How to Write a Successful Press Release?

In any project, communication is essential to reach potential customers. Well, there is a tool you can take advantage of in this regard, and that is press releases.

A press release can help you disseminate news about your brand, announce events, and increase the visibility of your business, thus reaching a wider audience.

What is a press release? How to write a successful press release?

By reading this article, we will address these questions and some more related ones so that you understand everything much better.

Table of Contents

What is a press release?

A press release or news release is a brief text that contains information about a brand, or its products and services.

The document is of journalistic interest and is directed to the media with the aim of being published, to generate visibility and promote the business in question.

Press releases are written objectively and clearly, with brief information of no more than two pages. They are informative, so the use of commercial language should be avoided. And they can link to reliable sources.

It is distributed through online media (newspapers and digital media) and offline media (newspapers, television, radio) and must include contact information so that the media can contact the company.

Normally, it is sent by email with the purpose of obtaining the publication of the content in the shortest time possible.

As a historical fact, we tell you that one of the first press releases took place in 1906, after the train crash in Atlantic City and was issued by the Ivy Lee agency. What happened was that to prevent false rumors about the incident from spreading, the agency sent journalists a press release to disseminate it.

How to Write a Press Release

Before you start writing a press release, you must consider some aspects, as it is evident that it should not be written in just any way to convey the news or information as effectively as possible.

Find the Right Media

Selecting the right media may be one of the most important aspects to consider.

You must identify the media that talk about your topic and related issues to send the press release to them.

Analyze that it is the same country and language as your press release.

Pay attention to the level of authority, credibility of the media, and the quality of its content.

You should also look at the frequency of publication since an active media outlet will also have active readers.

Another very important aspect to evaluate is the quality of the content of the media in question, as it should provide value through verifiable informative content. Otherwise, discard this option for publishing your press releases.

Analyzing the SEO metrics of the media allows us to determine if it has traffic, domain authority, and the links it has.

Once you define the media you will use, you should monitor current news and trends to generate interesting content that aligns with the chosen media.

Write Objectively and Clearly

Write the press release with a direct tone and without too much technical jargon. Do it objectively and in the third person, as it avoids using subjective terms, giving a neutral approach to the text.

The writing should be serious and professional, avoiding adjectives and commercial language. The title should be brief, as well as the length of press releases, which should average about 800 words.

Some media have a length limit for the publication of the press release. Try not to write more than one page and synthesize the most important information at the beginning of the release.

You can expand the information through additional links to the release.

The press release must be interesting for the media and the target audience it is directed to.

Use storytelling as a hook, as it is a way to establish a connection between the business and the potential customer.

It is essential to correct spelling errors and grammatical mistakes before sending the press releases.

Value Press Releases

And here we reach the core of the matter, which is that the content of the press release must provide value through the information it contains.

The content must be 100% original.

Link to verifiable sources such as books, documentaries, etc.

And add attachments with complementary material, such as images, videos, in their corresponding formats. All without overloading the press release.

Parts of the Press Release with an Example

These are the parts of a press release in the same order from beginning to end.

Header or Title

At the top of the document, add the logo or branding image elements so that it is clear who is behind the text.

Followed by a catchy and interesting title that contains the most important information about the press release, without sounding promotional.

Highlight it in bold and do not use rhymes or jokes as they usually do not yield results; however, the title should captivate the journalist so that they decide to publish it.

What also works is to use statistics that complement the press release, for example:

"Spain receives 4.3 million international tourists in February, 35.9% more than in the same month of 2022"

These details add more credibility to the press release. (as you will see in the image)

Lead

The lead is the first paragraph, and as its name indicates, it is a couple of sentences that summarize all the content of the press release.

In it, the journalistic theory called the 5 Ws What, Who, When, Where, and Why is applied, which serves as a guide for organizing the information that will be developed later. We will see it with an example of a current press release:

– What: what is being discussed and its interest. It talks about tourism.

– Who: the protagonists of the events. In this example, the National Statistics Institute (INE).

– When: situate ourselves in the time when the news was given. In February 2023 concerning the previous year 2022.

– Where: the place. In Spain.

– Why: the explanation. Because tourism has increased.

With a simple initial glance, we see that according to the INE, tourism has increased in Spain, making this news of great interest to the Spanish economy.

As you can see in the example image:

Date and Location

Date in long format (2023-Apr-05) and the city where the content was drafted. Put the city where the content was drafted and the date in long format immediately after. Next, the body of the press release will begin.

Body

This part of the press release is where the development of the lead goes. Normally, the information is presented according to its importance, starting with the most important and moving to the less relevant.

The content should develop around the most important first and the least important later.

And yes, it would be great if you develop each idea in a paragraph to avoid overwhelming the journalist or the reader.

Paragraphs should be short, not exceeding 5 lines, and each paragraph should contain one idea, without fluff.

In this part, we can add sources and other multimedia material that adds value to the press release. In the example case, as you can see, a graph completes the press release with the monthly arrival of tourists to Spain.

And add links that can complement the information and increase the credibility of the information.

Additionally, if you have not answered the 5 Ws in the lead, you will need to complete the answers to these questions in this section of the release, mainly in the first lines.

Boilerplate

Boilerplate is an informative paragraph that serves as the closing of the press release. This paragraph includes basic data and information about the business sending the press release:

Name of the company, sector, main activity, differential value it provides…

The purpose of this closing is for the reader to know what the company does and its values, thus it is an opportunity to make the business visible.

Let’s remember that press releases are an informative resource, so the boilerplate is an opportunity to introduce the company in the media.

Contact Information

At the bottom of the document, contact information should be included:

• Name and surname of the responsible person
• Position and area of work
• Email
• Contact phone
• Website (you can add "more information")
• Social media

As you can see in the image at the end of the press release, the contact details are included.

Tips for Success with Your Press Release

When sending your press release to the chosen media, you should consider these recommendations:

Eye-catching Press Release

– Communicate with journalists who have experience in your sector's topic. Send them personalized messages, explaining why your press release is related to what they write.

Journalists have thousands of press releases waiting to be reviewed. You may wonder... what to do to stand out among so many?

– One way to differentiate your press release from the rest is by using video formats, audios, infographics…

Differentiate Yourself in Timing

– It is not advisable for the press release to be published at a specific time, for example, at 3:00 PM. Instead, to avoid competition with other press releases, use a different time, for example, 4:27 PM.

Send It "Under Embargo"

– Send the information "under embargo" to the media to give journalists time.

When a press release is "under embargo," it means that although the media has the information, it cannot be published until the embargo date expires.

For example, if the press release is about an event, you should send it in advance so that it can be published at the right time, not before.

Write Well

– If you or someone from your company is going to write the press release, use SEO writing as much as possible: use of keywords, use of headings, bold text, add interesting links…

Spread It

– Use social media and the web to disseminate the press release and enhance interactions.

– No exact anchor texts as you may incur a Google penalty for artificial linking.

Use "a natural anchor text" where the user can intuitively understand what they will find in the link by reading it.

Unancor as an Intermediary

In this regard, Unancor acts as an intermediary; we not only help you find the ideal anchor text but also a SEO professional will accompany you throughout the process. Offering you a personalized proposal to analyze your project, choose the media, and even take care of the text writing if you prefer.

The first thing you should do is register your project on Unancor. It is very easy and intuitive; you add the name, URL, theme of your website, and country.

Finally, add the most important keywords for your business. Additionally, you have a guide that explains all the functionalities of the tool. What is Affinity? What does Project Manager do? How does Marketplace work?…

As you can see, press releases are useful for gaining exposure in the media.

The key is to communicate interesting information, structure it appropriately, and send it to professionals who are potentially interested in what your brand wants to convey.

Types of Press Releases

All press releases are generally informative, but depending on the objective, we can say that there are different types:

Informative Press Release: 

The objective of a press release is to tell a story about a company, service, or product.

Announcement:

Announces, as its name indicates, a future event. This press release is usually accompanied by an invitation to the event in question.

News: 

This type of press release informs about a past event. In summary, it explains what happened objectively.

Final Recommendations…

It is not necessary to call the media to confirm the receipt of a press release or to insist that they publish it. Doing so will only result in them not publishing it. Be patient and wait a bit; keep in mind the volume of press releases they receive daily.

Avoid sending the same press release twice, as the media may have seen it and simply not published it.

If a news item is not published, it is important to analyze what may have gone wrong and look for opportunities for improvement in the future. At the end of the press release, it is important to include the company's website and, if desired, a brief paragraph with additional information about it.

Regarding the design of the press release, it is advisable to opt for a simple design. Pasting the note in the body of the email is an effective option, as some media may still have issues with more complex PDF formats.

Conclusions

The basic idea is to write a journalistic text that uses simple language, is easy to understand, and is well-written. With verifiable data and without redundancies.

When writing a press release, you should consider some recommendations:

First, choose the media to ensure it aligns with the content of your press release, and after writing it, to make it stand out among the large number of press releases that journalists receive, put in some effort "or a lot" and use different formats than the rest, such as sending infographics.

And disseminate the press release in other media such as social networks.

If you follow these recommendations when drafting the press release, the chances of the media publishing it will increase.

We hope this article has been helpful to you.

Shall we get to work?