Nothing is more disheartening for business owners and marketing professionals than writing several press releases that no one will read. Yet, press releases are a leading factor for the growth of your organization that make journalists, investors, and the broader audience that generally stays outside your marketing channels get to know about your business or organization.
A press release holds enough power to attract people and engage them in the content you provide, which also increases the chances of turning readers into potential clients or customers. However, ignoring factors, such as publishing on the wrong day or time, can bring down the effectiveness of the press releases.
Below are some sound tips to help you write an engaging press release that grasps the attention of a wider audience and help your organization succeed.
- The headline holds the attention
Suppose a journalist gets hundreds of emails daily. How can you make your press release stand out from the rest of the others? A simple piece of advice would be to work on a headline. Believe it or not, a headline is enough for the reader to catch the attention and be interested even to read the complete information further.
A single-sentence headline can reflect authentic creativity that will engage the readers. Keep it as short as six words, but write in a way that provokes the readers’ emotions and directly connects to them.
- Organize the information correctly
Remember to mention the location, state, and city of your organization. You would want the journalist and then the audience to stay away from the words that might turn them completely off track to the basic general information.
- Leading is for the lead
Journalists read your press release in a hurry and look for only the information they are interested in. That is why you need to include all the necessary information regarding the main point with specified vital facts and information that is required for someone to get the overall idea of the supporting information within the first paragraph. Then, save the secondary information for the second and third paragraphs if the reader decides to go on further.
- Keep a check on the five “Ws.”
The reader is interested in what, who, when, where, and why. The basic five Ws rule must be on your fingertips to prep before writing the press release. What is happening, why, and where?
When and who are all involved? Without all this information, your email is going straight into the dumps.
- End organically:
After you have mentioned all the necessary information about the company, always figure out a smooth segway to end the press release. An efficient way to do this is by adding a catchy but encouraging quote. Journalists and readers love quotes, and nothing is more impactful than an insightful quote by the company’s president or the chairperson. Remember that the section must be the original words and should not look copied and pasted. Refrain from mentioning anything that looks nothing like a natural person would say.
You must keep in mind that the press release always ends with a minimum of three hashtags. It is to justify your points and signal to the reader that your press release has been completed. In addition, this is an intelligent way to hint to the reporter or the journalist that you know how the news releases work and are obliged to be taken more seriously.