5. Tips for Writing a Better Press Release

5.1 Don't Forget Your First Impression

More than 80 million readers around the world read the news. Even if only 0.1% of the population reads your press release, there are still 80,000 readers who visited your website and bought your products & services. There’s a vast pool of potential customers out there, so make the best of it and write a press release that’s worth reading. With that said, remember not to write an article that reads like an advertisement because a press release should read like a piece of news, not an ad!

5.2 Tell People Who You Are

Introducing yourself and your business can build credibility, awareness and simultaneously promote your brand online. Viewers often empathize more quickly if they recognize the source of information is human. Not letting viewers know who you are, creates an unwanted “distrust,” and you may lose the promotional value your press release can provide in the process.

5.3 Choose And Use The Right Words

A cursory skim is all it takes to discern whether a piece of news is written professionally. If your release contains the typical promotional sales letter hype, slang, excessive exclamation points, jargon, or direct address, anyone would be able to tell that it’s more of an advertisement than a factual press release. Generally, the best way to communicate your news is to use plain and simple English appropriates to the target audience of all ages. Try to avoid using especially jargon, so you don’t limit viewership.

5.4 Search Engine Optimisation Efforts

Some press release distribution sites allow you to upload an image, video, anchor links, and other features that capture your readers’ attention and highlight your news. Remember to do on-page SEO, such as providing alternate texts for your images and using anchor text and hyperlinks to point readers back to your site. By doing so, you can ensure both your website and your essential keywords receive simultaneous promotion in your press release.

5.5 Be Different From Others

Readers may not necessarily agree with your perspective of newsworthy information. So, always ask yourself, “Why should anyone care?” when writing a press release. A good press release usually has timeliness, unique selling points, or anything that highlights something genuinely extraordinary. Avoid clichés and focus on what will set you apart from everyone else. Make sure your press release has a good news hook, relate it to current events, recent studies, trends, and social issues if you want your viewers to perceive your press release with relevance, urgency, and importance.

5.6 Don't Boast, Be Modest

Being different doesn't mean you should boast in your press. Writers often get carried away while passionately writing a press piece, turning a press release into a sales letter. It takes practice to stay on track consciously and avoid the fluffs, hype, and exaggeration. If your news sounds too good to be true, it probably is. So, tone it down and stick to the facts.

Don’t be afraid to share the news when your company reached a milestone, celebrated an anniversary, hired a new president, experienced significant growth, or received an award. If you would like to use “Absolutely Blow Your Mind!!” in your press release, it’s probably best to not integrate it, or your press would read like a sales letter and risk rejection from news outlets.

5.7 Leave Crumbs For Your Reader To Tail

Sometimes, you will come across captivating press releases that keep you wanting to read more. If your press release could already be as fascinating, you need to leverage it. Always directs readers to learn more about you or the news that you announce. Remember that anchor texts are essential, so make sure to provide links directly to the page on your website where readers can continue their learning process about your news and then act upon it. The whole point of a press release is to expose your brand to more people, get their attention, and finally perform your desired “call to action” – hook, line, and sinker.

5.8 Utliize Examples

No matter what your press release is covering, if you could, provide examples to further elaborate on the applicability of the points you want to deliver. Say your organization has recently released its latest laptop invention. You could exemplify how your organization uses the newest technology to solve the fast-draining battery issue like never before. Use examples to showcase what your brand can offer.

5.9 Concision, Clarity & Connection

Remember, a person has an average of 8 seconds of attention span, so don’t use any flowery language or detour from the main context. Abandon the exaggeration and unnecessary adjectives to keep it clear and concise because besides keeping your audience interested, you also have a word count of 300 - 800 to worry about. In writing a press release, saying less is more.

5.10 Proofread

Last but not least, read through your entire press release before you send it for submission. It is recommended to use tools for editing and refining like Microsoft Word or Google Doc to draft it out instead of writing directly inside MarketersMEDIA Newswire’s press release submission page. It is only natural that we are bound to make mistakes because no one is perfect, not even experienced professional journalists. We have an entire tutorial page dedicated to double-checking before submitting your press release, so be sure to check, check, check again before your submission.

If you are new to SEO, we recommend you read up on maximizing backlinking SEO for press releases to get the best results for your website.