How good are you at telling the world about your achievements?
Press releases seem to be dying.
Few companies use them to their full potential.
Regardless of whether you want to use them on line or off, they can generate a huge amount of interest in your company and don’t have to cost the earth to produce.
Having said that, one of the main problems editors have with them is the vast number of poorly written releases.
Common mistakes that create poor press releases
The first thing to remember about press releases is that they are there to announce news.
That seems to be the major stumbling block for many companies.
Intent on selling, they create press releases that are really nothing more than a thinly veiled sales pitch. Editors aren’t daft, they will be able to spot that a mile off and the press release will end up in the bin.
Another problem is that they are frequently badly written. If the English is below standard an Editor isn’t going to waste their time correcting it, so it will end up in the bin along with the those that read more like ads than news.
A news story has to grab the readers’ attention from the outset, so any press releases that take an age to get going will also end up in the bin.
In a nutshell if you want to improve the publication chances of your press release make sure:
- It’s a genuine news item
- It’s not an advert for your company
- The English is of the highest quality
- It packs a punch from the outset
What can a press release be used for?
If you’re now scratching your head thinking what you can use them for, here are a few pointers:
- A new product/service launch
- Winning an award
- Moving to new premises
- Involvement in a charity event
- Helping the local community
- Launch of a new website
- New Director coming on board
- Expanding into an overseas market
I could go on, but you get the picture. The main thing is that it is news to your audience.
Structuring a press release
The following infographic shows the standard format that all press releases should follow:
If you stick to that format you can’t go wrong.