Press release tips

Keep it simple and effective

Issuing a press release can be an excellent way of generating publicity for your business - it is free (apart from your time) and, as we mentioned earlier, regarded as more subjective than advertising.

So long as you follow a these simple press release tips, you don’t need an in-house PR professional or PR agency to do this effectively.

1. Keep it simple - stick to the key points that support your message.
2. Do not get too technical and avoid using jargon without an explanation.
3. Always do the “so what?” test. If the average reader would be left asking this question, it’s unlikely your release will get published.
4. Use a strong title focusing on “firsts”, large sums of money and intriguing facts.
5. Indicate who, what, where, when, why and how in the first paragraph.
6. Use the rest of the text to fill in the details.
7. Where possible, cover some points in quotes from key people. Use real speech rather than the written word (without resorting to slang). This is the only place that personal opinion should appear.
8. Keep the sentence structure simple and concise.
9. Write in third third person ensuring that the release is presented objectively.
10. Do not "self promote" - a press release is no place for a sales pitch.
11. Provide references to any statistics, facts and figures raised in the press release.
12. Never make a claim you can’t back up.

Increase the chance of having your story published and make the journalist’s job easier by presenting the release in a format and style that appeals to them.

Since most publications have far more press releases sent to them than they have space, editors look for those that are newsworthy or interesting, well written, well targeted and presented in a simple format.

Click here for your free press release template