What is a press release?

A press release is a written communication that relays important news, product launches, or updates about your brand to media outlets and other stakeholders.

Press releases are meant to convey a compelling story about your business, what it stands for, and motivate audiences to learn more about your message.

The primary goal of great press release content is to capture the reader's interest and compel them to read further, as well as share it with others.

Getting the Journalists’ attention

The aim of a journalists is to educate, inform, and sometimes entertain their readers. And to do this, they want to know the insights you can offer, what you can explain, back up or refute trends and events as they occur. Journalists want to be read, noticed, shared and commented upon. 

A well-crafted press release that helps journalists achieve these objectives will likely be repeated beyond a single use and can open the doors to future media opportunities.

The big idea

Before you start writing your press release, you need to think about the ‘Big Idea’ or news item that you want to share.

The big idea of any press release is to share something that the readers need. How will my product/services/advice satisfy them? That’s what the audience really wants to know.

You then show how what you have to say is significant by providing evidence of the importance, merit or impact on real people. Using quotes, pictures, statistics and personal stories in a few lines is how you show what’s happening in the real world and why it is important.

A big idea could be any news, feature or service. It could be based on price, ease of use, innovation, training and support. But you must decide the one big idea you want to convey in the press release and how that satisfies the reader’s needs.

Product launches, special offers, survey results, company associations, new hires, seasonal trends, seasonal developments and new value propositions all make excellent subject matter for press releases. Whatever you use, make sure that the news addresses some need that is lacking in the market or highlights a development that is significant to your sector.

Timing

Timing is crucial for press releases. Journalists will want to cover major news and events when they occur. Make sure to check what’s trending in the news in your sector nationally, locally, and in your community.

• Make good use of seasonality and special days.
• Consider the publication’s lead times. For quarterly/bi-monthly/monthly glossy magazines – Send your press release 2 - 5 months ahead of seasonal events. For weekly magazines and daily newspapers, we recommend having your release ready to send 0 - 2 months.

Use storytelling

We are really good at storytelling. You can use the same structure in your PR.

Remember, you are trying to hook an audience, initially, the journalist who is going to write about you, and then the reader who you are trying to entice into getting to know more about your brand, your business and your products. Think about why what you are doing is important, and how the happy ending comes into play. 

Think of the audience reading your story and use a tone of voice that you think will be better received but in your own style.

Journalist and JournoLink co-founder Tet Kofi explains how to use storytelling in your press release.

 

Keep it simple

Use short sentences, not complex clauses. Remember: It is the story and the facts you enclose, not the florid style you use, that grabs the journalist's attention. 

Personal stories and anecdotes are engaging in press releases. Use them to show the challenges encountered and the triumphs achieved.

Never sell, just tell! Tell stories that make and illustrate your point. Use data, statistics, your research or anecdotal experience to make your case.

Avoid jargon. Plain English gets far better engagement from the journalist’s readers.

Use quotes to give an interpretation of the facts in your story. The more authoritative the quoted figure is the more influential the quote becomes.