Effective Press Releases (News Releases)

My name is Jennifer Mattern, and I'm an online PR specialist and owner of JH Mattern Communications where I work with independent and creative professionals (such as webmasters, small business owners, freelancers, musicians, and authors).

I also run a PR blog called NakedPR where I take a very no-nonsense look at issues in the PR industry and offer advice on online PR to those in my target markets. In addition to my PR blog, I discuss press release writing on my small business blog.

In this digital age, press releases offer increasing benefits to individuals, companies, and organizations willing to take the time to learn how to use them effectively.

The primary focus of a press release is to disseminate news. Press releases often enable you to distribute your news to a much wider target audience than you would be able to reach without them.

By using press releases to distribute news, a company or person is also able to build awareness and exposure, which can then lead to trust, authority status in a niche or industry, increased sales (although not always directly), increased backlinks, and traffic to the company's website.

So to summarize, some of the benefits of press releases are:

• News dissemination


• Awareness / Exposure


• Expert or Authority Status / Trust


• Image Management / Recognition


• Backlinks (as a by-product of quality coverage online)


• Web Traffic (also as a by-product, and not primary goal)

How to Write a Press Release was originally published by me at BizAmmo: Public Relations.

Press release writing doesn't have to be hard, as long as you take the time to learn how to write a press release correctly. Here you'll find a list of the basic parts of a press release, how to write each section of your press release, and even see a sample press release laid out for you. Follow the instructions below to learn how to write the different parts of a press release:Header - When writing a press release, you should always include a header with the contact person's name and contact information (such as phone number and email address). Beneath the contact information, you should type FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. (For online press releases, contact information may be placed at the bottom.)

Headline - You should write a catchy, yet informative, headline (or title) for your press releases. This should be centered a few lines below your header information, and can be placed in all bold type. While some people like to use all CAPS when typing a headline, you should avoid that. Many online news services (press release distribution sites or newswires) won't accept a title in all caps.

Summary - This is an optional 1-4 sentences briefly summarizing the news angle of a press release. This is traditionally added to news releases when the company plans to utilize online press release distribution sites or newswires. If the release is being distributed manually offline (such as via fax), a sub-heading can still be used in its place.

Dateline - Every press release you write should have the date included. The dateline usually occurs in one of two places: either under the header and before the headline, or at the beginning of the press release body, along with the city and state. For example: New York, NY - March 14, 2006 - 'Body of your press release here.'

Press Release Body - The body of every press release that you write should answer the questions of who, what, when, where, and why. Ideally, these questions will be answered in the first paragraph of your press release, and you'll expand upon the details in a following paragraph. Quotes are often effective in the body of a press release, as long as they're not testimonials (not promotional in nature).

Boilerplate - At the end of your actual news, you should include a standard boilerplate. This can be a simple paragraph talking about the business, organization, or individual presenting the news found in the press release. It's your opportunity to give background information and statistics about who you are and what you do.

Call to Action - Add a line after your boilerplate similar to: "For more information, please contact Your Contact Name at Your Phone Number." This can simply be a repeat of the contact information presented in your header.

Media Instructions / References - At the very end of your release, before the closing, you should include any details about photos or other materials you've included or referenced (such as naming the individuals in the photo), and include any media instructions if the release is in reference to an event they may be interested in covering (such as where they can park and set up their equipment).

Closing - You should always end a press release with ### or -30- centered at the bottom of the page. That tells the reader that they've reached the end of your release, and there are no additional pages. If you do have more than one page because of addenda being attached or because it's a long release, you should use the -more- tag at the bottom of every page but the last one.

Use this brief press release template / outline to help you format your press release. You can view a more comprehensive general press release template (or niche press release templates) at the Free Press Release Writing Guide including:

• General Press Release Template


• Book Launch Press Release Template


• Product Launch Press Release Template

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Your Press Release Headline Should Draw Attention and Make the News Clear

Include a 2 - 4 sentence summary of your news (especially if distributing your press release online).

City, State - Month, Day, Year - Start the body of your press release / news release here. Briefly answer the questions of who, what, when, where, and why.

Include additional body paragraphs to expand on the "why," add quotes, and share added details about the news story.

Write in a journalistic, inverted-pyramid style (most important information first).

About Your Company

Include a short boilerplate paragraph that includes background information about the company, website, or person distributing the news.

For more information please visit WEBSITE, or contact MEDIA CONTACT NAME at PHONE NUMBER.

Contact:
Media Contact Name
Company Name
Address
Phone Number
Email Address
Website

###

This article is reprinted from my PR blog - NakedPR.

Here are a few very common questions I receive from webmasters and online entrepreneurs who are interested in using press releases to promote their sites or companies:

1. Do I really need to pay a site like PRweb to distribute my press release for me?

2. Can I distribute my press release by myself?

3. Do you have a list of all of the free press release distribution sites out there?

So here are my official responses:

1. No, you don't.

2. Yes, you can.

3. Yes (but if your time is valuable to you, you won't submit to hoards of free press release sites anyway, because it's a stupid and worthless thing to do).

It's not impossible (or even hard) to distribute your press release on your own, especially if you're trying to save money. In light of that fact, I've put together a list of 5 easy steps you can follow for more effective free press release distribution:

1. Choose one or two free press release distribution sites (any more than 3-5 is just a waste of your time). Choose based on which ones will get the release added to news engines. Just because some bigger distribution sites (who will remain nameless) charge an arm and a leg for this service, not all do. For example, PR.com's free option will pretty much always get your release picked up in Google News (I've never had it fail yet). Now you're available via search%u2026 yippie!

2. Send it to the Associated Press. It never hurts to try, and if they deem your release newsworthy enough to pick up, you just might get some decent "real" media coverage out of it. Just email or fax the release to the appropriate editor, writer, or regional bureau depending on your location and news.

3. Send it to your local newspaper or other media with a local spin on it. It won't take more than a few minutes for you to add a local spin to the intro and / or headline of the press release. Send it to the most relevant journalist or editor at your local paper. Smaller papers especially eat that stuff up when a local is doing anything remotely newsworthy. Try to build a relationship with the editor or writer whenever possible while you're at it.

4. Send it directly to niche or industry outlets. If you know of the top blogs, magazines, or websites in your niche, see if they have press release submission guidelines, and submit it directly to them. Don't just assume they'll find you through Google news or a press release distribution site. Work on the bigger ones first, and submit to as many as you have time for. If you get bigger pickups, they'll often lead to smaller niche blogs and such copycatting the story anyway. Again, try to build relationships if you can.

5. Add your press releases to your own website or blog. Why is this so often ignored or neglected? Some clients complain when I suggest it, saying "well, I don't want duplicate content on my site." Well, if you care at all about promoting your site, get the releases up there and quit whining about duplicate content! Who cares about duplicate content? Maybe it's just me, but I thought the purpose of a press release was to bring exposure. It can't do that if you sit on it. On top of putting the news out to your regular readers, customers, or visitors, it also allows you to archive your releases for journalists who visit the site wanting to learn more about your company or site history. If you don't have a press room or at least a press release archive, ADD ONE!!! And when it's on your site, you can take that opportunity to add all the little social media tools and gizmos that your heart desires, add commenting (especially if it's on a blog), or frankly do whatever gets you off in the moment. Add it to del.icio.us. Digg it. Do whatever you want with it. Just publish the thing, and be done with it already! Why people refuse to grasp this concept is just beyond me. It's easy%u2026 promise.

So there you go. There's no need to use PRweb, other sites, or even folks like me, to distribute your press release for you. If you're feeling independently-inclined, give it a go, and get that release out there. You'd be surprised at how effective a little direct involvement can be in press release distribution and media relations as a whole.