This information and more is included in our Press Release Do-It-Yourself Kit What Makes a Press Release Newsworthy The Key Components of a Press Release Guidelines for the Various Types of Media Press Release Templates for Specific Industries Top Newspapers Nationwide - With Contact Information Media Newspaper Associations - With Contact Information

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Writing Effective Press Releases

Write press releases that get noticed - publicity is priceless!

It has been proven to be more effective than advertising, and very inexpensive - if you know how to write a release in a format that will be read by journalists. Here are some questions to ask yourself when preparing to write a release:

What results are you looking to achieve with your media release?

Outlining your goals will help you assess if the release is newsworthy and will give you direction when it comes time to prepare to write the release. Below are some newsworthy topics:

• Recent speech in front of a newsworthy audience.
• Business award, contest or ISO 9000 certification.
• Company, or personal recognition, in a recent book or article.
• A unique product or service.
• Free consulting or low-cost service to the public.
• Opening of a new physical building location or a new branch office.
• Launching or re-design of a web site.
• Involvement in legislation.
• Testimony as an expert witness at a trial.
• Running for office for a civic or business organization (i.e. local Chamber of Commerce, an association board member, governor or state representative).

Are you looking at this from a journalist's perspective?

In today's world, everyone is inundated with e-mails, faxes and phone calls on a daily basis. Journalists receive hundreds of press releases each day by people who want to have news written about their products or services. The business person usually has their company at the front of their mind when considering a news release. On the other hand, journalists will have the interests of their audience at the top of their considerations. If you want to grab the attention of the journalists and get your press release noticed, ask yourself the following questions from a journalist's perspective:
1) Is the release newsworthy to the public?
2) If you were the journalist, would you see a value to your readers?
3) Will the readers be interested in this topic?
4) In a stack of press releases, is there something in your release that will catch the attention of the journalist?

Is your release a "sales pitch" or does it have "news value"?

An experienced journalist can easily identify if your release is intended to sell the reader. While the end result may be to increase product awareness and sell your product or service, your release cannot sound like a television or radio commercial. Distributing a press release that has the look and feel of a "sales pitch" can do more harm than good - and on a permanent basis. Future releases will tend to be ignored - even if it is written in the proper context and is a newsworthy release.

How will you distribute the release once it is written?

You will have invested a lot of time and research into writing your press release. You need to have a solid media distribution list, and you need to make sure you are sending to the media that would have a genuine interest in your release. Don't distribute your release to every newspaper and industry journal nationwide if the release is targeted to a local or regional audience. If your product and/or service is specific to certain industries, only target the magazines and journals that have an audience targeted to your niche market.

It's about credibility

Credibility will gain the customers confidence and can very easily convince them to purchase your product and/or service at the same time. A well-written press release that is picked up by the media will build credibility for your business.

Traditional advertising manages the message while press releases are, typically, reviews. Readers see an advertisement and know that what they are reading is overstated publicity. Readers, in many instances, trust reviewers, columnists, reporters or broadcasters and value their opinions. These very same authorities are, unequivocally, influenced by good public relations and, more distinctively, a well-written press release.

A well-written release can dramatically increase your sales, expose your company to the masses, and greatly enhance the image of your business or products.