What is press release?
A press release is an official statement issued to members of the news media for the aim of delivering information, making an official remark, or making an announcement intended for public dissemination. Press releases are also called primary sources, which means they are the original informants for information. A press release is generally consisting of nine structural pieces, including a headline, dateline, introduction, body, and other components. Press releases are often sent to the news media electronically, ready to use, and frequently subject to a “do not use before” date, sometimes known as a news embargo.
Why is it important?
1. Brand-related information
Press releases are regarded as one of the most reliable sources of brand-related information. Furthermore, press releases may be created in-house, allowing you to maintain control over your brand’s voice and message. This helps to form the public’s impression of your company. Still not persuaded of the value of a press release? Let’s keep going.
2. Engage the Media
Because of the advent of social media, press releases are no longer solely available to journalists, but may also be made available to the general public via social media channels. Distributing a news release via social media platforms allows your company to communicate with a wide range of consumers. However, it is critical to understand how to advertise your press release on social media networks.
As Online PR Media suggests, you may make a single post that just announces the news and offers the link, but a better method could be to segment your followers and tailor the message depending on why each group should care. If you want to learn more about how to start your social media marketing plan, read this article on our site!
3. Build Search Engine Traffic
Having information about your firm published on prominent news sites via a press release is useful not only to your company’s brand, but also to SEO. According to Cision, a well-written press release that follows SEO best practices helps search engines to locate, match, index, and rank your press release. With 63,000 searches every second, having a high-ranking press release on Google and other search engines delivers more visibility to current and potential clients. The usefulness of a press release extends beyond only establishing media partnerships and extends throughout your marketing plan, including increasing search engine traffic.
4. Increase Public Relations Activity
As previously said, press releases allow you to communicate not only with journalists but also with a wide range of other media outlets. If your press release is current and timely, it may be picked up by a reporter from the news media or others who are interested in the subject. This provides a chance for more publicity in the form of radio and television interviews, quotes in newspaper articles, and other PR activities. But make sure to complete your homework! A well-written press release must provide the entire story, including who, what, where, when, and why. Why would any media outlet share anything that isn’t truthful or interesting?
5. Manage a Crisis
Using press releases to fight a problem promotes openness in your company. Finally, the significance of a press release is centered on crisis communication. When things go wrong, press releases may be a beneficial tool since you get to share your story first. So, what precisely is a crisis communication press release? According to Fit Small Business, a crisis communication press release is a written communication that identifies a crisis that the firm and its stakeholders are facing, as well as a solid strategy to reduce the harm or service those affected. It aids in putting an end to conjecture about the definition of the issue and the firm’s reaction by expressing the facts clearly and providing a central source of information from the organization.
How can we help you with your press releases?
Below is how we write our press releases;
- We develop catchy headlines irresistible.
You’ve thought about your announcement, and now it’s time to put it into words to share with your community, industry, and followers. Setting up your press release for success begins with your headline, much like drafting the perfect blog post title. You only have one line to work with, which might be intimidating, but consider diction carefully to make your headline engaging.
Use action verbs, clear, intelligible language, and make your headline simple and short — fortune (and search engines) favor the brief, so limit your title to one line to clearly concentrate people’s attention on your topline message.
Most importantly, make it interesting: Keep in mind that reporters get dozens, if not hundreds, of releases each day, so take the time to develop a great headline. It’s worth your time and effort.
- We convey the news value to the press.
To persuade reporters, analysts, influencers, or fans to share your announcement, you must first explain why they should care. The first paragraph of your release should answer the who, what, why, where, and how of your new launch, update, or development. Reporters don’t have time to comb through detail and flowery background material; they just need the facts that will allow them to present your narrative to someone else in a position of power.
There should be no fresh, critical information covered following this section that the reader could overlook. Using the reverse pyramid method while creating your press release is an excellent approach to achieve this.
- We make tempting quotes
Once you’ve established the backdrop, it’s time to bring your specifics to life with a statement that reporters may utilize to provide context for your announcement and assist build a picture of how your news impacts the particular industry, consumer base, and landscape. Quotes should ideally come from important stakeholders within your firm, such as your executive team, project leads, or individuals who will be directly touched by your news.
Quoting prominent personalities and experts emphasizes the significance of your progress. The chosen quotation should construct your story and highlight the main point of the announcement. Don’t ask everyone in your workplace for a remark or feel obligated to cite all 25 individuals involved in the acquisition; instead, choose one or two key spokespeople and center the quotations on their unique perspective.
- We provide valuable background information on the subject.
Remember that the reader already has all of the necessary data and information to submit a story or spread the news in this final paragraph. It might be tempting to include extraneous data and tidbits about your firm or the development of your announcement — we sometimes consider a piece of writing is missing if it isn’t drawn-out and just shy of being a novella. A press release, on the other hand, must be informative and brief.
Details that improve your story, such as inventive or notable methods your organization produced the project or news at hand, should be included here. Alternatively, if relevant, comment on the long-term ramifications of your announcement. Newsjacking is another effective approach to add value to your press release. A method of tying your press release to something that is currently happening in order to make it more relevant to the journalist and reader..
- We focus on issues that are of utmost important and the people involved
Twitter is full of reporters complaining about press releases or pitches that don’t properly describe what the firm does or what the news is about, so instead of being the punchline, make your release extremely easy to reference.
Describe what your firm does in clear, plain English, offer a link to your organization’s webpage early on, and keep your boilerplate brief and basic. If you mention data, add a reference link to the data source, and make sure every name in the release has an accompanying title and company.
