So, you have a great story to share with the world, but you’re not sure where to start.
Don’t panic. Writing a press release can be pretty daunting – that forbidding plain piece of paper can initially pose more questions than answers.
And while you may not be a literary giant penning the next Booker winner like Margaret Atwood or Salman Rushdie, there is an art to crafting an engaging press release.
Landing great headlines is not an exact science. Often, you might think your story will clean up and get blanket coverage, only to find *sigh* a senior cabinet minister resigns that day and blows your story out of the water.
News Hooks and Reeling Them in
Ministerial mishaps or shock resignations aside, there are some basic rules to follow to maximise your chances of catching a big media fish.
Journalists on national news desks are bombarded with hundreds of press releases, so the trick is to stand out from the crowd and build a connection with your target audience.
Here is our press release checklist for writing attention-grabbing copy that leaps to the top of a busy journalist’s inbox.
Our essential press release writing toolkit sets it all out for you step by step:
- The Logo: That’s right, you guessed it. First and foremost: your organisation’s logo should feature at the very top of your release. It usually sits neatly on the right-hand side.
- The Headline: The first bite. Grab the reader’s attention from the opening line. Make it concise, memorable and punchy. Strong and snappy one-liners work well; don’t overcomplicate. Use puns or alliteration if appropriate. A complex topic may require a smart subheading to give your writing clarity and focus.
- A Dateline: In the US, the location [city] and date of publication directly precede the lead paragraph. If your story is under embargo, make sure this is made clear at the top of your press release. If you’re sending out on the date of issue, then it’s labelled ‘for immediate release’.
- The Lead: Dangle the big news hook in the first paragraph. What’s the main driver for the story? Angling matters. Pick a news angle that will resonate most with the media outlet’s audience. Look at the news agenda and make it topical if you can. Don’t pack too much into the lead. Less is more. A great intro will spark the reader’s interest without overwhelming them with detail.
- The Main Body: These paragraphs do the heavy lifting and drive the narrative. They provide journalists with the tools to write up the story. Think the 5 W’s: What? Who? Why? When? Where? These are the building blocks of good press releases. Keep it focused and to the point. Make every word count. An effective press release must be fluid and scannable. Fill in the blanks by adding the relevant background, context and any data explainers into these main paragraphs.
- Quotes: Add quotes from your spokesperson and/or storyteller into the main body of the release. Make them human and use plain, relatable language. Your spokesperson should be your CEO if it’s a big media moment. Think of their quote as a soundbite, so be sure it’s pithy and adds value to your release; otherwise, journalists might just run the story without your organisation’s quote included in their copy, which isn’t ideal for building brand awareness and name recognition!
- Call to Action (CTA): What are you asking your audience to do? See your press release as the beginning of the customer journey, and your CTA as a signpost to the next steps people can take to support your cause or business. This is the proactive part that helps build a longer-lasting connection between brand and audience and creates real-world impact. For example, here are a couple of effective CTAs we’ve worked on for previous releases: one encouraging people to sign up for a campaign newsletter, and another directing readers to a charity website for further information.
- Contacts: Always wrap up with the PR person’s contact details, including full name, email and telephone number. And be sure your named contact is available to quickly field reporter queries. It makes a journalist’s job harder when there’s no one around to respond to their follow-ups. They’re busy enough without having to chase a PR for additional background. It’s also a good idea to have your spokespeople or storytellers lined up and ready for media interviews before you start pitching your story out.
- Boilerplate: Place your organisation’s boilerplate at the very bottom of the release. A boilerplate is a few bullet points about your organisation – for example, an overview of what your business does, market share, core values, mission, etc. Keep it brief, and use a slightly smaller font than the main body of the release so it doesn’t run onto too many pages. Once the wording has been agreed, the same boilerplate template can appear at the end of all your press releases.
- The Final Checks: Before hitting send to media outlets, check and double-check everything. Typos are a big no-no, and cross-check all the facts with your subject-matter experts and colleagues. Stress-test your press release; all your facts and data must add up, or you risk having to make a retraction. Don’t include anything remotely fishy. If in doubt, leave it out.
Time to Hook the Big One
That’s it. You’re all set! It’s time to distribute your press release to the media you’ve carefully targeted, and pray the news cycle gods don’t get in the way of your story going viral.
Cue the waiting game. Like any fisherman will tell you: patience is a virtue! Unless you’re sending out time-critical breaking news, don’t hassle busy reporters for a response as soon as you hit send.
Sometimes it can take a few hours, or even days, for them to come back to you, especially if you’ve approached a TV planning desk and your big announcement is still a week away. It can be that a journalist totally ignores you, doesn’t message or call you back, and still runs your story, which always comes as a happy surprise!
There’s obviously no guarantee your press release will get picked up, so take a bow if the media takes the bait on your maiden voyage.
Success may not come on your first outing. Don’t give up. It might take several press releases to get it right. Just follow our press release checklist and keep trying with new, engaging stories that have strong news hooks.
And if you’re getting tangled up in knots, remember that our team of experts is here to write a standout, high-quality press release tailored to your brand.
You can blissfully sail off into the sunset while we do the work.
For more detailed explainers, check out our previous posts on press release templates, writing the killer press release and the art of storytelling in PR.
Happy press-release writing!
