking questions. Ensure you include your keywords in the first 65 characters and write in an active voice.

3. Repeat after me: ‘who, what, when, where, why, and how?’ follow these six guidelines to create an informative, and to-the-point press release.

4. Value, value, value! Keep asking yourself: ‘how does this value my audience? What is my unique angle?’ Ensure you have developed a clear link between the main point and the reader. If there is no relevant news value and substance, prepare to be moved to the bottom of that pile.

5. Short and sweet is the key. Develop a strict two-page maximum rule and don’t be afraid to use bullet points to break up blocks of text.

6. A picture says a thousand words. Press releases that include multimedia (think video, audio or image) are much more likely to get picked up. The compilation of a press release kit is also an appealing way to present your information and company. The kit may, for example, include visuals as well as a product sample, and information about your brand.

7. Make the publishers life easier by formatting your work. A quick spell and grammar check never killed anyone. Double spacing also makes it easier to be read and make notes.

8. Include a call to action. A simple promotion of your company, brand, product, or event at the end of the press release, reminds the reader who is responsible for the news. 

9. Stay in contact. Don’t forget to include your contact details for any further queries (and have answers to these potential queries). This is essential.  

10. Stay social! Share the information on all your relevant platforms, including your website.

Still not sure the best way to go about it or do you need help finding that angle? Drop us a line at Popcom, we are very happy to help.