Press Release Writing Tips: How to Craft Strong A Strong Document That Commands Attention

Press release writing tips are easy to come by. Everyone has a solution, and many will even say that press releases are dead. That couldn’t be further from the truth. While times have changed and there may be better solutions based on the level of news, press releases have their place.?

I have written so many press releases that I have lost count, and I love writing every one of them. Each press release is unique in its own way, so saying that I have a specific template for you is difficult.?

Yet, there are a few key things that every press release should include to capture the attention of media outlets, engage your stakeholders, and drive visibility for your brand.

Press release writing involves more than just stringing together a few paragraphs of information. It requires careful strategy, tactical execution, and adherence to industry standards.?

Start with a Strong Headline

The title or headline is the first thing that journalists, shareholders, and other readers will see, so make it count. Make them react!?

I like to keep it concise, engaging, and informative. However, some people like to add multiple subheadings nowadays. Doing this can be helpful if the press release is lengthy and hard to understand, but that also defeats the purpose of this article.?

Aim to capture the essence of your news in just a few words if possible, and be sure to include relevant industry keywords for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. For instance, a client that wants to be more known for biometrics in the pharmaceutical industry needs to have keywords associated with that in the headline.?

Focus on SEO Value

SEO is often seen as a technical marketing tactic; one that public relations professionals don’t need to worry about. To me, that thinking is short-sighted.?

To optimize press release writing, we want search engines like Google and Bing to easily find the relevant keywords and phrases throughout our content and serve the press release to interested parties.?

Here’s a great article on SEO tips from Ahrefs if you are completely lost right now.

In this article, I’ve identified my SEO keyword or keyphrase as “press release writing tips,” for instance. In a press release, you would want to identify primary and secondary keywords related to your announcement and strategically place them in the headline, lead paragraph, and body of the press release.

Incorporate Strong Metrics

My personal favorite press release writing tip is to include metrics. In fact, I share this when I present to audiences on the importance of LinkedIn as well. Great metrics are everything, and they do the following three things really well:

• Add a depth of credibility and context
• Provide clarity to a company’s growth
• Attract the attention of the intended audience

These quantitative metrics could include sales figures, customer testimonials, or performance statistics to substantiate your news. Just ensure that the metrics included in the press release are written to be accurate, up-to-date, and support the key points of your announcement.

Follow Associated Press (AP) Stylebook

When I started in PR, I remember having one AP Stylebook that would be passed from desk to desk throughout the office, and every year we would have to buy a new copy to ensure that we had the most up-to-date information. I memorized a lot of information that year.?

For me, it's second nature now, but when writing a press release, adhering to the AP Stylebook is essential for consistency and professionalism in your press release writing.?

Now, you can look up almost everything you need to know online, but it’s important to know rules for formatting, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization rules. Additionally, press release writing may be slightly different than how you learned to write in school if you were in a scientific program or a normal business school. For instance, AP style for dates, numbers, titles, and abbreviations can look different but is important to maintain credibility and readability.

End with a Strong Boilerplate

Every press release ends with a section that is about the company. This is called the boilerplate, and it should provide a solid background about the company, including key facts and/or products, the company’s mission, and what it’s known for.?

This should be a brief overview to reinforce the brand identity. That said, keep the boilerplate concise, but informative. Additionally, it should remain fairly consistent across all press releases and rarely be changed.

The only time that I generally change a boilerplate is when a company:?

• hits a major milestone,?
• launches a new major product, or
• changes its identity or key focus area.??

These five areas are just the beginning and each could have its own chapter in a book on press release writing tips. However, by following the aforementioned tips, you have the beginnings of what is needed to craft a great press release that commands attention.?

Still need help writing a great press release? Message me for help.