We are often asked by marketing executives how to put a press release together for business. Here we have attached some of the essential steps we believe are required to write and distribute a successful press release, in order that it gets opened, printed and read.
- Define Your Agenda
- It’s always a good place to start by defining why you want to tell your story, what are your messages?
- Define your Audience
- Who are you hoping will read your story? Who are the journalists writing for your audience?
- Prepare your Message
- What is your primary message you aim to deliver, you need to be sure journalists and your audience understand your message(s) and this needs to come across early in your story. Include a maximum of three messages in your story.
- Research
- Prepare data and information you will need to write your story before you start writing. Its much easier to shape your story when you know the details of what you are trying to include to narrate your story and deliver your message(s).
- Write
- Keep your story brief, clear and most of all, interesting. Avoid using language or phrases that only you understand. Make sure you include your message(s).
- Include the following components;
- Headline
- It is absolutely crucial to get the headline right. You must create a reason to open your release above all of the other releases in your potential journalists/editors inboxes.
- Lead Paragraph
- Your lead paragraph must grab the attention of your reader. Encourage editors, journalists, readers to carry on reading.
- Content Paragraph
- Can be more than a single paragraph and must contain the essential messages of your story.
- Quote / Testimonial
- It really adds power to your story if you are able to include a quote or testimonial from a person directly or indirectly connected to the story.
- Background Info
- This is your opportunity to really fill in the detail of your story, without losing focus.
- Boilerplate
- A statement describing the Company/Organisation issuing the release.
- Distribution
- How will your story reach your audience? A clear distribution policy needs to be defined and implemented if you want your story to be read.
- Monitor / Response
- Define how you will monitor the receipt and publication of your story. Define how responses will be managed.
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