Press releases should be an integral part of marketing for businesses.
You must be wondering why.
According to Forbes, press releases can help you achieve a variety of goals such as improving your content marketing and SEO and sending a message.
The idea here is not only to increase visibility but also to build brand authority.
That being said, if you don’t know how to write a press release, you can find the process somewhat challenging.
Hence, here’s a comprehensive guide for beginners along with a few helpful tips that will aid you in drafting an effective press release to boost your brand.
Table of Contents
Why do Businesses need a Press Release?
Press releases often function as news releases and are meant to inform your audience about some kind of event or information. The news you cover in press releases can be breaking or just a simple announcement about your new product release. In any case, press releases primarily serve several goals and will help you achieve a variety of business aims.
Let’s look at some of them.
Gives you good media coverage
When your company releases a new product/service/feature, you can create a press release and publish it on your website. Or submit it to several press release websites. Media outlets take their news information from the press release and cover it, spreading the word about your business.
Alternatively, you could get in touch with a few media publications to get your press release published. For instance, a tech product company could get its press release posted under the tech news on a media website.
Interesting read: Five Steps to Turn Online Reviews into Effective PR Tools
Improves your branding
Not only can well-written press releases shape your brand image, but they can also help you improve your brand’s reputation and authority. This way, press releases can also be useful in times of crisis when you need to clear things up and address rumors about your business.
Press releases essentially serve as a mouthpiece for your brand. And it’s up to you how to make the most of it.
Increases your website’s ranking
Precisely because you will be getting more media coverage, you can expect to get more backlinks to your website. This means that your site’s SEO will improve over time and you can expect it to rank higher in search results. It also will help you in building brand credibility.
And besides, such results will come at a relatively low cost considering that you can be writing press releases yourself.
What are the different types of Press Releases?
Something that can come as a surprise to some business owners is that there are different types of press releases you can choose from. Knowing what kind of press release you will be writing is vital for you to be able to write the said release in the best way possible. Here are the most common types of press releases you can leverage:
Product Updates and New Product Launches
Probably the most common type of press release that you will be using regularly is the one for announcing product updates and new product launches. These can be used for the products and/or services you offer to inform your audience about the improvements you made to them.
Additionally, such press releases announce product launches to hype up the offer that will soon be available to your customers. Product Update and Launch press releases focus on product specifications, pricing, availability, updates (if applicable), etc.
Mergers, Acquisitions, and Partnerships
Some press releases you write will be used to announce big changes in your company such as mergers and acquisitions. In this case, you will need to clearly describe all the organizations involved.
Alternatively, you may be partnering with another company which is also a reason to publish a press release. In such press releases, you will also need to describe the company you are working with and explain why you are partnering, what your aims are, and so on.
Events and Grand Openings
While the previous type of press releases focuses on changes inside the company, press releases covering events and grand openings are more about what’s outside of your business.
When you are hosting some kind of event, you must publish a press release so that the news outlets reporting on it can spread the word. Remember to note important details like attendance fee, dates, and location, notable guests, etc. In a way, grand openings are also an event (e.g. new offices or relocation). Likewise, you should note all the necessary details.
Executive Promotions
When there is a high-profile promotion at your business or a new executive is hired, you should create a press release for it. High-profile executives are the face of your company, so you need to let your audience know that there has been an internal change in your company.
Such press releases are a way to establish the executive’s credibility and set them up as a representative of your brand.
Rebranding
At some point, you may find that your company’s brand no longer works the way it used to – and that’s when you’ll decide to rebrand. In such situations, a timely press release can help you make the rebranding process much smoother.
In the press release, explain the reasons for rebranding and the details about it. You can even quote some of your executives when talking about the matter.
Awards
The last press release you will find helpful is one about awards. From time to time, it’s a good idea to brag about the awards your business has won. After all, this will give you some positive press. Celebrate your achievements and let your audience cheer for you too.
5 Press Release Examples to Inspire You
Perhaps one of the best ways to understand how to write a press release correctly is by consulting existing examples of press releases. This way, you will have a clear idea of what your result could look like.
The more press release examples you examine, the better your grasp on this writing technique will be, so here are a few such examples you will find useful.
1. Product launch from Apple
2. Show announcement from CNN
Interesting read: 6 Ways to Promote Your Business with Social Media Contest
3. Event announcement from Heinz
4. Executive promotion from eBay
5. Awards press release from Gerber
Understanding the Press Release Format
Now that you have a much better idea of what a good press release looks like, you need to dive deeper into the structure of press releases. Even though there are different formats you can choose from, all of them have a more or less similar structure that you can use for creating your press release outline. Here’s how it goes:
- Title and Subheading: Your press release needs to start with the obvious: the title and the subheading. It’s a good idea to italicize the subheading and make the font for it smaller to let the reader easily differentiate between the title and the subheading.
Your title and subheading need to summarize your press release clearly and concisely while also being catchy to hook the readers. At the very top, consider adding “For immediate release”. - News Location and thrust: Your press release needs to start with the location of your news i.e. where the event takes place (event press releases), where the new product will be unveiled (new product launches), etc.
In addition to that, you need to include the news thrust in your opening line. The news thrust or peg is the reason why you are writing the press release. - Main Information: This is where the body of your press release is and where you should write 2-3 paragraphs with the information about the matter at hand. It’s up to you how you word it and format it. For instance, you can include a bulleted or numbered list with some facts and figures.
- Company Description and Contacts: After the body of your press release, you need to write a small paragraph about your company.
Don’t forget to include your company’s contact information. At the very bottom, put “###” to signify that this is the end of your press release.
Final Thoughts
All in all, writing good press releases will benefit your marketing strategy and will help you spread the word about your business. Press releases are the perfect tool for promoting your brand and improving your reputation and authority.
And before you get down to write a press release, go through our checklist above for an effective piece. What’s more, once it’s out you can also promote it on your social media for more shares, and conversions.
For everything on how to schedule your social posts on time and get the most out of your social media promotion check out SocialPilot.
Frequently Asked Questions
🌟 When is a press release required?
The best way to know whether you need a press release is to ask yourself the question: Is this newsworthy? If your readers will care about this piece of information, then it’s newsworthy and you need a press release.
🌟 How do you optimize a press release for search engines?
Just like you do with any other piece of online content. Consider your audience, use relevant keywords, add internal and external links.
🌟 Do you need a quote for every press release you write?
No. Unless this is some big news you are releasing to the public, you don’t need to use a quote.
🌟 Do you need visuals for every press release you write?
Yes. Even a single image will be enough. Just don’t go overboard with your visuals. Press releases are always about the text you write, but a good image can attract more attention to it.
🌟 Should you only publish the press release on one platform?
It depends. Most of the time, just posting it on a popular press release website will be enough for other media outlets to spread the message. But if your brand is fairly unknown, it could be a good idea to post the press release on several platforms instead of a single one.
