There’s a good way to write a press release and then there’s a bad way. Because of the cost of press release, we want ours to stand out from the crowd and have an impact, but only for the right reasons.
Anyone can submit a press release that is sent to major search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Bing, as well as 30,000+ journalists and bloggers around the world for just a few hundred dollars.
The publicity that can be generated has the potential to bring in more business than you can imagine, just for the cost of a press release. Companies like the #1 press release agency PRWeb offer 10% off your first news release.
PRWeb also deliver your press release to 250,000+ PRWeb subscribers and keep your news release on PRWeb.com forever, serving over 3 million visitors each month.
If you go to the trouble of learning how to write a press release and the cost of press release is within your budget, there are some things to keep in mind. Let’s start with things not to write in a news release. Commit any of these errors and the cost of a press release will just fly out the window and go to waste.
How To Write A Press Release – The Don’ts
1. Don’t Be Demanding
No-one likes being told what to do, especially journalists and bloggers. Remember, when writing a press release, your target audience are primarily journalists.
Journalists are very busy people who see hundreds of press releases each week, so always be courteous, polite and don’t ask straight out to be given free promotion. Obviously, that’s the goal and journalists know it, but give them something to write about, so show some thought and appreciation.
2. Don’t Render Press Release Text Into An Image
Presentation goes a long way to make a good impression, but press releases are usually found in a specific format. When using images, don’t render a chunk of small font text. Sending a press release as an image (jpeg, gif, etc) makes it unusable because text is likely to become distorted when resized or printed. You can’t include clickable links in the image and the text is unsearchable by the search engines.
3. Don’t Blast A Press Release To Unwilling Recipients
Don’t spam people! If you have an existing mailing list, make sure they are your target audience and not just random people. If you have collected email addresses of journalists, bloggers and news agencies, blasting spam through the wrong channels could just get you into their bad books – forever. If someone asks you to stop sending them emails – don’t send them emails!
People working in the media industry subscribe to services like PRWeb to find news stories so they are already a willing audience.
4. Don’t Be Self-Centered
Don’t write your press release in the first person using words like “me” and “I” unless you are using a direct quote. Journalists would have to change everything to the third person because they need to generalize the story to not have it written from your perspective. Write in the third person.
5. Don’t Be Boring
Why would a journalist want to write about a boring story? Press releases don’t have to be boring. What makes your business interesting? What is interesting about you, the business owner. What makes your product better than your competitors?
Think about why it’s interesting and be sure to make a point of it. Don’t make the press release all about how great you are.
How To Write A Press Release – The Do’s
1. Do Introduce Yourself
Write a very brief, factual statement about who you are and what your business does. If you want someone to promote you, your business or your product, the least you could do is introduce yourself.
2. Do Include Your Website Address
This should be a no-brainer. Get your website in order prior to sending out a press release. Make sure to include either a ‘media’ section for journalists to gather more information about your services or products and also write a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).
Include a link to your website within the main text portion of the press release. This allows journalists and general readers to easily click through. Press releases are also great for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) purposes when linking your website to your target keyword. eg. “John offers a comprehensive service of mufflers in Chicago.”
3. Do Include Images or Video
Give readers a face to your name and include an image of yourself or your product or business. If you have the resources, also record a video specifically for the press release which will make a great impression on journalists.
4. Do Give Great Consideration To The Headline
A great headline is all you need to ensure a journalist or blogger will read your press release. But writing a great headline can be tough and it’s recommended to spend at least 50% of the time it takes to write the press release on the headline itself. If it takes an hour to write the press release, spend at least 30 minutes working on a great headline.
Read our article How To Write Great Headlines.
5. Do Follow Up
If a journalist or blogger has written an article based on your press release, follow it up with a thank you email.
By doing so, it’ll establish a positive connection between yourselves and open the opportunity for further publicity down the track.
The Cost Of Press Release
Press release agencies such as PRWeb offer discounts on your first press release, which start at $99 and range upto $1,000 depending on the agency.
Spend your money wisely and take advantage of first-time discounts where possible.
