Get in Newspapers for Free
By Matt • Jan 9th, 2009 • Category: Business
Writing a press release can mirror this scenario. When you send out a press release, you are trying to hook the biggest fish, or, when the catch is sparse, simply bait any fish that will latch on for the long haul back to shore. Of course, a fish in this case means a journalist or some other news source. You don’t want your press release to be dismissed with a glance but rather read and rewritten into a news story or announcement. However, with so many other fishermen at your lake, how do you get the fish to bite your bait instead of theirs?
Well, first of all, you need the proper gear. You can’t have a fishing pole that’s bent or a line that’s all tangled. Everything needs to be in proper order, and you need all the right parts. Both this site< and this other site give helpful guidelines for the right “gear,” or format, for a press release. First and foremost, it is vital that you put the company logo on your press release, along with your contact information: address, phone number, website, email. For the best consistency, make a header/footer that includes this info so you can use it for every press release. This also creates a type of visual ID tag so that journalists will come to associate the “look” of your press release with your company. It is also important to put your information, the press release author, and other contact info on the page. Other standard formatting guidelines include:
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Use a standard font, such as Times New Roman
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Add page numbers if more than one
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Release date at beginning of body
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Title in a bigger font
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Title in bold
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Cap All Words in Title Except Articles and Prepositions Like a, and, the, over, with, etc.
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Add a subtitle under the title. Put in italics and the same font and size as body
Now for the bait. The content of the article is your precious bait. You have to make it appealing. You have to make it more appealing than all the other fishermen’s baits. How do you make your press release bait that the journalists will bite?
Title
The title is one of the most important aspects of your press release. It needs to present the initial attraction that will spark the interest of the fish. To simply catch the fish’s eye, the title text needs to be:
Capitalized (only uppercase the beginning letter of the major words and lowercase articles and prepositions)
Centered
A bigger font size than body text
Bold text
For example, the title “MovFitness helps community stay fit by sponsoring charity race for cancer research” should look like this in a press release: “MovFitness Helps Community Stay Fit by Sponsoring Charity Race for Cancer Research.” The actual content of the headline needs to be concise, which means short and to the point. But it also needs to have a little flare. Some sources argue that it is better not to put the company’s name in the headline; others say that naming the company in the title is a must. It is probably best, if the company is not mentioned in the headline, to somehow fit the name into the subtitle or the first sentence of the body. Also, try to insert key words from the body into the text, if possible, to improve search engine results.
Subtitle
The subtitle is a good way to elaborate on the information in the title. What you had to cut down to make the title brief, you can add to the subheadline , just keep it short-sentence length.
Body
The body is what brings all the components together. The body is the hook hidden beneath the bait. The body is what captures the attention of a journalist to write a story about the info in the press release, or, at least, remember the name of your company. So make sure the meat of the body is conveyed properly for this effect. The content of the body needs to be newsworthy. It should announce an important event, such as a product release, an anniversary, an important event, etc. Do not write press releases about insignificant things. PR websites will ban your releases (they will think it is advertising), and journalists will associate your business with desperation. Additionally, the content needs to get to the point. It should give clear, interesting information and answer the vital questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. Here are some more particular guidelines for relaying that information:
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Start body with the date and city that the press release comes from
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Use short, to-the-point sentences
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Use a common vocabulary – no fancy words
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Try to avoid the jargon of your company’s niche; instead, make it conversational
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Avoid repitition
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Double space the text
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Proofread carefully so you have no grammar or spelling errors
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Let your first paragraph get to the point of your press release. Any other information should expand on the first couple sentences
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Keep paragraphs short in length. This is more appealing for the eye
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Write from an objective perspective
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Try to make the press release one page length, maximum 3 pages.
Closing
At the conclusion of your press release, have an “About (your company)” section that gives a bio of your company, especially detailing the primary business purpose of the company. Again, keep the bio concise. Under the bio, add the contact info for the author of the press release from the company: name, position, phone number, email and/or website.
At the very end of the press release, add three “pound” signs centered underneath the last sentence. An example is shown below.
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Matt is a young entrepreneur. At the age of 26, he owns a Publishing Company, TheSBON, is an author of 5 books, owns MOVFitness and is executive race director of over 100 races per year, is a fashion & fitness model, and a professional ballroom dancer.
His time and energy is devoted to promoting health & wellness primarily in Santa Barbara, CA. Matt has successfully helped people lose weight for over 6 years and has traveled the world sharing his secrets to better health.
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