4 Things Your Press Release Needs to Be Successful

In today's digital world, it can be difficult to get attention for your company. Most journalists use press releases to find news, and so yours needs to stand out. 

However, it's important to note that most journalists only spend about a minute reading each press release. Therefore, make sure your release is concise and contains the most important information first.

You only have a short time to make an impression on the press and get them to write about your brand. Putting in some extra work to make sure the press release will be successful can make all the difference.

What makes a great press release?

#1. Your content is truly interesting to reporters and the public

This is a big test. Is the topic of your press release something that journalists and the people they write for will care about?

Journalists play an important role in deciding what news people hear. Remy Ludo Gieling, an editor-in-chief for Dutch digital online magazines Sprout and MT, explains: "We only publish stories that entrepreneurs can learn from. These stories need to be real, with real experiences, not small investment news or ideas . . ." People often don't understand that what is interesting to them might not be interesting to other people.

There are several things that make a press release newsworthy. Timeliness, the size of the company, and how the event will impact the market are all important factors to consider. Make sure your press release follows the news values before you start writing it.

#2. The headline and subheads are important in getting people to read the story

If you look at examples of press releases, you will see that a common theme is that the headline and subheads do a lot of the work in getting journalists to keep reading.

A press release headline should not be a bland statement of what has happened with your company. It is better to use adjectives and details that offer insight into why your story matters. This will make journalists more interested in reading it.

For example, if your company just conducted a major industry survey, the headline should offer insights into what that survey revealed. “Most Customers Prefer Short-Form Video Content, According to [Company]’s Survey” will be far more intriguing than “[Company] Releases Survey Results On Video Content Preferences.”

The subhead is where you expand on the promise made in the main headline—this could include some specific stats from your study or details about an award won by a member of your company. This is where a journalist will judge if the rest of your content is worth their time.

#3. It covers the five most important questions: who, what, when, where, and why

If you want to get a journalist's attention, you need to have a headline and subhead that are interesting and make them want to read more. If the journalist is interested in what you have to say, they will publish your press release as it is on their website. If not, they might use information from your press release to write their own story.

One of the most important things to remember when writing a press release is to make sure that the first paragraph covers all the basics - who, what, where, when, and why. You should also include your company name so that readers will know who is behind the press release. This way, even if someone only reads the first paragraph, they will have still gotten the most important information.

The rest of the body copy provides more information on the topic presented in the first paragraph. This may include statistics or other details that provide greater insights into your newsworthy topics. Similarly, any interview quotes from company leadership should offer valuable insights. Don't waste space on empty, promotional talk!

When writing a press release, it is important to follow the "inverted pyramid" style of news writing. This means that the most important information should go at the beginning of the release. The content at the end of the release is still valuable, but not as important as the information at the beginning if a journalist chooses to stop reading.

#4. The content is appropriate and relevant for the target audience

Making sure your press release is successful is important. You need to make sure that it is newsworthy and that you are targeting the right audience. For example, if you are releasing a study on consumer lawn care habits, you would target a different site than if you were releasing information about digital marketing.

No matter how good your press release is, sending it to a journalist who will not find it interesting is a waste of time. Do your research and find journalists and publications that would be interested in your content. A newsworthy story can make up for less-than-perfect writing.

Before you write your press release, think about who your target audience is. There are different ways to communicate with different groups of people, so you will want to adjust your language accordingly to make sure that it is relevant to them. For example, the way you would speak to shareholders is likely quite different than how you would communicate with the general public.

Write a press release that works

No matter how well you write a press release, there's no guarantee that every news outlet will choose to cover your story. However, by following these guidelines and avoiding common mistakes, you can increase the chances that your content will stand out in a journalist's inbox.

If you want to get more media coverage for your business, make sure your press releases meet these criteria. Journalists will start to take notice and write about you more often if you do.

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