How to Write a Press Release that Gets Noticed

Press releases are one of the main ways businesses, organizations and individuals share their news with the local and regional press. When I was in college, a friend of mine who wrote for the campus newspaper confessed that most of the press releases they received, ended up in the paper shredder. As a marketing and public relations specialist, I’ve often had to rely on press releases when marketing budgets were tight as a main means of generating press. Trial, error and desperation have helped me to come up with some surefire tips for writing good press releases.

If you can keep the news information to one page, do – if not, two pages at the very most. This isn’t the place to send out an 8-page history of your business. Keep the release brief, accessible and get all the necessary information as close to the lead paragraph as possible. It is fine to format the document to single space in the body, but only if there is plenty of white space in the header and the margins. If the page looks cramped and crammed, it won’t entice anyone to scan it over to see what it’s all about.

The heading on a press release should be in the upper left hand corner of the page and should include: 1. a release date or, “For Immediate Release;” 2. Contact name, title and contact information. If possible, include two contact people and their phone, FAX and e-mail, as well as their titles and company name; 3. I favor a brief preview listing of : who, what, where and when – above the headline and before the copy of the release.

Next, give the document a good headline and sub-headline. One should be creative and intriguing and the other should be more factual and fill in some of the specifics – you can decide which line you’d like to use for each. For example, the headline might say, “Local Woman Saves Lives With New Invention” and then the sub-headline would say “Sandy Smith’s Wonder-Widget Can Notify Police of Accidents.” The harried reader will get a good, tantalizing idea of what the release is about just by scanning those bolded headlines.

The copy of a press release should read like an article. I cannot count the times I have had my copy lifted line for line from a press release and put in the newspaper. This is fine with me since I know I’m getting the story out in my own words. For radio, this is especially helpful. A great release will often just be read aloud on air. All the main information should be easily gleaned and accessible. It is fine to bold names and important data so it stands out even more (just don’t overdo, and be consistent.) Use quotes in the copy, if possible, and make sure names and particulars are spelled correctly.

After your 3 or 4 paragraph “article” copy, include a statement about the business or organization – even include a headline such as “About XYZ Widget Company. This is the place to write a brief paragraph saying when the business or organization was founded, what is produced or the services provided, who the CEO/President is and the location and contact information. Include a final, separated paragraph or sentence letting the reader know who to contact for more information or quotes. Chances are, the reporter or editor won’t get this far in his or her reading – but if the reporter is scanning the page, their eye might catch on this final line and they’ll know who to call with questions. If there are photographs, images, or an interview can be set up – put this at the end and in bold or all caps – “Photographs available in jpg. or Sandy Smith Available for Interview.
The important thing to remember in creating press releases that get results is to make the information as interesting and accessible as possible. Like any other type of marketing or public relations, a press release must compete with dozens, if not hundreds, of other “stories” – with effort and practice, you can create press releases that stand out and get noticed.