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How To Write A Good Press Release
Author: Hope Clark
Most press releases are horrible. They reek of pure advertising, they ring false and many are wrought with errors. Writers work hard to publish, win awards and make presentations then slap the information down on paper, shoot it out to a few places and expect hordes to buy their books (or products), attend their functions, or click on their websites.
So what makes for a good or a bad press release? Poorly prepared releases have some of the following characteristics:
- Multiple fonts and font sizes. Hard on the eyes.
- Insufficient contact information.
- Personal praise without an event or catalyst to justify the release.
- Too long. One page is plenty.
- Too many adverbs and adjectives. A release is journalism, not prose.
Use press releases when you have news. Such news includes:
- A new book release;
- An award;
- A special byline;
- A public speaking engagement;
- Special recognition;
- Participation in a conference, book fair or charitable function.
While a press release isn’t prose, it must tell a story that entices the reader to know more. The press release needs to tell a tale as arresting as any mystery or suspense short story. Provide enough information to catch the eye and spill juicy details before the eye gets tired and leaves. Break down a press release into its components and you better understand how to create one more appealing to the public and potential customers.
Identify the main topic.
Make it short, concise and interesting. Just saying a new book is released doesn’t cut it. Saying the book is “an innovative concept for handling the teenager you love to hate and hate to love” says so much more. You do not include your entire writing history, but you do tell the media why this topic is newsworthy right now and how you are the expert on the subject.Identify the 5 W’s and an H.
Put a name to each of these descriptors and include them in the first paragraph. Who, what, when, where, why and how must be noted right off the bat. Also, make the headline clear and loud!Speak to the masses.
Make sure the verbiage caters to the general public. That means no high tech lingo, professional acronyms or fifty-cent words.Remember the pyramid on its head.
After you create that important opening paragraph with all the W’s, an H, elaborate from the most important point down to the least. Assume that the reader will lose interest quickly, so put all the important information as close to the top as possible.Facts not flowers.
This is journalism not fiction. Keep the adjectives and adverbs to a minimum. Your release needs to be a grabber, but it does not need to sound like an infomercial. This is groundbreaking news, not an ad.Quote.
Someone needs to say something profound. Whether a celebrity recommends your work or you express an outstanding point from your writing, you need “dialogue” as if the reader was listening.Factual wrap.
Standard practice places all contact information at the end with maybe a word or two about the background of the writer. Brief, very brief.Search.
Look at professional examples before writing a press release of your own. Websites like Marketwire, Press Release Writing, and PRWeb not only give good tips but also help organize a release distribution for your event.Send it to the right person.
People are too darn busy to route your one piece of paper to that one right person whose name is not on the envelope. But they are not too busy to toss it in the can. Stick with paper when mailing to newspapers, radio stations and magazines. Know the individual contacts and include their names spelled correctly.Send it through the back door.
In Columbia, South Carolina, the best way to get recognized as an author with a book is through a reading at The Happy Bookseller, an independent bookstore. The newspaper honors this age-old bookstore with name recognition. Or contact the local reporter in your immediate area, the one who covers your neighborhood.Format.
Double-space for an easier read with 1.5 to 2-inch margins to clearly frame the page. Print the release on letterhead with your logo if possible.
Any business needs to know the basics of a press release to promote sales. You write for a living, for goodness’ sake. Show it in your press releases.
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