Press releases are one of the most functional ways of getting positive media coverage for your business or brand. Press releases are also the easiest, most cost-effective way to get your brand's name out in the world, and any upcoming announcement might be about a building project, change in management, crisis or reputation management, etc.
But if you are thinking distributing it through a professional website would cost a lot of money and will be out of your marketing budget, then you have another way. You can make the writing of the free press release distribution very effective with these working tips and the distribution will get you the same results. Let’s look at the ways.
1. Create an Attention-grabbing Headline
The first and foremost rule of publishing any content is to attract the readers on the first go. For that, an attractive headline is a perfect solution. So make sure the press release has an attention-grabbing and eye-catching headline. However, remember the target audience of your press release is the journalists and people from the media, so construct the press release's headline in a way that indicates what the content is about.
2. Keep the Content Brief
This is also related to the target audience of a press release, which is typically people who will make a story out of your announcement. So try to keep your content brief, without adding any unnecessary details or information. Ideally, a press release should be one-page maximum.
3. Focus on the Lead
Journalists and reporters while making a story focus the most on the lead of the story which means the key information or the main point. When you are writing a press release, make sure all the key information stays in the first paragraph as there is no guarantee the reader will go beyond that.
4. Expand the Story, but Keep It Slant
After putting all the necessary information in the first paragraph, it is time to expand the story but doesn't just add information for the sake of it. Every paragraph of your content should add something to the story and avoid unnecessary details that can take the interest of the readers far away instantly.
5. Use the Proper Writing Style
Press releases are completely different from other media posts like blogs, or articles, especially because of the writing style. As it is an announcement, it has a formal writing style, where the sentences are kept short and simple, easily understandable, and completely focused on the facts and statistical information.
6. Include a Good and Relevant Quote
As there is a formal tone to the writing style of a press release, to humanize the content, try to include a quote from anyone known in your industry. Make sure the quote is relevant to your content and from a person that is from your industry, either anyone in your management or any expert.
7. Add a Backgrounder or Contact Information
When you are mailing your press release, this should be included under the “note to the editor” section. This should include all the key information about your business, starting from when it was formed, where it is located, how many employees are there, what are the key products or services the company provides, etc. This should be placed right at the end of the press release along with some important contact information like direct phone numbers and email addresses.
These tips will help your press release find its ground and your target audience will take it more seriously.
