A press release is still one of the cheapest ways to get your business mentioned in the media. But most releases are ignored because they are written for the company, not for the journalist. Here is how to make yours count.
Start with the news, not the company
Ask one question before writing: why would a reader of this publication care today? A new location, a product that solves a local problem, a result backed by numbers or a well-known partner are all news. “We have updated our website” usually is not.
Structure that saves the journalist time
- Headline: one sentence with the most important fact.
- First paragraph: who, what, when, where and why, in plain language.
- Quote: one or two sentences from a real person that add an opinion, not a repeat of the facts.
- Details: figures, dates, prices, availability.
- Contact and materials: a named contact person, phone number and a link to photos in good resolution.
Send it to the right people
A short, personalised email to ten journalists who cover your topic works better than a mass mailing to five hundred addresses. Put the release in the body of the email, not only as an attachment, and follow up once if the topic is time-sensitive.
Publish it yourself
Do not wait for the media. Publish the release in the news section of your website, so that it is indexed by Google and gives journalists a page to link to. Add internal links to the relevant service or product page.
Reuse the content
- Turn the key facts into a post or carousel on social media.
- Send it to existing customers in your newsletter.
- Give it to your sales team as a talking point.
- Collect every publication and show the logos on your website as social proof.
Measure the effect
Track mentions, links, visits from referring sites and enquiries in the days after publication. That tells you which topics and which media are worth your time next time.
Want help putting this into practice? Get in touch and we will look at your website, channels or campaigns together.
