A press release is what a company writes on its own to deliver news or any other information for the public and media houses to pick up. A press release has to be very objective and state all the details that need to be put across. If you are a freelance content writer or work for a content writing agency, you must have had/will have to write a press release at some point. It is easy to write a press release; one just has to keep in mind a few things.
Here are a few pointers that one can take the aid of to write a press release if they have never written one before :
- Choose the Right Headline
The headline is what decides whether the reader is going to read the whole press release or not. That is why it is essential to write a strong, catchy headline that grips the audience’s attention.
2. 5W 1H
5W 1H is a way of writing news that is the most effective and popular. 5W stands for what, when, where, who, and why and 1H stands for how. This is the information about any story that is important for the reader to know first. Well-structured news stories are always written in this format and give out the most important information in the first paragraph.
3. Details
In the body paragraphs of the press release, it is important to mention all the aspects of the announcement that is being made, to the smallest details. Details are important because it is from where the media houses, newspapers, and digital news portals will be taking their news.
4. Reverse pyramid formula
There is a trick in news-writing where one writes the most important information first in an article so that no reader misses it. It is known as the ‘reverse pyramid formula’. The information that’s not necessary can come towards the end but whatever is worth reading is supposed to be at the very beginning.
5. Try to Figure out the Objective
There is always an objective that the company wishes to accomplish with the press release. It is useful to know and understand what you are hoping to achieve when writing a press release.
6. Write the boilerplate
It is challenging for people to understand the entire thing when the company doesn’t state what it does, what it stands for, its products and services, etc., well enough. That is why it is important to mention all of that in the boilerplate part of the press release.
7. Read other Press Releases
If you are new to press releases and don’t know your way around them, you should do your homework before getting to writing. You can read press releases of other companies and learn from them. It always helps to read and take tips from other’s writings. You can also read helpful articles that guide you through the process.
8. Add quotes
Quotes are a part of the release that journalists and reporters cannot change at all. But you have to make sure that all the quotes you include add significant value to the press release and are not there just for the sake of it.
Writing a press release, like every other form of writing, takes practice. So apart from all these tips, you have to practice a lot to learn to write professionally. No one is born a writer, but with enough practice and research, you will be writing perfect press releases in no time!
