A press release is a powerful tool to communicate your news, achievements, or opinions to the media and the public. But how can you write a press release that inspires action, not just awareness? Here are some tips to help you craft a compelling and effective press release that gets results.
Before you start writing, you need to identify who you are writing for and what they care about. Who are the journalists, bloggers, influencers, or customers that you want to reach with your press release? What are their interests, needs, pain points, or goals? How can your press release help them solve a problem, learn something new, or take action? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your message, tone, and angle to their expectations and preferences.
Crafting a press release that inspires action involves: 1. A compelling headline and lead paragraph to grab attention. 2. Persuasive language and storytelling to evoke emotion. 3. Clearly stating the call to action. 4. Providing relevant details, quotes, and information. 5. Concluding with a strong message to motivate action.
The headline is the first thing that your audience will see, and it will determine whether they will read on or not. Therefore, you need to write a catchy headline that grabs their attention, summarizes your main point, and entices them to learn more. Use clear, concise, and powerful language that conveys the value and relevance of your press release. Avoid jargon, hype, or vague statements that confuse or bore your audience. A good headline should answer the question: why should they care?
The lead is the first paragraph of your press release, and it should provide the most important information about your news or story. It should answer the five Ws: who, what, when, where, and why. It should also include a hook that draws your audience in and makes them want to read further. A hook can be a surprising fact, a compelling quote, a provocative question, or a clear benefit. A strong lead should answer the question: what's in it for them?
The body of your press release should provide supporting details that back up your main point and show why your news or story matters. You can use facts, figures, statistics, examples, testimonials, or anecdotes to illustrate your claims and add credibility. You can also use quotes from yourself, your team, your partners, or your customers to add personality and perspective. However, avoid adding too much information that distracts or overwhelms your audience. Keep your press release short, simple, and focused on one key message.
The last paragraph of your press release should include a call to action that tells your audience what you want them to do next. Do you want them to visit your website, sign up for your newsletter, download your app, or contact you for more information? Make sure you provide clear and specific instructions on how they can take action and why they should do it. You can also include your contact details, such as your name, email, phone number, or social media handles, so they can reach out to you if they have any questions or comments.
The final step of writing a press release is to format and proofread it. You want to make sure your press release looks professional, readable, and error-free. Use a standard font, size, and spacing, and include your logo and date at the top. Use subheadings, bullet points, and white space to break up your text and make it easy to scan. Include a boilerplate at the end that briefly introduces your company or organization and its mission and vision. Proofread your press release for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and accuracy, and ask someone else to review it as well.
Provide a strong point of view that inspires your audience to think differently about themselves or their businesses. Insights lead to inspiration and conversation, driving change in behavior.
While press releases are great for announcing news, important events, and getting something on the record, they are often seen by the media as an outdated form of communication. Media like to get individualized pitches with information that pertains to their specific audience. This way the client can speak directly to the pain points of that audience and offer up their expertise in a unique way.