Preparing to Write Your Press Release

There are a couple of things you must do before you begin writing your press release (also called media release).

1. Press releases start with the most important point and work their way down to the least important. If you don’t catch your reader’s attention right away, they will not keep reading to the end. Make a list of the points you want to cover in the media release and list them in order of importance.

2. Press releases answer the questions: who, what, when, where, why and how. Who (or what) is the news about? What is the news? When did it happen? Where did it happen? Why is this news? How will it affect the reader. Having the answers to these questions before writing your announcement makes your job easier.

Headline

The headline of a media release is your first opportunity to capture the attention of the reader. A lackluster and uninteresting headline is an immediate turnoff that makes the content of your announcement irrelevant.

So, exactly how do you write an attention getting press release headline? Media release headlines are written in an announcement style and include the company’s name. Include your company’s latest achievement, newsworthy event or new product or service. A simple way to write a great headline is to gather the main keywords from your press release and form a logical, attention-getting statement from them.

Once you the headline written, properly format it. Announcement headlines are in bold and have a font size larger than the text of the announcement. Always capitalize the first letter of each word, but leave the rest of the headline in lowercase letters. Writing the headline after the media release is written may make the task much easier.

Body

The first line of a press release begins with the date, city and state of origin. You don’t have to include the city and state if, for example, you’re in Dallas and writing about in your company’s California office.

The first paragraph of a media release comes directly after the date and city/state and is basically a summary of the entire announcement. Similar to the headline, the first sentence of this paragraph must capture the reader’s attention while stating exactly what the announcement is about. The remaining 1 to 2 sentences explain the main point in further detail.

The remaining paragraphs elaborate on the summary provided in the first paragraph. Utilize the lists made before you started writing. The easiest way to write the rest of the announcement is to read over your lists and assemble paragraphs about the information you included, Keep in mind that the most important point(s) come first.

Close to the end of the media release, include a “call to action.” This is a very important part. Without it, your readers won’t know what to do with the information provided. A call to action, for example, may be your desire to readers buy a product/service (include where it’s available) or enter a contest (include how to do so).

Additional Points

* Paragraphs are 3-5 sentences long.

* Don’t fill your announcement with advertisements or it will likely be rejected. The point is to provide information about recent events in your company, not sell something.

Conclusion

The conclusion of your media release is where you include information about your company and should have its own title, for example “About ABC Company.” Describe your company in 5 to 10 sentences. Include contact information. Contact information includes: company name, media contact person, physical address, telephone and fax numbers, business hours, any relevant email addresses and a link to your website. Put three # symbols, centered on the page, as the very last line of your press release. This signifies the end of the release.

These simple guidelines ensure you are well on your way to creating a successful press release. There are many good professional writing services that write media releases on a regular basis. Contact one of them for additional information and advice.

About the Author: Mike Lawson is a freelance writer, entrepreneur and internet marketing professional. Learn more about effectively marketing your business here:

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Press releases are a staple when it comes to getting an important message out to the buying public. They are a public relations tool to give useful information to potential customers. They have a rich history in business marketing. They keep consumers informed about products and services. They can certainly be helpful in making people aware of your affiliate product.

When you write up a press release, you send it off in the hopes that someone will publish it. This may be offline or online. Your best bet for publication is a trade or professional publication in your market niche. Your press release will have a journalistic, news reporting tone and look to it. It will not “read” or appear as an advertisement. Even though it will be about your affiliate product, it will not blatantly “sell” the product.

What are the components of a good press release? There is a general standard format for this type of communication vehicle. They are traditionally a page or two in length. For an example of press releases from corporations, check out different companies’ websites. They often post a record of their press releases under their “Investors” tab.

Study a sampling of press releases from different enterprises and look for the similarities in format. You can then write your own affiliate product press releases according to this accepted format. The following are what you will typically see when it comes to a press release:

Company Name, Address, Date, and Release Information

Your business name and your address should appear above the main headline. It will be on the left-hand side of the page. The date of the press release will appear above the main headline on the right-hand side of the page. Above the main headline in this area, you will also type the words “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.” You may also want to delay release until a specific date. In that case, you may type something like “HOLD RELEASE UNTIL JANUARY 1, 2009.”

Headline

This is in bold type and trumpets the most important and significant aspect of your press release. An example would be “John Doe and Sons Introduce Environmentally-Friendly Widget.”

Origin of Press Release

Below your headline, at the beginning of the first sentence of your press release, you type the location from where the press release is coming from. This will be the city or town from where you conduct your affiliate business. The date can go here again. This area would look like this: Des Moines, Iowa, January 1, 2009.

Body Copy

In your body copy, you want the news out. Here you relate the Who, What, Where, When and Why of your press release. This is where you give all that vital information to your reader.

You can break up the body with sub-titles, bullet points, and short paragraphs for an easy read. Let your readers know why this press release is important in a concise and compelling way. Include interesting facts, figures, data, and statistics that will catch your readers’ attention here. Just make sure they are relevant to the press release.

Final Paragraph

In a final paragraph, you can direct readers to where they can find more information about you and your affiliate product. This will be your website, blog, and article writing efforts on the Internet.

You can also include a small paragraph here about your enterprise. In addition, press releases, often conclude with “END.” A publishing mechanism that has the weight of tradition behind it, it is still part of many press releases today.

Keep your press releases focused, short, and to-the-point. They are a great way to promote your affiliate business and cost you nothing but the time needed to write one. They can gain you exposure and help you drive you affiliate business forward.

Write On!

Tiva

(Tiva Kelly is the Head of Article Coaching and offers advice to authors at Article Marketer, a highly popular article distribution service. Learn how to market your small business by submitting articles through Article Marketer. )