How To Write An Excellent Press Release Copy
Published by Fred at May 17th, 2009A press release is the key way in which a business or organization gets the word out about a service, product, or newsworthy item that others need to know about. Knowing how to make use of a press release can largely impact the amount of attention your business or organization receives.
Press releases are written in the third person, and for good reason. A press release should be only fact, be free of “fluff,” and straight to the point. The third person perspective cuts out much of the marketing that would otherwise be in a press release by cutting out bias and opinion. As such, you should be skilled in writing creatively in the third person perspective.
Passive voice is something looked down upon among professional press release writers. You should use active voice, so as to convey a more exciting and impactful read. Passive sentences contain things such as “were,” when instead it is better to restructure the sentence to use “was” or another present tense wording. This isn’t required by the press, but it increases the attentiveness of readers.
A problem that newcomers have is the fact that they aren’t sticking to s single topic. A press release should only contain news on a specific product, service, or happening. This is the reason many press releases you will read are quite short in length. The brevity of the press release is a virtue, since journalists can read it quickly and reference it later without straining their time.
Do be sure that you check the spelling, grammar, and punctuation of your press release. News sources will quickly divert their attention from your press release if it has any errors in it. If an error is found, the credibility of the release is ruined, and there is no further reason for the news source to continue reading. Press releases are all about being professional- and errors convey a very different message that will affect your stance.
The best experience in writing a press release is going to come from two things: writing press releases, and reading the press releases that other companies have put out. Before you get started yourself, it is recommended that you read at least ten press releases of competitors to see what kind of perspectives they pursue in syndicating their news to others. You don’t need to imitate their style, just note it and come up with your own tactics in press release design.
Closing Comments
Once you become skilled in writing an interesting press release, you will have many opportunities open before you. The trick is to stick it through until you are able to reach this plateau. Keep your nose to the grindstone and continue working towards becoming a better press release writer.
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