How to Write Incredibly Awesome Press Releases

How To Write

(incredibly awesome)

Press Releases

Rebecca Bredholt

Marketing Consultant Manager

Agenda

8:30-8:45am Introduction to News

8:45-9:00am Headline Worksheet

9:00-9:30am Introduction to Press Releases

9:30-9:45am PR Worksheet

9:45-10:00am Q & A

Tweet with us: @Vocus #PRWeb

What is News?

“If you really want to get the attention of a

serious journalist working at a serious publication

, talk realistically about impact.

My editor always asks, ‘So what, who cares?’

Tell people in that industry why they should care.”

— Andy Ashby, Memphis Business Journal


What is News?

• Hard News

• Soft News

• Timely News

• Evergreen News


Hard News


Soft News


Timely News


Evergreen News


Headline Worksheet


Introduction to Press Releases

• Newswires are meant to distribute hard news.

• Press releases are not long advertisements.

• Some content is better off as a blog.

• Your news competes with everything online.

• Most businesses have news & don’t realize it.

• Typos and spelling errors last forever online.

• PRWeb Editorial Guidelines are definitive.


Steps to Writing Press Releases

1. Have News

2. Do Your Homework

3. Write the Body Copy First

4. Write the Summary Next

5. Write the Headline Last

6. Edit/Proofread

7. Publish!

8. Begin the “real work”


Headline• Short (no more than 80 characters with spaces)

• Provides information; not a marketing pitch or advertisement

• Clarifies timely news

• In Title Case

• Gets a reader’s attention quickly

• Makes the reader want to learn more

• Third person objective voice

• Company name and/or keyword prominent

• Place specified, not just “local”

• *SEO Tip: Google may not index the release if the headline is longer than 22 words


Necessary Components of a

PRWeb Press Release


PRWeb Press Release

Summary

• One to two sentences long

• Contains the essence of the release, useful for skimming the copy

• Use to your advantage – make it enticing enough to compel readers to read on (the summary and headline are visible in search engines)

• Keyword, or alternative, should appear

• *SEO Tip: For complete Google indexing, 152 characters


Body

• Neat, tidy, error-free and not too long

• Divided into paragraphs of roughly 3-5 lines

• Often contains a quote after the first or second paragraph

• 300 – 800 words long, or roughly one single-spaced page in a standard word processor

• Keeps to a single news event, offering supporting information in reverse importance from the top down

• *SEO Tip: Be careful to avoid the appearance of keyword stuffing; more important to have well written, compelling content



PRWeb Press Release

Everybody hates writing the first sentence

• Fact: “Rare personalized paintings from Jon Doe will be auctioned off at the South County weekend fair.”

• Fact: “This is the only opportunity to purchase one of these paintings before the National Museum hosts them indefinitely.”

• Fact: “The paintings are valued at more than $100,000 and the bidding will start at $100.”

• Fact: “The fair will take place at the downtown convention center and parking is free.”

• Fact: “The fair starts Friday at 9 p.m. and runs through Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in cash at the gate.”



PRWeb Press Release

Boilerplate

• “About the Company”

• Keyword prominent

• By definition, “A unit of writing that can be used over and over without change.”

• Establishes special credentials, awards, appearances, etc.

• Followed by a safe harbor statement, if it is a financial release

• *SEO tip: Good for SEO to have keyword included here.



PRWeb Press Release

Search Engine Optimization

• Optimizing a press release means making sure your content contains the same words/phrases that your target audience is going to use when searching for said content.

• The best way to be optimized, is to be relevant and write naturally.

• Bad tactics include cramming words/phrases in an unnatural way into headlines and sentences.

Please read this article:

http://www.bloggingprweb.com/building-the-press-of-the-future















Choosing your Release Options

• Date and time

• Regional focus

• Industry focus

• Media Lists

• Financial information


Expert Tips

• Newsjack

• Publish early in the morning

• Pitch journalists offering an exclusive quote to go with online release

• Tweet your own horn using a popular/relevant hashtag

• Offer statistical context


PR Worksheet


Questions?

How To Write


Press Releases

Rebecca Bredholt


Resources

Synonyms

http://thesaurus.com/

National Events/Holidays

http://www.holidayinsights.com/everyday.htm

Grammar Guides

http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/affect-effect-grammar.html

PRWeb Editorial Guidelines

http://service.prweb.com/learning/article/editorial-guidelines/

Help a Reporter Out

www.helpareporterout.com




















http://www.helpareporterout.com/

Questions to help you find your news

Has anything happened in national news, local news, or industry news in the last 60 days that you could offer an opinion on, insight into or context around?

Have you noticed one area of your business growing/shrinking more than another? Is there anything happening in the current political or economic environment that might be contributing to this?

Are there more competitors or fewer competitors in your industry today than a year ago? Why/why not?

How have your customers’ needs changed in the last year? Why? How has your product or service evolved to meet that changing need?

Are there any local or national political/government changes taking place that could affect your business? If so, how to do you plan to respond or adapt? What advice would you give others in your same situation?



Have you or your business made any charitable contributions

lately? Or anyone on your staff?

Have there been any weather events making headlines that your

product, service or expertise could speak to?

What are the top 5 or 10 mistakes that are common in your

industry? How can one avoid or fix these errors?

If you’ve implemented a social media campaign as a small

business, what lessons did you learn?



If you have content on your website, which sections are the most

popular? Have those sections increased or decreased in visits over the

last month or quarter? Why do you think that is? Has a national or local

event happened that may have affected that page’s popularity during

that time? Ex: National Spa Week causes increased website traffic to

Spa Directory website.

If you’re an entrepreneur, what 5 pieces of advice would you offer other

entrepreneurs in your local area? In your industry? For your gender?

For your marital status? For your age in life?

What tips can you offer people looking for your product or service?

What qualifications in a service provider should they look for? What

product guarantees should be standard?




Has anything happened in national news, local news, or industry news in the last 60 days that you could offer an opinion on, insight into or context around?

Have you noticed one area of your business growing/shrinking more than another? Is there anything happening in the current political or economic environment that might be contributing to this?

Are there more competitors or fewer competitors in your industry today than a year ago? Why/why not?

How have your customers’ needs changed in the last year? Why? How has your product or service evolved to meet that changing need?

Are there any local or national political/government changes taking place that could affect your business? If so, how to do you plan to respond or adapt? What advice would you give others in your same situation?

Have you or your business made any charitable contributions lately? Or anyone on your staff?

Have there been any weather events making headlines that your product, service or expertise could speak to?

• What are the top 5 or 10 mistakes that are common in your industry? How can one avoid or fix these errors?

• If you have content on your website, which sections are the most popular? Have those sections increased or decreased in visits over the last month or quarter? Why do you think that is? Has a national or local event happened that may have affected that page’s popularity during that time? Ex: National Spa Week causes increased website traffic to Spa Directory website.

• If you’ve implemented a social media campaign as a small business, what lessons did you learn?

• If you’re an entrepreneur, what 5 pieces of advice would you offer other entrepreneurs in your local area? In your industry? For your gender? For your marital status? For your age in life?

• What tips can you offer people looking for your product or service? What qualifications in a service provider should they look for? What product guarantees should be standard?

Thank You

How To Write


Press Releases

Rebecca Bredholt


How to Write Incredibly Awesome Press Releases

Business

Transcript of How to Write Incredibly Awesome Press Releases