A press release is a great way to convey a message or get your story told through the media. We tell you the ways to ensure that a press release is effective and has the intended results.

In today’s world a press release is of vital significance for getting your story across to a newspaper, television or even blogs. A press release is a tool to convey to a media outlet that you have a story to tell. The foremost thing to remember is that one must have something creditable to convey via the release and it should not be a waste of time for the reader.

A press release has also been adopted by companies as a vital marketing tool for spreading their message among masses. No matter what industry you’re in and no matter how small or big your company is, a press release distribution benefits in many ways. Even if you do not have that “great story”, a good spin to the story that can get you coverage in trade journals, blogs, magazines, and other publications that cover your industry.

A press release is the easiest and fairly inexpensive way to tell your story and spread your message. Along with your story if you are highlighting the successes and advancements made by your company, then it can be a powerful tool for attracting investors. So, in simpler words, a press release can convey to the masses who you are, what you do, and why they need you. It is vital to understand that the journalist receiving the press release does not have time to read a thousand word essay and in all probability must be receiving such releases by the dozen everyday. What filters a good press release is the way it is presented.

Qualities:

In order to make your release stand out among the bundles, you need to understand the depth of it. Content and presentation are the two crucial things that fabricate the quality of a press release, which in turn makes it capable of drawing attention of the readers. To focus on the richness of the content, try to prepare it in a brief, by keeping target audience in mind. Today, there is flood of information in the market and readers are in hurry to devour the cream out it.

If you pour in massive number of words in a single press release, no one is going to give it a second thought. It is necessary to hold on the crux of your information, without wasting precious words.

Keep it true:

A press release with fallacious information may deeply harm the reputation of your company. Moreover, the news you are sharing must be latest. It will make no use if you are sharing stale stories with the media houses only to keep your recall high. While penning down your press release, support it with some facts and figures. It will indeed showcase accuracy to whatever you are saying. Although, try not to sweet talk through the press release as such attempts are generally not taken seriously.

Also, if you are announcing any event or show then attach a link to concerned website, for further knowledge. And in the end describe about your company in short paragraph, as it is essential for your customer to know about you.

Good to the eye:

Presentation dominates the attention of readers. May be your content is good but if unappealing and unreadable to eyes, it will not leave an impact.

To begin with, a strong hold to a story can actually lure reader to go through full details. Start with a headline, which should contain only few but influential words to capture the attention of customers. A headline is like a snapshot of what your release is all about. It needs to be compelling and must have company’s name.

What comes below the headline is sub-headline. A sub-headline is written in italics and stresses upon the most important angle of your story. It should maximum be of two sentences.

The release would then contain the lead paragraph. As the name suggests, this particular paragraph leads the whole story. It is imperative for the lead to be strong as this is the first thing that is read and the success of entire release depends on it. Major points are integrated in it, covering what, where, who, when, why and how of the story.

When writing for your company, write it as a third person. Do not use the terms ‘I’ and ‘We’. Make it simple and clear to read, avoid using jargons. It can distract your consumer from the important message that you want to convey.

Stitch up your release professionally, not as any kind of hype. Excessive exclamation points or direct address makes it to be viewed as more of like an advertisement than a press release. Besides, maintain an angle to your story. It will be ridiculous if you lead your readers from north to south and they still remain unaware of the destination.

Ensuring reach:

At last, end up with giving comprehensive knowledge of your company with a one brief paragraph.

Do not forget to mention the contact details for the convenience of your target readers. Lastly, ensure that the release reaches the target media houses, which comprise of print, electronic and internet, so that it can ultimately reach the masses.

Before putting in on the go, proof-read your article once thoroughly to ensure there are no mistakes. Also, tag your release with relevant keywords to make it SEO friendly. This will enable search engines to locate your release when searched for. Writing a good press release is no rocket science. The secret behind a successful press release is the understanding of how to juggle with words in a presentable manner.