If you want to learn a thing or two about writing a killer press release, then you’ve come to the right place.

Before I move on to the details of how to write a press release, let me first introduce to you what a press release actually is.

What is a Press Release?

The academic definition of a press release goes something like this:

“An official statement that is delivered to journalists and media houses with the purpose of providing information on the recent activity of the organization is generally called a press release (also known as new release or media release).”

It is a bit of an old school way of delivering information but, when it comes to content creation of PR purposes, sometimes old school works the best.

Why You Send Out Press Releases in 2020?

You must be thinking that it’s 2020, why should you even bother sending out the press release, right? Here are some of the reasons that make the press release still relevant in 2020:

• Your organization will get covered in the news, media sites, and blogs
• It will help you drive traffic to your website
• Your company may show up in Google News
• There are benefits of the press release in SEO
• A good press release will help you increase Google rankings
• Your company’s trust and credibility will be increased
• Provides a unique opportunity to reach the targeted audience
• Helps you brand yourself as an industry expert

In spite of all these benefits, you must know that a press release is no sorcery. It is not going to magically feature your company on Fortune or Forbes.

However, if you’ll do it the right way, it is great to spread the word about all the cool stuff that your company has been up to.

Why the Template of the Press Release Matters?

The template of the press release means the overall layout of your press release. To understand the importance of the template, imagine a beautifully written story. Everything in this story is perfect. The only problem is that the ending of the story is given on the title page of the book.

You would never want to read such a story. The same is the case with the press release template. If the press release format doesn’t have the right sequence, the journalist will not give it a second glance, let alone publish it.

Let’s face the ugly truth, more than 90% of the journalists decide either they want to read your press release or not just by giving it a cursory look. The decision to publish it on their site comes later.

So, if you want to pass that test, understand this once in for all, that you have to make the cover of the book look pretty because your whole book is going to be judged by it.

What Press Release Worthy Activities You Can Do?

Now that you have a basic idea of how a press release can benefit your business, it’s time to address the elephant in the room – doing something newsworthy.

You might be thinking that you may have to do something earth-shattering to write a press release about it, right? WRONG. Your news doesn’t have to be groundbreaking.

Believe it or not, your press release can be about the simplest of the news about your company. Ranging from putting on a local event to hiring a new CMO for your company to redesigning your website, it can be anything.

In fact, many companies send out press releases about the new blog that they’ve published on their website. So, the main idea here is that as long as you are doing something new, you are good to go.

If you still think that you need more ideas to make sure that your press release stands out, then here are some hot and journalist favorite topics of press releases:

Conduct the  Industry Studies

When it comes to press releases, industry studies are a big deal these days. With every passing day, more and more firms are conducting industry studies to get media coverage. It is one of the favorite ways for journalists to be pitched.

New Product Launch

If your company has launched or about to launch a new product, then it can be an interesting topic for a press release. Such media release will also help you to get the word about your new product out there.

An Event of Any Kind

If your company has put on an event, then don’t let all those efforts go unannounced. A news release about the event will increase the interest of the audience in your company, and they will look forward to your upcoming events.

Rebranding or Redesigning

Rebranding or redesigning your website is another newsworthy thing, and it can definitely mark up as a PR topic.

8 Steps on How to Write a Press Release

At this point, you must have developed the basic idea of how a press release should be. I’ll now cut to the chase and explain how to do a press release right in eight vital and straightforward steps.

Here you go:

1. Figure All the W’s and H of Your Press Release

The first and the most important step of writing a press release is to figure out the WH family. It is an effortless and effective way to make sure that you have a basic understanding of what you are going to write in your press release.

In simple words, it provides a basic framework of how your press release is going to look like.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Who?

The question of who decides the key players. For example, who is going to benefit from it? Or who else is involved/stakeholder in it?

• What?

Asking the question of “What” will help you in defining the news agenda for your news release. It’ll help you understand clearly what the news is.

• Why?

To make the maximum out of any press release, you need to figure out why it is important? Why do people need to read your news?

• Where?

To figure out the targeted audience, you need to know the question of “Where.” Where is it happening?

• When?

The timing of sending out the press release matters the most. So, make sure that you know when to do it.

• How?

You need to catch your audience up with a little bit of back story. So, asking yourself how it came about is very important.

2. Understand the Importance of Developing a Hook

After you’ve picked and figured out the news, now it’s time to develop an interesting hook. Put simply, take that news and refine it as much as you can.

Your hook of the news, usually called the angel, is the way you present your news. Coming up with a rock-solid hook is not as simple as it may sound.

Here are some suggestions that will help you create a strong and effective hook:

• Keep Broad Appeal in Mind

The basic goal of your press release should be to target a broad appeal. You can do it by understanding the requirements of the journalist as well as the masses who read their blogs.

If you consider a broad appeal in your press release, your news may get picked by other websites as well.

• Make it Simple for Non-tech People

Your press release is related to your business, and if, for example, you are a company that deals in InT, many marketers will not be able to attracted to read your press release.

You need to make it simple by adding the hook for non-technical people.

• Tie a Hot News In

One of the ways of making the hook attractive is to make your press release relevant to an already existing hot topic.

It will help you give more coverage as the people are already reading the hot news.

• Keep Local Coverage in Mind

The truth is that blogs and websites are mostly craving for the content to publish. You just have to keep their local coverage in mind, and you’ll be good to submit your press release.

• Cash on Non-Traditional Take

If your company is doing something that no one else is doing out there, then you are in a gold mine. Journalists love to publish new and different content. So, if you have any non-traditional take, cash on it.

3. Write an Irresistible Headline

Like I’ve said earlier, more often than not, journalists are going to judge the book by its cover.

Your heading is the first introduction of your press release. Take all the time you need, but make sure that you have an eye-catching headline by the end of the day.

It is where your hood will come into play and do its job – attract the reader.

Although the headline of your press release depends a lot on what you are announcing, you still need to make it interesting enough to grab the attention of both the journalist and the reader.

4. Make a Fool-Proof Paragraph Sequence

After the main heading, the sequence of paragraphs matters the most. You don’t want your press release to be repetitive. Similarly, you don’t want to leave the important things for the end.

Start with an introductory paragraph and try to keep it short and precise. Preferably, it should be an overall gist of your press release.

In the second and third paragraphs, you need to quickly develop your story by introducing key factual pieces of information.

Your press release format is responsible for making the job of the journalist easier or difficult. If you keep it simple, the chances of getting picked will increase and vice versa.

5. Elaborate the News Value

Remember, you worked on the WH family in the very early stage of writing the press release? That is going to help you in elaborating on the value of your press release.

In simple words, you need to figure out the interests of the analysts, influencers, journalists, and followers. You may have to tell them upfront why they need to submit your press release or how it will benefit them.

Not only will you let you get published, but the chances of your press release to be picked by other websites will also increase by many folds.

6. Don’t Forget to Write the Body Copy

At this point, you should be almost done with working on your press release. By now, you should have a heading, a hook, and subheadings of your press release.

Now, it’s time to write the body copy of your press release. The best way to write a body copy is to keep it simple and avoid the use of first-person.

Instead of writing, “We are very excited to announce our new press release writing and distribution services.”

Write, “Globex announces their press release writing and distribution services” instead.

You need to keep in mind that nobody is going to read your press release word by word. Therefore, you need to write it in the form of a shot and simple paragraphs and keep it fluff-free.

If you have something important to share that you really want the readers to read, then add it as a subheading and then explain it in the bullets.

Remember, the easier you make it for them, the more likely it is for them to read it till the end.

7. Give the Final Touch Ups

Now, your PR is almost complete. You just need to give it some final touch ups and, of course, edit it to make sure it has no grammatical or spelling error.

Here are some of the things that you can add as final touch ups in your PR:

• Add Multimedia Where it is required

Add screenshots, images, logos, diagrams, and even videos if you feel the need for it. Multimedia enhances the aesthetics of your PR.

•  Add Contact Info of Your Company

Every PR must have the contact information of your company. It is important so that the journalists and blogs can follow you for more news, info, or a quote.

• Write A Few Lines about Your Company

You need to add the boilerplate of your company in your press release. It is usually the same lines that you write on every PR about your company.

• Add Quotes if there are any

Adding quotes in your press release can be a good practice, but make sure that the quote is simple and easy to understand. Else, it’ll just do more harm than good.

You can easily find a press release example with a quotation in it.

8. Distribute Your Press Release

If you have followed everything right up till now, then congratulations!

You have a rock-solid PR with you that you publish on your website and distribute it on other sites as well.

If you want to get the maximum benefits out of your PR, hiring a PR distribution service will help you do just the trick.

How to Hire a Press Release Writing Services?

Writing an effective and flawless PR is, as you can see, not an easy thing to do. Therefore, if you have any events or new products coming up and you want to cover in a PR, you must hire a press release writing service.

There are a few important things that you need to keep in mind before you hire a PR writing service:

• Ask for the relevant work experience
• Ask for their Inventory of PR submission site
• Check if they are offering the competitive market prices for their services

Press Release Writing for Small Businesses

You may be thinking that releasing a PR is something only the big companies do. If yes, then you are wrong. Many small businesses release their PR regularly, and they get good feedback as well.

So, if you are a small business, reach out to the company that offers press release writing for small businesses.

Press Release Submission

If your press release is submitted to the right site, it doesn’t matter how effective your PR is; it will do you no good. Therefore, make sure that the services you are hiring offer press release submission to high-end websites and blogs.

What do You Have on Your Mind?

Finally, it’s time for you to decide to get PR for your business.

Tell us what quires do you have and how can we help you.