Looking for a PR? Every other business organization and individual is looking for it to gain exposure. Know how you can write your press release like a professional.
Press Release is perhaps the most important document and a marketing tool that is widely used in every industry. Whether it is a business organization or an independent individual, everyone can gain more exposure and credibility with help of PRs. The unparallel benefits of PR are not unknown to business owners, entrepreneurs, and other individuals. As a result, most of them are looking for PR writing and distribution services that can offer potential exposure in the relevant market.
However, you can also write your press release if you are unable to find a professional writer at the moment. The media coverage definitely depends on the writing quality of the content and so, you need to know how the professionals craft their PR effectively for distribution purposes. Here are effective practices that you can utilize.
Table of Contents
1. Target Audience
Before writing any content, the first thing is to understand the target audience whom you are writing for. Quite naturally your services and products might not be able to attract all the online customers but they can definitely attract a potential amount of relevant audience. When you are aware of your audience, you will better know how to reach them through your writing. In fact, you should craft different versions of the same press release when you are trying to attract a variety of target audiences. Most PRs are targeted toward journalists and reporters since they provide the most media coverage. That is why; the journalistic tone can be noticed in most of them.
2. PR Structure
The structure of a press release is more like an inverted pyramid where the most important sections stay at the top and it gradually leads to company details and contact at the end. Let’s take a better look at each section to write more effectively.
- Headline – The headline or title is the first thing that a reader is going to notice and judge the content. That is why is important to keep an attractive and compelling title that explains the story and the grabs attention of everyone. Makes sure the title conveys the story of the PR with relevance.
- The lead – The lead or the first paragraph of the PR is supposed to answer the queries of the readers. While it is impossible to understand what can make a particular reader or customer curious about your business, you should provide the answers while thinking from the reader’s perspective. Follow the rule 5Ws (who, what, where, when, why) to provide the necessary information.
- The body – the body of PR is the main section that explains the story of the PR and the reason behind publishing it. Make sure it is written from a compelling angle and provides a solution for the need of the customers. A lot of customers might not want to read your PR but when they notice a solution for their need, they definitely read to find a solution.
- Summary paragraph – This is the last section of the body or the ending paragraph that summarizes the whole story and provides more details about the company. It helps to establish the company’s role to fulfill the need of the customers.
- Boilerplate– Although this is a very small section at the end; it provides authenticity to the document. Boilerplate provides all the company details along with contact information, media handles, website link, and other options through which interested customers, investors, and even media persons can directly contact the business organization.
Following this structure will help you to create a professional PR that is newsworthy and ready for distribution. However, you need to optimize the PR before publishing.
3. PR optimization
Optimizing a press release indicates improving its effectiveness based on the purpose and marketing standards. Here are some effective ways,
- Incorporate relevant keywords in the content which helps to gain more visibility
- Add multimedia elements such as images, GIFs, and info-graphic pictures to make it more attractive. You can also add video link embeds
- Mention source or link whenever you add statistical data or report
- Keep it precise and compact since no one wants to read a huge content
- Keep the language simple and crispy and avoid jargon
- Proofread again and again since silly grammatical errors can hamper your impression
Following these practices can help you come up with an attractive press release that is capable of attracting the mass target audience along with journalists and reporters from the niches.