Effective Press Releases
Jun 12th, 2008 by admin
Top 5 reasons to write a Press Release:
- Introduction of your business
If you have just started your business, launched a new product or added new features to the existing one, press release is the best way to let people know about it. You can inform the public about why your product or service stands out from the crowd. - Link Building
Press release is one of the best ways of getting backlinks. Google has also started showing press releases on their search results. While writing a press release you can use your important keywords as your anchor text. You can then link it to the pages on your website. When you distribute your press release, your link is pasted on various distributors’ site, giving you better inbound links. - Organic Traffic
Optimized press releases have higher chances of getting good ranks from search engines displaying your PR on their search results. This means you can get organic traffic onto your site. - Promote
You can write press releases to promote: person, business, product, service, event, idea, contest, fundraiser and many more. - Educate or Entertain your targeted audience
You can share your knowledge about your industry. You can discuss about growth of your company, current trends, updates and other subjects that interest the audience.
Press Release Basics:
Press release is a powerful form of advertisement. A good press release can help you convey the message to your targeted audience and lets you promote any development or enhancement in your business. While writing a press release you need to focus on special features of your product or service that sets you apart from the crowd. This should include those attributes that makes you better than your competition. You need to avoid jargon-filled sales pitch in your press release and try to keep the tone natural and conversational. You need to optimize your press release before submitting it. You can include the most important keywords on the title and first paragraph. You can also make use of these keywords for anchor text.
There are many press release distributors available online. You need to submit to the ones that are popular and read by more aundience. Press release distributors might charge you according to the number of words. They might charge you extra for images, videos, documents or podcasts. There are wire distribution services which will publish it for free but will check it manually before publishing it. Wire distribution services classify a press release into:
- National Release: National release targets all the national media outlets.
- Regional Release: The wire services might distribute your press release according to regions.
- State and Local: In countries like U.S.A the press release could be distributed according to the state.
- International Release: It can be distributed based on countries and/or continents.
You need to follow the proper format of press release before submitting it. You can then specify the category under which you want it to appear. The most important thing of all is you need to create effective and compelling press releases to draw attention of readers, bloggers and journalists.
How to write an effective Press Release:
There are few simple steps you need to follow in order to write an effective press release:
- Headline
You need to create catchy headline to grab the attention of the readers. Use relevant and benefits oriented headline. - Contact Information
You need to provide all the contact details to let the audience reach to you easily. You can include your postal address, phone number, fax number, email address, your webpage address and even IM services. You can also mention the hours you’ll be available on phone or IM services. - Summary
Before writing the body content it is important to write the summary of the press release. You need to make this interesting to let the readers go through the whole content. - Body/Content
This is the most important part of your press release. You need to write all the details about the news. Your targeted audience is not only the potential customers but also the journalists, editors or reporters who’d want to publish it if it appeals them. You need to make your press release benefits-oriented. - Signify the End
Let the readers know that they have reached the end of the press release by using some symbols like *** or ### .
Other Tips:
• Keep your press release short up to 1 or 2 pages. Eliminate unnecessary information.
• Do not forget to number your pages if it is more than 1 paged press release.
• Address your press release directly to the editor or the reporter.
• Stick to the facts. Do not fabricate your story just because it sounds good. You need to provide relevant information.
• You need to pick an angle. Make your story interesting and relevant to the current events and social issues. Make your story a good news hook.
• Use only enough words to write the story. Avoid unnecessary flowery sentences or adjectives.
JUNE 13, 2008 ISSUE #14
