How to create a press release that doesn't completely suck

Ah, the trusty press release. Somewhat of controversy in the media world, it can be difficult to get it right. They can take a lot of effort to put together and receive little to no response if not well composed.

So, let’s get into what makes a good one:

Understanding what journalists use them for

Most journalists will use the info shared in a release to support and substantiate a story they had in mind, or they’ll pick one particular thread in the release and use that as the main story, but still do further research to pad out their piece. It’s pretty rare that a journalist will lift a full release and turn it into a story, but this does occasionally happen if they’re really pushed for time.

A point

You don’t need to write a press release about your business, unless there’s something new to say. A lot of people spend time creating press releases when really they should be crafting a handful of targeted pitches. A press release is for sharing new, timely and newsworthy information - not for pointless appeals for publicity. Think of it as a kind of fact sheet a journalist can use to write a story about a particular topic, rather than just general information about your company.

A clear headline

The classic 5 Ws of journalistic headlines - ‘who, what, when, where, why’ - come in handy here. Don’t shout (aka use all caps) and do get straight to the point. A good rule of thumb is to use the most compelling new information as the lead. An example: got some new research or statistics? Which one is the most surprising, polarising, affirming? Use that to spearhead the release.

Quotes

Incorporating quotes within the release is really useful as journalists will often lift them and put them straight into their piece. A good quote to include is a reaction from the founder or the person leading the project (for example, if your business created a survey, you’d probably ask the person who collected all the data to share their thoughts on the findings).

Visuals/ Assets

Assets such as photos, infographics and videos can have a hugely positive impact on the response you receive for a press release - as long as they’re baked in. Got too many? Create a folder and hyperlink it so that they can look through more if they want to.

Do embed them

Embed them straight into your email rather than sending them as a document attachment - journalists are unlikely to open them unless they can see the information straight away.

Do include hyperlinks

Hyperlinks to your website or social media pages will help journalists find more information if they need it as well as drive more traffic to your business - a winner all round.

Do apply usual pitching rules

Usual pitching rules still apply, here - don’t send it out to irrelevant people, do at least personalise the first line and do keep it brief.