One of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to keep your business in the public eye is to send out press releases. A press release is a short article written in news style that promotes a recent accomplishment, event, or new feature in an informative way. Do not use a press release to advertise sales or current products. Make sure your news is indeed news, and that it's newsworthy for the publications you're targeting.
You should use a press release to announce a new business opening or product, a business expansion, new owners, new location, participation in a special out of town trade show, winning an award, sponsoring a charity event, an owner or employee achieving excellence in work or outside interest (e.g. sports) or anything else makes your company (or an individual within the company) stand out.
Your goal is to have it accepted and published in a public forum such as a newspaper, magazine, business journal or Internet site.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Contact Person
Company Name
Voice Phone Number
FAX Number
Email Address
Website URL
XYZ, Inc. Announces Widget to Maximize Customer Response Rate
This headline is one of the most important components of the press release as it needs to grab the attention of the editor. Make it as intriguing as possible! It should be in bold type and a font that is larger than the body text. Preferred type fonts are Arial, Times New Roman or Verdana. Keep the headline to 80-125 characters maximum. Capitalize every word with the exception of any words that are three characters or less.
<<b />City>, <<b />State>, <<b />Date> - Your first paragraph of the release should be written clearly and concisely (try for 25 words or less). The first 10-15 words are the most important and should contain the 5 W’s: who, what, when, where and why. Make sure it follows up the sizzle of your headline! Also, never take for granted that the reader has read your headline. Keep your story factual and avoid using marketing lingo as you don’t want your release to sound like a sales pitch.
Your text should include pertinent information about your product, service or event. If writing about a product, be sure to include details on when the product is available, where it can be purchased and the cost. If you’re writing about an event, include the date and location. It’s always a good idea to read the release out loud. Make sure it is written how you speak. Avoid hype or it will end up in the trash!
Use quotes from yourself or others to add credibility and interest; include the person’s title or position with the company, any awards they’ve won, articles they’ve published or interviews they have given.
Keep your sentences and paragraphs short; a paragraph should be no more than three or four sentences. Your release should be between 500-800 words, written in a word processing program and spell checked for errors. Adopt news or Associated Press (AP) style by studying the publications you are targeting; try to match their style.
The last paragraph before the company information should read: For additional information on (put in the subject of this release), contact “name” or visit www.yoururl.com. If you offer a sample, copy or demo, put the information in here. You can also include details on product availability, trademark acknowledgement, etc. in this area of the release.
ABOUT
-END-
Be sure to indicate that the release is ended so that journalists know that they have received the entire release. If your release goes over one page, type MORE at the bottom of the first page.
The more exposure you get, the better your business is likely to be! Good luck!