DIY PR: How to Write a Press Release People Will Want to Read

Few things are more effective than media coverage at raising your company profile. If brand awareness is your goal, grabbing some column inches for your business in your local newspaper or an industry magazine is going to help.

There’s many journalists and bloggers out there waiting for stories to share. Ready to introduce your business to their highly-engaged audiences that would otherwise never know you exist.

You’ll find opportunities in newspapers, niche blogs and trade magazines, both online and in print (Yes, print is still a thing!)

There’s also radio, TV, podcasts and vodcasts

You’re onto a real winner if you’re lucky enough to get the attention of one of the top dogs, like the Financial Times (FT). But don’t underestimate the value of being featured in smaller, more niche publications.

As per a 2023 Darralynn Hutson's Stylists Suite article: 'Niche publications are emerging as a powerful force in the world of magazine journalism.'

Niche or not, you’re going to need to write a press release.

What is a Press Release?

A press release is a written article used to share a business story with members of the media.

The aim is to secure organic (free) publicity for your brand. Often called Earned Media.

You can use them to share all kinds of news, such as:

• A new product or service

• Relocation of your business headquarters (HQ)

• New hires or a change in leadership

• Upcoming events

That’s press releases in a nutshell. But how do you write one that people will want to read?

Press Release Writing Basics

There are a few standard practices in press release writing.

Whilst not law, these guidelines are worth following to maximise your chance of landing coverage.

Keep it short

Your press release should be brief. 300-400 words is the sweet spot.

Don’t ramble on for six sides of A4. If a journalist wants to know the entire history of your company, they’ll ask.

According to Newswire, a press release 'should be no longer than a page with spacing and formatting taken into consideration.'

Third, Not First

A press release should be written in third-person format. It’s they and them, not we and us.

The reason for this being, as per v2com’s Pénélope Fortin, you want to 'maintain a neutral and impartial tone, and to make it easier for journalists to use your copy without changes.'

To clarify, first-person would read like this:

We at Cactus are thrilled to announce the opening of our new state-of-the-art headquarters in Central London, following exceptional year-on-year growth, thanks to our popular productivity platform, Prickly.

The third-person version reads as:

Cactus, the pioneering tech company behind the popular productivity platform, Prickly, have announced the opening of their new state-of-the-art headquarters in Central London, following exceptional year-on-year growth.

Fact, Not Fiction

Stick to factual information. Don’t add imaginary stats or invent quotes to make your news more newsworthy.

Fact is, if you need to make things up to increase newsworthiness, you shouldn’t be pitching the story. Just wait until you have something worth sharing.

How to Structure a Press Release

Most press releases follow a specific format. One that has stood the test of time and served many PR pros well for decades. That format is as follows:

• A headline

• Bullet points

• A brief intro

• The main body of information

• A quote or two

• A boilerplate

Let's elaborate on each of these, shall we?

The Headline

You need an eye-catching headline to start.

That’s how you hook the reader in and get them shouting 'Tell me more!'

Be creative with the language in your headline, but keep it relevant. Nobody likes clickbait!

As an example, let’s bring back the (totally made up, but might actually exist) tech pioneers, Cactus.

If I’m crafting a headline related to the opening of their new London HQ, I might write, 'Cactus Swaps “Prickly” Offices for Smooth Central London HQ Amid Huge Growth.'

That headline lets the reader know who and what the article is about, with a little sprinkle of creative flair added to make it stand out.

You could simply say 'Cactus Opens New HQ in Central London.'

That’s an acceptable headline. It does what it needs to.

But it’s a tad dull, don’t you think?

Which of the two is most likely to make you click the link to find out more?

Sale Away, Sale Away, Sale Away

A press release is not a sales pitch. If you send a journalist something that screams 'buy me', they’re going to pass you onto their colleague in the advertorial department.

Or just ignore/delete your email.

Your release needs to offer their readers something worth reading. It needs a hook!

Find your PR hook and build the narrative around it. Your story is more likely to be covered if it connects with people in a meaningful way.

This could be a connection to:

• Recent political activity

• Sustainability and/or climate

• Popular cultural events

• Charity or fundraising

• Local news stories

• Regional Economic growth

• Cost saving for consumers

Like Vina Co-founder, Sarah Mack, points out:

'Publishing press releases isn’t about driving immediate sales. It’s about boosting our credibility, getting our name out there, opening up new opportunities, and making our two-person, four-month-old company look incredibly legit.

Bullet Points

Lead into the meat of the story with a bullet point or three.

Highlight the key talking points to give the reader an idea of what to expect and entice them to scroll further.

Here’s some example bullet points related to Cactus’ (imaginary) move to the big smoke.

• Cactus has relocated its headquarters to new state-of-the art offices in Central London

• The move comes after record profits from subscriptions to its Prickly platform

• Cactus expects further growth in 2024 with plans to recruit up to 8 new team members

Introduction

Your introduction expands on the bullet points. Painting an outline of your story with broad brushstrokes before you get to fleshing out the finer details.

Keep it to two or three lines max.

The first-person example I mentioned earlier is a perfect opening paragraph. Click here to read it again.

Body Text

Now for the main body of the article. Here’s where you can elaborate on the news.

You can include stats, like adding a number to the 'exceptional year-on-year growth' line (journalists love statistics), the specific location of your new offices, and your plans for the coming year now you’ve got a swanky new HQ.

That might look like this:

Cactus’ new headquarters are located within the brand new office complex in Southbank. The new base of operations is part of an ambitious growth plan for the startup tech innovators behind popular SaaS platform, Prickly. The company is expecting a bumper year of sales after record profits in 2023 of £4.2m.

Quotes

A direct quote from someone within the business adds authenticity to the story.

It can come from you, the Founder, the Head of Product Development, Chris from Sales or an external investor with a stake in the news.

But don’t go overboard. Two or three is perfect.

Keep them short and sharp too, for maximum impact.

Here’s an example:

Patrick Stunburn, CEO and Founder at Cactus, said: 'Our new headquarters have created quite the buzz within the team. The facilities and location provide the perfect working environment for all departments to collaborate as we look to develop new innovative products and services for our valued customers.'

Editors Notes/Boilerplate

Here’s where you add information that’s not directly related to the story, but still relevant.

One such piece of information is the name and contact details of the person the journalist should contact if they want more info or to arrange an interview.

This is also where you place your company bio and links to your website and socials. It’s standard stuff that doesn’t change much from between press releases. But it’s helpful for journalists that have never heard of your company before.

Press (set for) Release

That’s how you write a press release that people want to read. Soon you’ll be ready for pitching.

But before you start on that, you need to know who you’re pitching to.

Enter the media list – the subject of my next blog post. Keep your eye out for that.

In the meantime, if you want to pass the job of writing your press release to someone else, give me a shout. I can save you time and effort by creating a must-read press release and pitching to relevant publications for you.

Thanks for reading. I’m now off to google Cactus and Prickly to see what comes up.

#PR #PublicRelations #PressReleases #MediaRelations