How to Write a Press Release
There are many ways to market a website but sometimes choosing the right way can be the most challenging part.
Not only must the right way be identified, but it also needs to be executed effectively as well. If you have a product, service, or any noteworthy company news that people would like to hear about, then writing and issuing a press release could get it some nice coverage.
Knowing how to write a press release will be essential here, and we will detail how you can do it and show you a press release sample template for you to analyze as well.
What is a Press Release?
“A press release is an official statement issued to news outlets giving information on a particular matter. It can be about things such as industry awards you just won, promotions you are running, products, services, events etc.”
With so many news outlets having an online presence now which expands their circulation, having one of these websites publishing a statement about your website can bring you incredible amounts of traffic and also give you a backlink. This method most likely will cost you money but, the potential it can bring your website is huge.
Think of a press release as a sales tool. You have the opportunity to spread your message to thousands upon thousands of people that you otherwise would not have reached.
You have one shot to get it right and say what you want before an editor decides if it’s newsworthy so you need to make sure that it isn’t spammy or an obvious attempt to generate publicity.
These magazine editors get so many of these types of press release submissions that they can easily spot a good one from a poor attempt so it must be good. Don’t be afraid to hire a high-quality writer or a specialized agency to write it for you.
What Should A Press Release Include?
Newsworthy Content
Think about when you are reading the news, you can probably spot an article or blog post that has just been published as filler content because the editor needed to fill in some empty space.
This article lacks any substance and even rehashes old and tired points that have already been done to death. Your article needs to *POP* with interesting facts and have a ton of personality shining through to captivate the readers. This can automatically make them think that your brand is interesting and they won’t be able to help but to see what you are about.
A Short But Catchy Headline
“Automotive Industry Giants Making Way For Newcomer”
This instantly gets people interested because the title implies that there is a new automotive company on the scene that is doing big things and people are noticing. People who read this headline will be intrigued to know who this newcomer is and what they are doing that is so good.
Short Sentences
Your press release should be as easy to read as possible.
The longer a sentence is, the more chances a person has of losing focus and interest in what it says.
Facts
Why is your company so good? How many % have you grown over the years? How well do your products or services sell? Have you always hit your company targets?
Facts can add substance and validate your claims. This gives you authority and people can take notice because of this. Anyone can just make a bunch of claims that sound good, but being able to back them up or give weight to them can make people listen.
Who, What, When, Why, and Where
Who – Who is this press release about? – Your Company
What – What is the news? – Your Company is doing something
When – When is this happening? – Next week, month, etc.
Why – Why is this news? – This is something new and revolutionary
Where – Where is this happening? – Is this at a physical location, or online?
Outline your press release based on these points without actually listing them. They need to seamlessly blend into the copy and you will see an example of a press release below.
How to Write A Press Release
Your press release should be ready for the editor to publish when they receive it. Editors are very busy and usually only have time to skim read over all the submissions they get.
Make sure it is free of grammatical errors and has a proper structure and flow to it so the editor doesn’t have to make any changes. This also speeds up your chances of getting approved for publication.
Press Release Sample Template
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Your Name Launches New App
American fitness trainer “Your Name,” and renowned industry expert is launching a new app called “App Name”. This app is set to revolutionize the fitness industry because it allows people to keep track of their daily lifestyle goals like never before seen.
“Your Name”, who has been a personal trainer for over twenty years and featured in numerous infomercials, has announced today that his new fitness app “App Name” is set to give the fitness industry a massive shakeup.
“App Name” helps to give people the opportunity to monitor their health, fitness, and nutritional habits from the convenience of an application on their smartphone. Users will be able to enter their daily habits such as what they eat, how long they slept for, what exercises they did and “App Name” will record everything to help people stay consistent.
Before “Your Name” was a personal trainer, he was a nutritionist and dietitian who was running his own business in Alberta. He is very well-known and widely respected in his local area for helping a community with bad health and lifestyle habits start to change their ways for the better. After six years of running his business, “Your Name” decided that he needed a change of pace.
“I wasn’t satisfied with just telling people what to eat,” said “Your Name”, creator of “App Name”. “I wanted to become a personal trainer and combine that profession with my nutritional expertise to really give my clients the best results that they can achieve.”
“Your Name” has defined himself in the fitness industry as an expert with a tough-love approach to getting the best out of people. He is also a published author and has written over ten eBooks and paperbacks covering a diverse range of health and fitness topics.
“App Name” draws on “Your Name”s incredible experience to give its users an all-in-one solution for their lifestyle needs and goals.
Users will be able to utilize a host of features including watching informational videos, keeping track of their daily calorie intake and using its built-in heart rate monitor. “App Name” then shows users daily statistics on their progress and informs them on what they need to do to stick to their goals.
“App Name” is slated for release next Sunday on the iTunes store and retails at a one-time price of $4.95 for all users. We can be sure that this one is going to be an instant hit.
How to Submit A Press Release
Once you know how to write a press release and have a quality one written like the example above, you need to get it out there. You can use two common methods for submitting your press release.
1 – Manually find online news platforms and email the editors with your press release.
2 – Sign up to prweb.com and they will submit and distribute your press release to thousands of news websites including cnn.com, bbc.com, and similar websites.
PRweb.com does cost money for every platform that publishes your press release so the cost of this will vary. They do, however, have an extensive network of news websites to forward your press release to and it could be published on some major news websites.
This could be your best option and also save you a lot of time and manual work as well. If you genuinely have a good press release that’s newsworthy, then getting it published on the biggest news outlets possible would be a logical choice.
How To Write A Press Release For Best Results
Now that you know how to write a press release, it's time to get started and submit it to news outlets. This can be a great start for new brands to get their name out there and attract some eyeballs and hopefully some sales too.
It can also assist with your websites SEO because these press releases are creating high-authority backlinks to your website. This can be a great little boost for new brands to get started before they start an advertising campaign.