How to get your press release noticed

As journalists struggle with resource limitations, PR professionals have been and will continue to be a valuable partner throughout 2019.

A recent ‘State of the Media’ report from Cision asked respondents how their relationship with PR professionals had changed over the year. 27% of journalists said that their relationship had become more valuable in 2018.

So with this in mind, it is clear that the press release is NOT dead and journalists still very much need us PR professionals to provide trustworthy, relevant and useful content.

Given this piece of research, we thought it would be useful to share our top tips to optimise your press release and ensure it’s received as well as possible by journalists reading it.

Make sure the story is newsworthy

Before attempting to write a press release, take a moment to consider whether the story would be of interest to the journalist and most importantly the reader. Before drafting the release, ask yourself these questions:

1. Is there anything ‘new’ in this story?

2. Is there anything unusual or unexpected about the release?

3. Will anyone actually care? Harsh I know, but this is probably the most important point to think about. You may be excited to shout about the launch of your client’s new product, but are others as bothered? If you’re unsure then hold off on the press release until you have a better angle.

Snappy Headline

Remember journalists are incredibly short on time and are inundated with hundreds of emails from PR professionals every day, so it’s a good idea to make sure the headline stands out and attracts the journalist’s attention.

Ensure the top line tells the story

Great, you’ve managed to grab the journalist’s attention with a snappy headline, now you need to keep it! Don’t make the mistake of burying the most interesting part of the story at the bottom of the press release. If the first few sentences don’t hold the journalist’s attention, then there’s a good change they may not read any further. You have 25 words or less to get across the entire story so use as many of the “five Ws” (who, what, where, why and when) in the opening lines.

Be concise

The ideal length of a press release is about 300-500 words which equates to one A4 side consisting of three or four short paragraphs and a couple of quotes. Any longer than that then you’re probably starting to waffle, which doesn’t add any value to your story.

It’s not a sales pitch

At first sight a journalist will always determine whether the story will be of interest to the audience. Anything that sounds like you’re just trying to plug a company rather than providing compelling content is an instant turn off.

Don’t fill the story with jargon

Understaffed newsrooms and busy journalists don’t have time to trawl through press releases and interpret technical or professional jargon. Keep it simple and use plain English. Imagine that you’re speaking to your friend about a story, it shouldn’t read like an academic essay.

Always include quotes

Quotes need to bring the story to life. They shouldn’t be used to state facts or cite statistics but should include key messages. Choose your spokesperson carefully as they may be asked for further interviews if your story gets published. The spokesperson will usually be one of the founders or someone from a senior part of the business.

Use visual media

Press releases are more likely to be picked up by the media if high-quality images of the people mentioned in the story are provided. Try and aim for photos to be over 1 megabyte, particularly for print.

Add a date to the story

Make sure that the press release always includes a date at the beginning. This reassures journalists that the story is relevant, up to date news and not something that happened last month.

Proofread your work

Always get somebody to proofread your press release for grammatical errors and typos before it goes over to the journalist. You want to build rapport with the journalist as well as creating a good reputation for yourself, so that when your name next appears in their inbox they know to expect high quality press releases written to a high standard.

You Do Better PR Agency | Pay as you go public relations | You simply pay an affordable hourly rate. Is your Marketing Manager going on leave? Do you have a project or campaign that needs managing? We specialise in interim cover and deliver public relations when you need it.

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