Ins and Outs of Writing a Good Press Release

Press releases are a wonderful way to get free publicity for your company. They have the added benefit of being free while at the same time providing useful information. Before you get these benefits, however, you must learn how to write a good press release.

Preparing to Write Your Press Release

There are a couple of things you must do before you begin writing your press release (also called media release).

1. Press releases start with the most important point and work their way down to the least important. If you don't catch your reader's attention right away, they will not keep reading to the end. Make a list of the points you want to cover in the media release and list them in order of importance.

2. Press releases answer the questions: who, what, when, where, why and how. Who (or what) is the news about? What is the news? When did it happen? Where did it happen? Why is this news? How will it affect the reader. Having the answers to these questions before writing your announcement makes your job easier.

Headline

The headline of a media release is your first opportunity to capture the attention of the reader. A lackluster and uninteresting headline is an immediate turnoff that makes the content of your announcement irrelevant.

So, exactly how do you write an attention getting press release headline? Media release headlines are written in an announcement style and include the company's name.

Include your company's latest achievement, newsworthy event or new product or service. A simple way to write a great headline is to gather the main keywords from your press release and form a logical, attention-getting statement from them.

Once you the headline written, properly format it. Announcement headlines are in bold and have a font size larger than the text of the announcement. Always capitalize the first letter of each word, but leave the rest of the headline in lowercase letters. Writing the headline after the media release is written may make the task much easier.

Body

The first line of a press release begins with the date, city and state of origin. You don't have to include the city and state if, for example, you're in Dallas and writing about in your company's California office.

The first paragraph of a media release comes directly after the date and city/state and is basically a summary of the entire announcement. Similar to the headline, the first sentence of this paragraph must capture the reader's attention while stating exactly what the announcement is about. The remaining 1 to 2 sentences explain the main point in further detail.

The remaining paragraphs elaborate on the summary provided in the first paragraph. Utilize the lists made before you started writing. The easiest way to write the rest of the announcement is to read over your lists and assemble paragraphs about the information you included, Keep in mind that the most important point(s) come first.

Close to the end of the media release, include a "call to action." This is a very important part. Without it, your readers won't know what to do with the information provided. A call to action, for example, may be your desire to readers buy a product/service (include where it's available) or enter a contest (include how to do so).

Additional Points

* Paragraphs are 3-5 sentences long.

* Press releases are never longer than two pages, with the ideal length being only one. Word count is typically between 350-800 words total.

* The news in the media release should be recent and relevant. Don't cover things that happened a long time ago.

* Avoid specialized industry jargon. If it can't be avoided, include a definition for it.

* Don't fill your announcement with advertisements or it will likely be rejected. The point is to provide information about recent events in your company, not sell something.

Conclusion

The conclusion of your media release is where you include information about your company and should have its own title, for example "About ABC Company." Describe your company in 5 to 10 sentences. Include contact information. Contact information includes: company name, media contact person, physical address, telephone and fax numbers, business hours, any relevant email addresses and a link to your website.

Put three # symbols, centered on the page, as the very last line of your press release. This signifies the end of the release.

These simple guidelines ensure you are well on your way to creating a successful press release. There are many good professional writing services that write media releases on a regular basis. Contact one of them for additional information and advice.

About the Author: Mike Lawson is a freelance writer, entrepreneur and internet marketing professional. Learn more about effectively marketing your business here:

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