• 4-minute read
• 14th July 2018

5 Tips for Writing a Press Release

Need to promote an event or changes at your company? Then you need to write a press release! But how do you make sure yours has the impact you want it to? We have a few tips to share, including:

1. Identify the key people and organisations you need to mention.
2. Come up with a catchy headline that will grab people’s attention.
3. Think about what you want to achieve via the press release.
4. Use stats and sound bites to make your release quotable.
5. Plan when to publish your press release (and whether to use an embargo).

For more advice on all the above read on below.

1. Identify the Key Players

Think about who to mention in your press release. This could include:

• Your company/organisation
• Employees who have been hired or promoted
• Partner companies or other organisations you’re working with
• Key customers or new clients

In addition, it is essential that press releases reach the right audience. As such, you should think about who you’re writing for and tailor them accordingly. Don’t just use a generic template!

2. Use a Catchy Headline

A press release should grab the reader’s attention from the moment they see it, so a catchy headline is vital. To do this, think about what a journalist needs to get from the headline. This includes:

• What you’re contacting them about
• Why it is newsworthy

It is also a good idea to keep your main headline short (you can add a subheading with extra detail if required). Depending on what you’re writing about, you might also want to use a bit of wordplay. For instance, if we wanted to promote our proofreading service, we could write:

Proofed Puts Full Stop to Punctuation Errors

Sure, that’s a dumb pun. But think of it as a challenge to do better yourself! The important thing is grabbing your reader’s attention from the first line, which will encourage them to read the rest of your message.

3. Consider What You Want to Achieve

The content of your press release will depend heavily on your goals. Are you looking to sell something? Inform your customers or investors about a change? Promote an event? Consider:

• How what you’re writing about affects your business
• What the intended audience will need to know
• Whether you want the reader to act based upon this information

Focus on these to make your message clear, concise, and effective.

4. Make It Quotable

We don’t want to say that journalists are lazy, but they do like it when you make their work easier. And the simplest way to do this is to make your press releases quotable by including:

• Key statistics (e.g. Ms Smith oversaw a 40% rise in productivity).
• Sound bites from people mentioned in the press release.

This will give journalists something to quote.

5. Timing Is Everything!

If your press release is about something that has already happened, you should get it out as soon as possible afterwards. However, you need to plan ahead if you are promoting an upcoming event (e.g. a product release).

Ideally, you should send the press release three to five days before you want coverage to appear. It is also a good idea to include an embargo date to prevent it going out early.

Finally, you might need to consider the best day of the week to send a press release. Traditionally, these have been Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Mondays are also acceptable, but they can be busy so your press release may get lost in the rush! And weekends are never a good time for a press release (unless it is bad news and you’re trying to bury it).

Click here to see our example press release.