How To Write An Attention-Grabbing Press Release
Press releases are your gateway to grabbing the attention of journalists. The interest eventually trickles down to a larger audience including potential clients and users. A press release is a document containing information that one shares with journalists, the media, and the public for the purpose of spreading information. For a press release to be useful and significant, for both the reader and the creator, it has to be engaging. That said, it must also reach the correct audience. Writing a press release that grabs attention involves a lot more than stringing together pieces of information. It has to be fluid, well worded, and optimized for search engines. A well written press release can be a good marketing tool.
Read on to find out more on how to write an attention-grabbing press release and get the most out of it.
Getting The Headline Right
The headline is where the reader decides whether the content is interesting and relevant. Your headline should be attention-grabbing and relevant to the content. It should also have important keywords, and it should be short, crisp, and to the point. In order to appear in the results of a search engine, the headline should have less than 100 characters.
However, while trying to make the headline attractive while sticking to the length constraints, it is very important that the headline stays true to its content and isn’t exaggerated. A misleading headline could frustrate the readers and drive them away. Further, your headlines should be followed by the name of your organization, its location, and the date of release. This helps the journalists segment the news and ensure that the content is updated. It is very important to get the headline right and is well worth a few extra minutes of effort.
Maintain The Flow And Structure
The flow and structure of a press release play an important role in keeping the reader engaged while providing all the relevant information that may be required. A typical press release is of the format:
- Heading
- Organization, Location and Date
- Introductory paragraph
- Body
- Boilerplate
- Contact Details
It is important to make sure that your press release has the right structure. Journalists go through a large number of press releases. It is, thus, imperative for the journalists to be able to quickly go through your press release and absorb all the important and relevant information. The journalists should be able to skim through the press release and still get a good gist of it.
Informational Introduction
The introduction paragraph should be informational and give the reader insight into what the press release is going to be about. It should answer the 5 W’s: who, what, when, where, and why. Following this framework helps you provide the reader with all the basic information that the press release is built upon.
Body Paragraph
This is where the meat of the story lies. The body paragraphs provide the readers with detailed information on the topics that are mentioned in the headline and the introduction. The importance of different aspects of the press release should be considered while writing the body paragraph. Press releases usually follow the inverted pyramid format which provides the information in the order of their importance, with the most important content getting the top spot. Further, the content of a press release must be reliable. The perceived authenticity of a press release can be improved by adding relevant quotations.
Journalists tell stories. For them to be interested in your press release, the content must be newsworthy. Unfortunately, not all your press releases can be newsworthy. But you can always build a story around them. The experts at https://www.ereleases.com/how-to-write-chapter-1/ suggest that building your press release around a story appeals to newsmakers. This is called newsjacking and it is the process of introducing your brand into a current news story that can help make it more interesting and buzzworthy.
Boilerplate
A boilerplate is a standard paragraph that is added towards the end of your press release, however, it is often the first paragraph that is written. The boilerplate remains the same for all the press releases that are published by the organization. The boilerplate contains a description of the company that can include its location, size, purpose, motto, and historic presence. However, you can also include additional information regarding the organization. A boilerplate standardizes your press releases and makes it simpler for the journalists to associate the press release with your organization. A standardized boilerplate also helps with search engine optimization (SEO) as it associates your organization with your various press releases that would be published on numerous websites. This also associates your company with keywords.
Contact Details
Towards the end of the press release, the contact information of your organization’s dedicated representative should be provided, in case any additional information is required. These could be media representatives or public relations personnel.
Understand Your Target Audience
It is important to understand that the target audience of your press release is journalists and not the general consumer. You want the information to eventually trickle down to the user, but through the journalist as the medium. This means that it is important that you use a style of writing that they are used to. Your press release must be factual and should contain all the relevant information.
In addition, the press release should target the right audience, that is, the right journalists. The journalist that you share your press release with, should be ones with similar interests and professional domains. Sending your technology-based press release to a sports media outlet will not help your cause. The press release would not be important to the media outlet or its consumers.
Use Media
Press releases that are substantiated with media content are known to reach a wider audience. Offering photos, infographics, and videos along with your press release can help them stand out from others. Linking your media content with relevant and important keywords can improve its reach.
Call To Action
At the end of the press release, you should include a call to action. The purpose of this is to keep the reader engaged and to guide the readers to do what you want them to do. You could ask them to click on a link to know more or to fill up a form to stay updated with a newsletter. Every press release has an objective, and it can help you increase your visibility in different forms. For example, in the form of website traffic. To grab the reader’s attention with the call to action, it should have a sense of urgency. This can be done by making it a limited time offer.
If prepared properly, press releases can be a wonderful marketing tool and an excellent way of getting the media’s attention. They allow you to control your story, improve your SEO, and give your social media a boost. But they have to be engaging to serve their purpose. Following these points will make sure that your press releases are able to draw the attention of journalists and their readers, and help you reach a wider audience.
