PR 101: How to write a really great press release
Press releases can be valuable for sports organisations, individuals and charities if done correctly, generating buzz, building brand awareness, and attracting new customers, investors, partners or participants.
Here are our top tips for writing effective press releases:
Understand your target audience
Whether you're targeting national newspapers, local interest magazines, or industry-specific publications, each requires a different approach and angle that resonates with its readers.
For example, if you're pitching to a local newspaper, you might want to focus on the impact of your recent expansion on the local community and highlight the benefits and impact that it creates.
On the other hand, if you're targeting a national newspaper, you may want to emphasise the how you can benefit a wider audience.
For industry-specific publications, you need to focus on more detailed aspects of your organisation’s story and how it addresses a specific problem or need.
By understanding your audience and tailoring your approach accordingly, you can increase the chances of your press release being noticed and gaining the coverage and attention you desire.
Make your story newsworthy
Ensuring that your angle is newsworthy is the most critical factor in creating a successful press release.
What is new about the story you are telling? Why does it matter? Does it relate to a current issue or topic already being discussed in the media?
By focusing on creating a compelling and unique angle, you can increase your chances of success.
Remember, journalists receive hundreds of press releases each week so your release must appeal to them and the audiences that read their content, which should tally with your own target audiences as well.
Make your headline catchy
With hundreds or even thousands of press releases competing for attention each day, it's crucial to do everything you can to stand out from the crowd.
Crafting a catchy and attention-grabbing headline is key and can make all the difference in getting your message seen and heard.
Your headline should be short, snappy, and to the point, highlighting the most important information that you want to convey.
If you have a shocking or surprising new statistic, try and incorporate it in the headline.
Remember the Five Ws
The five Ws are the foundation upon which all journalists shape their stories.
Most journalism and press release writing is very formulaic.
Journalists are taught to write about Who did What, Where, When and Why and your press release must include these elements.
Journalists and their audiences have short attention spans, so your first paragraph must answer these questions as much as possible.
Stick to the format
Your second paragraph provides some context for the headline and intro, adding more detail and information that reminds the audience why the story is important.
The third paragraph should be a strong, attention-grabbing quote from a key figure connected to the news story. This can go on for additional sentences but each should add value and not simply be a repeat of what has been said before.
Think in headlines with your quotes, so that they are catchy and memorable.
You can then add two or three more sentences with more context and relevant information - but do not be tempted to simply pad the release out with superfluous information.
If there is a second speaker or third party, you can include quotes from them as well.
Always avoid jargon and always spell out acronyms in the first instance
Press releases do not need to be long and should certainly not extend beyond a single page of A4 unless they involve something highly complex or detailed, but the circumstances for this are the exception, not the rule.
Boiler Plate
You can add a second page to your release, which serves as a background document.
This can include key facts about your organisation and the people quoted in the article that go beyond the news covered in the release.
You should also include your website and contact details so that journalists can get in touch with follow-up questions or to ask for an interview.
Images
Never attach images to your release - which can clog up inboxes and, if they’re of a new-quality resolution, will often be too big to send anyway.
Create a folder in the cloud and put in images including logos, headshots and if relevant, quality photography or action shots that might be of interest to the media.
Add a link to the folder in your boiler plate.
Distribution
Assuming you have collated your target media contact list with email addresses, you can then get ready to send your press release.
Make sure you send it before mid-afternoon, (the earlier the better and ideally between 930am and 2pm) to give your story the best possible chance of being covered.
Your list should contain the general newsdesk email address those of the journalist responsible for covering your specific subject.
You can send either directly via email or using a distribution service such as Mailchimp or Response Source.
Chasing journalists with follow-up calls is a touchy subject - some important stories can be missed by overworked and under-resourced reporters - but equally, many will claim that if they did not cover the story, it just wasn’t for them.
Monitoring
Use a media monitoring service or good old Google Alerts to see where your coverage has landed but remember, media relations is hard work!
It is highly possible that nothing may come of your press release, perhaps overshadowed by other news, or there may simply not be enough space to accommodate it.
Remember you can host your release on your own website, which provides valuable SEO, and, as long as it is relevant, sending regular news to your target media breeds familiarity which can ultimately see you approached directly for a positive story you may not even have been expecting. Consistency is key.