Press releases are extremely effective marketing tools that put your message, your products and services, and your company name in front of large numbers of people fast. Many people fail to use them because they are often times overwhelmed, not knowing what a press release is, how to write one, or how to distribute it.
Press releases are really just story snippets or newsworthy bits of information that have been formed into a universally accepted format for easy distribution and consumption by news media (both traditional TV and paper outlets as well as modern online outlets.) The key to creating a successful release is crafting a “story” that is attention-grabbing–something people are going to want to read–without hyping it up. Press releases are not sales letters.
The most important part of your release is the headline. The next two most important parts are the summary and the opening paragraph. Why? Because when most people come across a press release or article (especially online), they never read past the first few words of the headline. You, as the writer, need to grab the reader’s attention at he very beginning and make them want to hear what you have to say.
Also, don’t forget to provide your contact information. The press release functions as an introduction between the reader and yourself and is designed to make them want to learn more. If you fail to give them the resources they need to do that (email, web address, phone number) the release will just be a waste of time.
Thinking of the press release as an introduction, it follows that you would want to put your best foot forward. Make sure your press release is 100% free from grammatical and spelling errors. Your release may be the first (and last) thing a prospective partner or customer sees of your company.
Distributing press releases has become easier than ever before. There are a number of websites that will distribute your release for you; some charge and some don’t. As a general rule, you will get more “bang for your buck” from services that charge a fee (such as PR Web, the most prominent and highly respected of the bunch), though you should not totally discount the free services, especially when you’re just “testing the waters.”
Learning to use press releases is an important step toward building any business or organization. Even in the digital age they remain one of the most important marketing tools a company (or individual) has available to them.