By: Jason Kay
Submitted: 2009-12-10 13:22:35 | Word Count: 526
Writing a press release for dissemination to various media sources can be a great way to gain exposure for your company, your website, or a new product that you are selling. But like anything else that is written you have to be sure that the press release you write is done with all the right things in mind. If you take the time to write a press release that simply sounds like a sales pitch and is filled with grammatical errors you are in fact wasting your time and the press release will not be read by very many people. Those who do read it will simply write it off as a joke and your efforts will be all for not.
Here are some essential tips on writing a press release that are sure to have more people reading it:
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•Be selective with information: Be sure that the information in the press release is newsworthy and not too sales pitchy.
•Hook the reader: Your press release should ‘hook’ the reader and let them know right off the bat why they are reading the press release and why they should continue to read.
•Be descriptive in the right way: Always start the press release out with a short summary of the news and then who is releasing it and not the other way around.
•Make it relatable: If you were to read the press release, would you relate to it? If not then chances are neither will anyone else.
•Choose words wisely: Avoid using lots of adjectives and fancy lingo in the press release. This can be a major turn off to readers especially if the lingo is specific to an industry which is known as ‘insider’ talk.
•Write factual: Stick to the facts and do not fabricate press releases. No one likes a liar.
•Make sure there is plenty of contact info: Give as much contact info as possible including phone numbers, fax numbers, and in some cases even an e mail address. Be sure you are also including the name of your company and the contact person.
•Keep it to one page: You will want to aim to keep your press release short and to the point and down to one page if possible. No one wants to take the time to read a press release that has as many pages as a short story.
•Beware the format: Depending on which source you release your press release through you may have to use a specific format. If there is a specific format that is required and you fail to produce your press release in that format, it will more than likely get tossed in the trash and never make it to the news wire.
When properly executed a well written press release will not only draw attention to your company but it will also have the possibility of getting picked up by any number of media outlets. This scenario will never happen however if you do not take the time to be sure that your press release is done in the proper format, is well written, and above all else, is interesting to the reader.
