Marketing and promotions are essential for any business to flourish. Along with the promotions, the public relations sector of any business creates and maintains the brand identity and reputation. Marketing campaigns and public relations activity have one thing in common which is a press release. You may think, with the advancements in technology and the arrival of the internet might have reduced the importance and relevance of a PR (press release), but in reality, it is far more different.
However, mostly because press releases are in writing and do not usually get any response, business owners, especially those who have start-ups and small businesses find them intimidating and stay reluctant. Despite having serious benefits and credibility, not knowing how to craft an effective press release can rob you of the opportunity to build brand reputation and credibility. So what is a press release? What do you gain from publishing a PR? What are the tips for writing a press release? Read along to know the details.
What is PR?
Before going into the thorough details on how to craft an effective press release, you must know what a PR is. The sole purpose of PRs existing is to share any news of your company with the media to gain positive media interaction and coverage. Therefore, what you are publishing via PR must be newsworthy and have complete credibility. To simplify, a press release is an official announcement that companies make to the media. If the PR is newsworthy, the media then take up on the content and publish it as a news story and the announcement reaches mass media and people who it was intended to.
What are the Types of PR?
Now that the concept of what a press release is clear, let’s move on to the next part where you will learn about the types of PR. They are –
- Product or service announcement
- Branch opening announcement
- Change in management announcement
- Merger and acquisition announcement
- Hiring announcement
- Award or recognition announcement
- Crisis announcement
- Event announcement
These are the most common types of PR announcements that companies publish or directly send to the media.
Why Write a PR?
Now the real question is, the world is practically living on the internet where the importance and popularity of traditional newspaper media have reduced a lot, so why do we still need PRs? The answer to this question is, PRs are definitely still relevant, even though there is not much of traditional media left. The press releases have evolved and now active participation in modern marketing campaigns. Let’s dig deeper into why you should write a press release and submit it to top-tier media outlets.
- Publicity and Awareness: Small businesses and start-ups in particular have trouble when it comes to creating brand awareness. Press releases can help a lot in the process of building a brand reputation and creating some buzz around the business.
- Media Attention: When you are writing a PR and it is newsworthy, it will get picked up by the media and they will publish it as a news story, pouring a lot of seriousness and credibility into that. This will bring attention to your company and will help you broaden your audience reach.
- Shape the Perception of the General Public: Just doing publicity and getting the word out is not enough, you need to make sure you are impressing people along the way. Press releases published by authoritative, trusted, and reputed media will help you do that.
- Improved SEO: A PR containing keywords will bring your better results when it comes to web traffic and SEO. This means the popularity of your brand in the online world will also increase.
How to Write a PR?
Now let’s come into the tips quickly and discuss how you will craft a press release that will gain you immediate media attention and guaranteed increased ROI.
- Write a Captivating Headline
The first and foremost rule of writing any content is to include a headline that will attract the readers immediately. Only after reading a headline, the readers will decide whether they want to move forward and keep reading it or not. So the first step is to write an attractive headline that will attain the readers’ minds and make them take your PR seriously. Keep your headline clear and simple that should give readers a glimpse of what they can expect from the content.
- Quickly Tell Them What They Need to Know
A press release is not ideally long, so the length of a PR matters more than you think. Remember the target audience of a press release is not the general mass, but the reporters who stay busy during the day and do not have much time in their hands. So state the 5Ws such as: Who is this story about? What is happening? Where is it going? When will it occur? Why is it important? The answers to these questions should be in the first paragraph, keeping the most important facts at the beginning.
- Include Relevant Quotes
The format of a press release is often formal, so to humanize the content you may add quotes. These quotes can come from the management or any important person in your industry but remember to always keep these quotes relevant. These will help add some more depth and credibility to your PR.
- Be Unbiased
One singular most important thing to consider when you are writing a press release is to include nothing but facts. You need to be 100% honest and unbiased in the content as journalists will not take your PR seriously if you claim your product or service to be the “best” in your PR.
- Include Your Date and Location
The journalists will look for the date of when the press release has been published and the place from where it has been published. So do not forget to add the date and location of your company in the PR as it will help establish its relevance.
- Tell Them Who to Contact
In the end, you must always add the contact information of either the Public Relations team of your company or the marketing team so that the reporters know who to contact if they need any additional information or have any additional queries.
- Summarize What Your Business is in Boilerplate
Lastly, summarize what your company does and what the business is about in the boilerplate. This will add depth to your press release and the journalists will also get to know more information about who you are and what you do.
Before you send out press releases make sure you have a newsworthy announcement and limit your press release to a specific format and length.
