Your company has some big news to share and you need to write an attention grabbing press release to share with your audience. But how do you get people to read it? In today’s fast-paced mobile world people are consuming media at lightning speeds. So in the split second that you have to catch the reader’s attention you must write something worth reading.

At Issuer Direct we understand press releases. Operating through our press release distribution service, our team of highly trained editors help our clients process press releases in the most efficient way possible. Over time, some of our clients have asked for press release writing advice. We hope that the following tips and free press release template will simplify the press release writing process and help you reach a larger audience.

1. THE 4 W’S 

The first paragraph of your press release is the most important paragraph. This is your opportunity to capture the reader’s interest. Which is why you need to include the most vital information in the beginning.

The four W’s help you to include this important information. The four W’s are the Who, What, When and Where of your press release and they all need to be included in your first paragraph.

• The “Who” – The people involved. For example the specific people like the CEO and CFO of the company. Anyone that you quote in your press release would be considered “the who.”

• The “What” – The news or event that you are announcing in your press release. For example, an Annual Shareholder Meeting or Webcast. Be sure to include all event information in your press release.
• The “When” - The time that your news or event will occur. When your press release is distributed it will be automatically time stamped. But remember, if there is a future time associated with your news be sure to include that as well.  

• The “Where” – The location of your news. Be sure to include an exact location and address if your news is about an event.  You may leave out this information if there is not a specific location.
  

This may sound like a challenge to fit all of this information into the first paragraph, but it’s easier than you think. When writing a press release, the goal is to be as brief as possible while providing necessary information. So when writing the most important paragraph of your press release, keep it simple by keeping words to a minimum. That way adding the four W’s should be simple.

2. STAY AWAY FROM FLUFF

Fluff is a term used frequently by journalists to describe unnecessary information. Avoid using fluff at all costs in a press release. Again, you want to try to keep words to a minimum. Adding fluff will only bore the reader and distract them from important information.

Many people believe that the second and third paragraphs are irrelevant and can be filled with fluff if you effectively make your point in the first paragraph. However, a well written press release will make every attempt to keep the reader interested throughout the entire release. It may be tempting to be extra descriptive, and in many other forms of writing it is encouraged to be descriptive, but not when writing press releases. This is true now more than ever due to the rise in mobile use. Audiences now consume media at an incredibly fast rate and you want to make sure that your message is heard.

3. PROMOTION IS KEY

After your press release is distributed you should promote your news across all of your social media pages. Sharing company news on your social pages allows you to reach an entirely new audience that you may previously have been unable to reach. Certain newswires, such as Accesswire, can automatically post your press release to their social channels at the time of dissemination. This makes it even simpler to place your news in front of your growing social media audience.

To add to your social media promotion, you can also publish a blog post about your press release, add a link to your press release in your email signature or send out a marketing email that includes your press release. There are many ways for you to promote your news and ways that the editorial staff at your newswire service can help. Don’t be afraid to ask any newswire editorial team for promotion suggestions.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN

Want to make press release writing even easier? We have created a free press release template for you to use the next time you write a press release. This download includes the free template and a few secret tips we didn’t include in this post!

Click below to download.