What is a perfect Press release

Step 1: Target audience

Before you get to the actual press release writing—the most important thing to start with is choosing the angle that matters for your target audience.

Remember that the angle (a perspective that story will take, in other words) which will interest the readers of a specialist magazine will be very different from the local newspaper. In fact, you should write different versions of your release for the different audiences you are targeting.

Keep in mind that you’re not only targeting potential readers, but also journalists. If you don’t do your research and target the wrong journalists, writing good press releases won’t get you anywhere.

Step 2: Press release structure

In order to be able to write a winning press release, it’s also necessary to understand the press release structure.

Headline: in order to have a fish you need to catch it first

First things first, your press release needs to have a catchy headline in order to be successful. It’s the first thing people will read and based on that, they will make their decision whether they want to read the whole thing or not.

Try to keep it short. This way, it’s easier to read, it looks more appealing and as long as it’s no more than 110 characters—people might even tweet about it. Make it fresh, newsworthy, and interesting, as the whole decision-making process takes about 3 seconds.

Lead: answer the five W’s briefly, but hold to your readers’ attention

The second most important part of writing a press release is to craft the lead. That’s exactly where the impatient ones will find the answers to the most important questions, including the five W’s: what the news is about, who is involved, when and where it happened, and why it is important. 

When writing this part make sure you follow the “miniskirt rule”, meaning your lead should be long enough to cover the essentials, but short enough to keep it interesting. Don’t waste the journalist’s time—you have to pique their curiosity, not give them all the details at once.

Source: prove your trustworthiness

If you’re basing your press release on external sources, make sure to cite them. That way you will become more credible in the eyes of your audience. It’s essential to make sure whatever you’re linking to is legitimate, and not fake news.

We don’t recommend displaying the whole URL unless you’re citing your sources at the bottom of your press releases. Use anchor text to make your links look more natural.

Essentials: the beauty is in the details

Give your readers the essential details. And by details, we mean the basic information that is necessary to figure out why this press release is newsworthy. You don’t want to write a novel, just give a brief explanation and get the reporters excited about something they’ll write about.

Quotes: show the perspective of others

Press release quotes are always welcome. Why? They bring another perspective to the text and make it more diverse. Quotes can easily make your text more interesting and more readable, which should be good enough reasons to include them in your press release.

Additional data: is there anything else you need to add?

If so, this is the time to do it—without actually overdoing it. Remember, sometimes less is more, and that’s definitely the case when it comes to writing a good press release.

Contact details: introduce yourself

Don’t forget to add contact details so journalists will know how to reach you, or anyone else worth contacting. It’s important because they might want to ask some additional questions about the story. If you forget about this part, the chances of getting your release published are basically slim to none.

Boilerplate: the perfect way to end a press release

In case you’re asking yourself how to end a press release, here’s your answer: have a boilerplate. If you caught the journalists’ attention and they kept on reading until this place, most likely they want to know more about you. The boilerplate is exactly the place where they will find any additional info about your company or you. Make it fun and interesting—it works as your business card, and you want to present yourself well.

Now, it’s time to double-check everything

Common mistakes when writing a press release

1. The story isn’t actually newsworthy

First things first. Is your story actually a story? Is it new or interesting? Will people outside your organization really care about it? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you might be onto something. If it’s not new, not interesting and you’re not sure if anyone will really care, it might be a good idea to come up with something else.

2. You’re beating around the bush

Nail the story in the first few sentences: get the facts out quickly and succinctly and the chances of a press release making it from an inbox to an editorial meeting will increase dramatically. Journalists are pushed for time more than ever before, so the importance of communicating the bones of the story in the first few lines of a press release is vital. Chances are, they’re not going to have time to read the whole thing, so the quicker you get to the point, the better.

3. Press release quotes don’t come off as authentic

Whether it’s a young person talking about how happy they are to have secured an apprenticeship or a CEO analyzing the latest financial results, it’s a wise idea to make the people quoted in a press release sound real. For example, the said young person is unlikely to use words you’d need a dictionary to understand, so remember to have your story feel authentic. Just try to make sure they’re not ‘delighted’, even if they are. Here you can find more press release mistakes, in case you’re interested.