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A journalist’s Inbox is always full. So, it’s vitally important that any press release is engaging enough to get you noticed in a maelstrom of marketing messages.
Whatever your media relations strategy, a well-composed release can play a vital role, so perfecting your technique is a skill well worth honing.
A B2C release may differ in pace and tone to its B2B contemporary but there’s a skeletal structure that spans both types. And if you get this bit right, you’re already halfway there to breaking through the noise.
We’re fortunate enough to have a generous sprinkling of ex-journalists on the staff roster at Nobull, who’ve all seen more than their fair share of press releases - great and awful - from agencies and in-house PR departments alike, all of them vying for column space.
Between them, they’ve come up with a quick, checklist of the essential press release ‘must-dos’.
Do your research. Make sure you’re sending the release to the relevant people, in order to build valuable contacts in the press industry.
Keep the copy as brief as your subject allows. Get to the point and really attract your readers attention.
Use an attention-grabbing headline and punchy explanatory subheading. You only have a few lines to grab your readers attention, so make them count.
Include a release date -this indicates when you want the release to be published.
Convey the main message in your first paragraph. Journalists go through hundreds of pitches every day. The last thing they want to do is sift through a chunk of copy, to find if anything is relevant!
Pull out key stats, use headers to break up text and avoid long, lengthy paragraphs. This makes your copy easy to read and time efficient for the reader.
Include quotes where relevant to boost the credibility and personality of your press release.
Avoid industry jargon and cliches.
Summarise the client’s info in your ‘editor’s notes’ footer for quick access for any potential leads.
Don’t miss out any essential info, like product prices, contact details or research references. These are the key snippets of information journalists are looking for if they’re featuring your piece.
