The power of a press release is probably more than you understand.
Whether you’re a company with news coming out, a politician running a campaign, an athlete trying to do damage control, or a celebrity looking to promote a fundraiser, getting your information to the general public is crucial.
Sometimes a press release is just for general consumption and to inform the audience, such as hiring a new city attorney, retiring a city official, or other public-newsworthy items.
Other times, a press release can be about a significant pivot in your business, a changing of the guards concerning critical functions of your organization, a product launch, acquisition, or more.
The key is to get your brand exposure, increase awareness, and inform the audience in a simple, engaging way.
And the best way to get your message out to as broad an audience as possible is to craft a press release.
Writing the perfect press release isn’t complicated, but it is critical. A good press release will get to the point quickly, stating all relevant facts and providing a hook for the audience.
Ideally, a press release should be addressed to press members, whether on print, tv, radio, or social media. These are your target audience to get your messages out.
It’s essential to be consistent in writing your press releases, as your audience needs to be able to validate and trust the information you’re sending to them.
For start-ups especially, being consistent with press releases allows the media to establish a line of communication with you and trust over the type of information they can receive.
It takes time to build trust, but only one or two mistakes ruin that trust.
Press releases are best if sent out in the morning, though data suggests that the best hours are between 10 am-12 pm, with open rates improving if sent out at an odd time rather than at the top or bottom of the hour, i.e., 10:47 am rather than 10:30 am or 11:00 am.
Writing The Perfect Press Release
Sharpen your headline: Make your headline short and standout.
Be brief: Clear, concise, and short, quick sentences are best.
Get to the point: Just write the facts, nothing more.
Hook ‘em: Have a hook, why should the audience care?
Contact details: Have a signature line that includes contact details for quotes, pictures, info, and more.
Utilize a template: If you’re unsure how to write a press release, use a template or press release service to help you.
If you don’t have an in-house communication team and need to outsource your press release statements, then a professional service may be your solution. But, again, the key is to provide reliable, consistent, pertinent information that the audience can digest quickly.
The Power Of A Good Press Release
The benefits of a press release are much more than just getting information out.
A good press release will get important information out to the desired audience that is cost-beneficial, increase your website traffic, SEO benefits, social media benefits such as increased sharing, and more.
In fact, the benefits of a correctly done press release can;
- Build working relationships with media to provide further more stories about your business, position, or organization
- Have a significant audience reach for a low (free) price
- Control the narrative around your organization and brand
- Enhance website traffic
- Exponentially improve SEO for your site, pages, and blog
- Social media sharing opportunities that will also increase SEO and website traffic
- Better brand exposure and reach
- Increased sales opportunity
- Create return visitors and potential repeat customers
The value of a well-done press release can’t be overstated. They can be crafted for general information or toward a specific outcome objective such as advertising a new product launch, position change of executives within your company, or to get your brand more exposure with relevant and timely news.
A timely press release is a great way to increase your brand awareness and exposure for organizations and businesses looking to gain a more extensive audience reach.
Press releases are a free way to advertise if crafted correctly and one that your organization needs to incorporate into your messaging strategy in the future.
