When you run a business, you may need to share information about what you are doing. For these situations, a press release is ideal. If you don’t know how to

When you run a business, you may need to share information about what you are doing. For these situations, a press release is ideal. SIf you don’t know how to write one, you may miss out on a lot of potential interest.

Writing press releases is an art form. They must be engaging so that you can convince others to cover them. In this article we will talk about some tips you can use to write better ones. We will also show you a template that you can use to get started immediately. However, let’s talk a bit more about what press releases are and when to use them!

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What are press releases (and when to use them)

A press is a summary of news related to your business. You’re basically going to write a press release and then send it outto several news agencies so that they are aware of what is going on. If they are interested, they will write about the news in their publications.

To be more precise, press releases are not normally written for a page copy. Instead, they grab the attention of the people who write write the news, so they can decide if they want to continue the example.

With this in mind, press releases tend to be much shorter than regular articles and focus mainly on the facts. For example, take this press release from the Southern Bank:

The Southern Bank celebrates its 80th anniversary – yesterday and today

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The Southern Bank Company, a full-service bank based in Gadsden, AL, is pleased to announce that 2017 will be its 80th anniversary. The bank has branches in Gadsden, Guntersville, Albertvilleand Center, with a specialized commercial lending division, altLINE, operating from Birmingham.

“We are proud to celebrate 80 years of work. We were fortunate to have an excellent team that has served generations of families in northern Alabama. We are grateful for the relationships we have with our customers and the trust they place in us. They have a lot of options these days, so it’s not something we take for granted, says Gates Little, president of the Southern Bank Company. For 80 years, The Southern Bank Company has provided excellent service and peace of mind to families and businesses. In 2017, as it celebrates this milestone, the bank has several events planned to thank its customers and the communities it serves.

On February 24, the Southern Bank Company commemorated its 80th anniversaryarea with a networking breakfast for the Gadsden Chamber of Commerce.

Expanding in a new direction…

As a traditional community bank, Southern Bank Company will also serve other financial institutions through the bank’s altLINE program, which provides non-traditional commercial lending solutions. altLINE helps banks retain customers who need working capital but do not meet banking guidelines.

Let’s be honest – this blurb won’t win any prizes. However, it fulfills one objective of attracting enough attention to achieve one of three objectives:

To gain additional media coverage.

from reputable publications.

which you may be able to translate into conversions.

The above examples relates to media coverage. However, there are many other situations where writing a press release can make sense – launching a new product or offering discounts, for example. If you are running a large company, it may also be a good idea to write a press release about the changes in your team.

Overall, if you think the developments in your business are topical, you should take the time and write a press release. The worst case scenario is that you are not generating enough . To avoid this, let’s discuss how to write a press release and the main considerations you will need to make.

How to write a press release (4 best practices)

You probably have experience writing all kinds of content, but the process of developing a good press release is enoughdifferent. Here are four tips to make sure your press releases get the attention they deserve.

1. Use a clear and informative title

With blog posts, you will usually implement many different techniques for capturing attention. Take a look at the title of this article, for example – it is deive, but we also provide additional information on what you will get (i.e. a press release template). This is, but not so much for a press release since the target reader will need to sort through hundreds of similar emails.

The best way to get the attention of a journalist is to summarize your press release in its title. Here are some examples of real press release headlines we love:

TV Ears unveils the first HD television suitable for seniors at the Consumer Electronics Show.

The Pow grouperline announces a new college scholarship program for Long Island and national students.

Day Translations celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Each of these press releases describes exactly what the content will discuss. If you have a habit of writing “clickbaity” headlines, this is a habit you should get rid of when writing a press release.

We also recommend that you keep the publication titles relatively short most of the time. In this way, they will be displayed in their entirety in the

Search engine results pages (SERP)

. However, you should seek to include as much detail as you can offer in your titles. It is a difficult balance to find.

2. Get people’s attention with your first paragraph

It is an unfortunate truth, but many readers of your content do nothing of the sort. Studies suggest

online readers browse a lot

– in other words, they jump from section to section and are only concerned with the specific information they are looking for.

In practice, this means that you have to go the extra mile to engage readers, especially for your press releases. When writing a press release, you must provide all of the most relevant information. There are five key elements to cover:

Who’s talking about your press release.

What is the main subject of the press release.

When the events in the press release occur.

Where your news, events or promotionswill take place.

Why readers should be interested, or why the press release is newsworthy.

There is a lot to cover, but you are helped because of a press release simply containing facts. On the other hand, other types of content generally require some kind of narration. In addition, you don’t necessarily have to write in the order we presented. For example, see this opening example:

New York, November 5, 2018. The Handsome Puppy Shelter will organize an adoption campaign on November 10, 2018. The initiative is directed by John and Jane Doe, who manages the shelter and will host the event. The ride will take place at the Nepperhan Community Center (342 Warburton Avenue), and it’s a great opportunity if you’re looking to find a home forever for “man’s best friend.

You will notice that we have presented the five points in thebetter order on this occasion. Each press release is different, so you feel free to play with the structure. Also, depending on your news, it may not be necessary to touch on these five elements, and they may even be a bit abstract. For example, if there is no physical event, the “where does not matter. However, you may wish to provide details of the business location to link the press release to local media.

3. Include quotes where possible

Many journalists like quotes because they give social proof and a more personal touch to their stories. Take a look at this excerpt from the example at the start of this article. You will notice that part of the second paragraph is a quote from the president of the bank:

“We are proud to celebrate 80 years of activity. We were lucky to have an excellent teameg who has served generations of families in northern Alabama. We are grateful for the relationships we have with our customers and the trust they place in us. They have a lot of options these days, so it’s not something we take for granted, says Gates Little, president of the Southern Bank Company.

The quote could easily be included in the full press article. In addition, it contains information on the origin of the estimate, which allows the editor to save more time on research.

When it comes to quotes, you’ll usually want to stick with the people in your business. Preferably, this person will be someone with authority and relevance, as they will need to outline the news you are trying to share.

4. Add information about your business

Unless you are well known, the recipients of your press releasepress will have a little idea of ​​what your business is doing. Ideally, the first paragraph of your press release will deal with this somewhat with the “who.” However, it is always a good idea to devote part of your press release to a basic introduction to your business.

You will normally add standard information at the end of the press release, and this should be even more factual and formal than the body of the press release. For the uninitiated, here is a quick example of this we want to say:

The Handsome Puppy Shelter is a non-profit organization based in Yonkers which saves street dogs, provides veterinary assistance and regularly promotes adoption. . The shelter is managed by John and Jane Doe. For more information, visit puppyshelter.com or send an email

The goal here is to provide all the most basic informationwhoever is responsible for reading the press release. A decent journalist will often do additional research, but the inclusion of this information is always considered good practice.

A press release template that you can use for free

As we pointed out, each press version is unique. However, in many cases, they follow a similar structure (or at least the best do). Let’s review the template itself:

[Your company logo]

For immediate publication (note that you can format according to your own requirements in reason, so that it stands out).

Contact name:

Phone:

Email:

PRESS RELEASE TITLE

[Sub-header with informationadditional ons, which is optional]

[A first paragraph containing the elements “who “, “what “, “where “, “when “and ” why “]

[A few more paragraphs detailing the subject further, including quotes from leading members of your team, and other background information]

[INFORMATION ON THE BOILER PLATE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS]

###

C that’s about it for any basic press release. At the start, include basic contact information so journalists can contact you (you’ll probably repeat this in your boilerplate paragraph). We have also included the reading line, “For immediate release”. This is standard for press releases, as are the three octothorpes ( “### “), which signify the end of the press release.

Everythingwho is in between will depend on what your news is. One page is usually sufficient, although the main consideration is to provide all the information that the media need to make a decision on whether an article should be published.

Conclusion

Learning to write a press release takes a little practice. However, once you have mastered this skill, you should have an easier time drawing attention to your business when the situation warrants it. For example, if you are launching a new product, launching a contest or hosting an event, you may need a press release.

To find out how to make your press release stand out, here are four tips to help you improve yours:

Use a clear and informative title.

Grab people’s attention with your first paragraph.

Include citations whenever possible.

Add general information about your business at the end.

Do you have questions about how to write a press release that gets people’s attention? Ask for it in the comments section below!

Thumbnail image of the article by vasabii / shutterstock.com.