Never underestimate the power of a short press release to pique an editor’s interest, and get your name in print.
Per Jill Harris of Lester Communications, “In terms of bang for your buck, press releases are effective yet inexpensive ways to generate publicity. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been inspired by a press release to write a full-blown article on a particular topic or company.”
Writing the Press Release for Editors
Think of editors as “gatekeepers” to get your story to the wider industry audience – you need to “sell” the gatekeeper with your title and content in order to get your release material considered for publication.
If your release doesn’t provide the basic facts or compelling information, no editor will be inclined to read it, much less publish it. Answering the questions, “Who? What? Where? And How?” will serve the basics of a press release. However, there is more to it. The idea is to craft and present a press release that makes editors say. “Hmmm…”.
The typical practice is to attach the press release as a PDF to a cover e-mail addressed to the editor by name if available. (An e-mail merge and database (or excel sheet list) can be very useful for this process, and save time.) A brief cover message to summarize the contents of the release is appropriate here, however, the keyword is brief.
You might provide a link to a website where you have the press release posted, however, if the editor does not know you, they may be hesitant to click an unknown link. Therefore if you publish your releases to a website or service, if you provide a link, we suggest you attach the release as a PDF as well.
When sending an press release via email, include a personal request to the editor of the publication to publish – with a very brief statement as to why the information will be on interest to their readers.
– Scot Litke, Editor
Components of the Press Release
Title – This is the title of the press release. Capture the main idea for the editor, and answer the question, “Why should anyone read this?” You may also choose to include a subtitle on the next line that offers a little more context. Keep in mind that the editor may decide to write a new title should your news make it to publication.
Introduction – Introduce the subject of the release in the first paragraph. This is for quick scanning purposes and if the editor wants more, they will keep reading.
The Body – Encapsulate the main idea or subject in the second and possibly third paragraph. Support with facts, details, and quotes and build the narrative over the succeeding paragraphs. If you start to go over three paragraphs, you’re getting a little long. You might consider including a quote or two from your President, or a relevant partner or client in the body of the release.
Conclusion – Condense and summarize the piece in the conclusion in the final paragraph.
Support Media – Help an editor help you. Editors want photos. Readers want photos. Therefore, include a few supporting photos with the release and advise that more are available upon request. Reference any other supporting multimedia that might be available.
Contact Info – Include your contact information at the foot of any release. “For more information contact…”
Company info – Assume the editor knows nothing about your company and include a brief “who, what, and where” statement about your company following the release itself to help an editor understand what your company does.
Per Editor Scot Litke…
“While Press Releases are by nature “promotional”, present the information in such a way as to be subtle about the promotional character of the message. Therefore when crafting the release, present it as information that will be of interest and of value to the publication’s readers.”
See some examples of press releases here: Press Release Examples, Fit Small Business
The Rules
1. Press releases are not commercials. They are to be written in the third person and any commercial overtones are likely to get your release rejected.
2. Once you send your press release to an editor, your control is effectively over. An editor may choose to print it verbatim or scrap it and use it as a news lead. Often, the outcome lies somewhere in between, using some of your copy as well as researching and writing their own. An editor may choose to assign a writer to “flesh out” the piece to meet the editorial requirements of their publication, their own preference, and the space they have to work with.
3. Get to the point. This is not an article. A well-written release is concise, professional, and to the point. Give your press release the best chance of success by presenting a focused and succinct release.
Typically, press releases are around 250 to 300 words long.
Per Editor Jill Harris…
“Editors understand that you believe your company is the leading company in whatever it is that you do,” said Harris. “However, overtly promotional or competitive language like that will most likely be edited out of the final copy. If the entire press release is promotional, it’s likely that an editor won’t be able to use it at all. In that case, you’re better off to purchase an advertisement.”
With sincere thanks to Jill Harris, of Lester Communications, and Scot Litke, former Editor of Foundation Drilling Magazine, for their contributions to this article.
More…
How to Write a Press Release, Grammarly
Example of a Press Release: Executorium.com to Launch New Podcast: “Estate Talks”
Example of a Press Release: For Immediate Release: Executorium.com Expands Advertising Offerings