By now, we all know the basics about press releases. Like that they communicate a brand’s news and product messaging. That they cover the five Ws: who, what, when, where and why of company news. And that they can pique an editor’s interest in a topic.
But considering editors receive hundreds of releases a day, how can you make yours stand out from the pack? You’ve probably already outlined the most critical details up high (inverted pyramid) and linked key terms, but what else can you do? Below are quick tips to make your press releases pop:
Writing
- Use a strong and direct headline that gets right to the point
- Avoid industry jargon, use easily understood terms
- Show me the numbers! Include relevant stats that are compelling and back up your claims
- While some releases require a lot of detail, try to fit most within a single page
Formatting
- Use subheads and headers throughout to keep attention focused and messaging on point
- Use bullets rather than long sentences to list out items
- Include links to additional resources that help with understanding the news
- Highlight or italicize important points
Multimedia
- Embedded images within press releases increase their pick up by search engines
- Optimize images with relevant alt tags
- Including video and other multimedia content helps expand your audience by up to 552 percent, according to PR Newswire
Media relations
- Include a contact phone number and email
- Ensure the contact is available all day on the day the news goes out
- Likewise, ensure your company spokesperson is available for interviews (get his or her schedule ahead of time)