Press releases are an important part of any public relations strategy. They are compelling conversation starters to invite members of the media into learning more about your business or brand. The goal for any press release is to earn media coverage. It's also a strategy to plant the seeds for future opportunities — and storytelling the evolution of a particular project, business, or brand.
In the era of all things digital, it’s important to cut through the noise and make your story stand out. On the outside a press release seems very basic, the outline and format remains very similar, but the content should be compelling and intriguing.
Here are 3 ways to help ensure your press release is successful:
1. Write an attention-grabbing headline
The headline is the first impression, in order to stand out it needs to be as engaging as it is accurate. The headline should help capture the right audience. Keeping it short, and accurate helps to get people to read the entire article. Make sure the essential information is in the headline.
2. Pick a strong topic
In order to capture an audience, the press release should have an interesting angle. While writing ask yourself:
Does the audience care about this story? Why?
Will this capture the attention of the audience I want?
The content needs to be clear and concise, giving the important information in the first sentence. The press release will be ignored if it’s hard to find the point.
3. Provide the resources needed to learn more about the topic
Press releases are usually one page, sometimes two- not a lot of space to put a lot of information. Lead your audience to where they can find more. Provide links to your companies website, that way people don't have to search for more information on their own. Guiding readers to your websites ensures you gaining a bigger audience and allowing people to learn more about you and your accomplishments.