How to Write a Press Release
So, how to write a press release? That's a million dollar question.
If done right, it can indeed bring you a million dollars in revenue.
Let's get started by answering what a press release is.
"A press release is simply a statement prepared for distribution to the news media
announcing something claimed as having news value with the intent of gaining media coverage."
A press release consists of following elements:
- Headline -
The headline is the first single line of text in the press release and tells what the press release is about.
It can be a very effective tool to grab the attention of the journalists,
so writing it from a journalists perspective is very important.
All that the journalists care about is readers.
Think what headlines catch your eyes in the newspaper.
Identify a unique feature about your product or service and then
write how it is going to revolutionize the world.
- Dateline -
The dateline contains the release date of the press release and
usually also the originating city of the press release.
- Summary -
The summary let's your build up your chance to sell your press release to the journalist.
It is generally a requirement of online press release services and it can be of the size of a small paragraph.
- Introduction -
The introduction is where the press release body starts.
It is the first paragraph in a press release,
that generally gives basic answers to the questions of who, what, when, where and why.
- Body -
The body comes after the introduction.
It gives further explanation, statistics, background, or other details relevant to the news
and also serves to back up whatever claims were made in the introductory paragraph.
- About -
The about section is also called the "boilerplate" as it used over and over again.
It is generally a short section providing background information on the
press release issuing company, organization or individual.
- Media Contact Information -
This section contains the name, phone number, email address, mailing address,
or other contact information for the media relations contact person.
General Tips - It is very useful to look at other people's press releases.
Feel free to take a look at the most viewed press releases on this site,
as it usually gives a lot of insight into how to write a press release.
Submit A Press Release Now
|
