Think a press release is an old-fashioned device, suited to print media but not to the on line world? On the contrary!
Press releases now go out into the blogosphere. Today, news delivery services make your press release available on-line as well as in print. And from there, it will be picked up and "tweeted" by as many people as find it interesting.
And, equally valuable, says Marcia Yudkin of Creative Ways, your press release will remain out in the online world for years, helping to optimize your search engine results.
3 Steps to Writing a Strong Press Release
There are three straightforward steps to a press release that works:
One Choose an angle for your story
Your story's angle should intrigue readers, or connect with another news item or an upcoming event. Your headline is a critical part of your angle. Consider these two versions of a headline:
Children's Hospital hires Marissa Who, MD, leading specialist in pediatric blood disorders.
OR
Children suffering from rare blood disorders have access to leading new specialist at Children's.
The angle of the second headline focuses on the needs of your patients and how the new specialist will meet them--in other words, its angle is the hospital serving its community, made more intriguing by the words 'rare' and 'suffering.'
Two Structure your story content
Paragraphs one (and two) should present your story's essentials, building on the angle you've established. In the next paragraphs, include background information on the topic, along with an interesting quote or two.
Three Contact information for the on-line world
Think of your release as electronic, not hard copy. In addition to your phone number and e-mail address, be sure to include the following:
- URLs for your home page
- Link to a web page, if you've put one together, with more information about your subject, including photographs.
- Links to sites with valuable background information that a reporter would find useful
- Links to your Twitter and Facebook pages.
Have questions about writing a press release? Short on staff to do the writing? Contact WordDrive for help. See you in July!
