Press releases are the best tools to shape a company’s perception. And it can only be generated through the qualities of an effective press release to attain success.
Writing a press release can seem easy but it’s not and the golden way to execute this job is by following a proper structure. Press releases work as a mediated form of communication, between business persons and their customer base. Through a press release businesses can share their business intentions, priorities, and accomplishments to their target audience. Press releases are the most reliable and effective way of communication and the term was first used in 1975 by James Reston in testimony before a U.S. congressional committee on government information. And afterward, it became a marketing phenomenon.
But to ensure that the press release reaches the people it is meant for. There have to be some added qualities of an effective press release, which ensures the effectiveness of that press release. These qualities include a newsworthy topic, followed by a well-maintained press release structure. Lastly, there are some press release rules or rather styles that have to be maintained in the press release.
Topics for a Press Release – The Newsworthy Quotient
A press release has to be newsworthy otherwise it might not be as effective as you want it to be. So, make sure that you choose an effective topic, relevant to your audience, and also works as your great option to positively shape the perception of the company in front of your target audience and customers. Here are some topics that work wonders for a press release. Here are some exciting topics for a press release distribution:
- Product Launches
- Service Launches
- Events
- Award and Recognition
- Company Anniversary
- Company Growth
- Product and Service Up-gradation
- Charitable Works
- Explaining a crisis period
- Rebranding
- Company Collaborations and Mergers
- New Office Opening
- Pricing Change
- Discounts
- New Hires
- Any Celebration
These are some of the most common press release topics that you can use for your press release distribution. Apart from these anything newsworthy will help you to grab the attention of your audience. But, every press release should convey something worthwhile unless it might work as a degrading factor for your company. As the first and foremost step, you need to have something newsworthy to share. The press release is a great marketing tool and it doesn’t only help businesspersons to attain more customers there are various benefits of press releases and others like writers, music producers, artists, and teachers can also vouch for this marketing technique to ensure that you have enough recognition and credibility in your field.
Structure of a Press Release – The Inverted Pyramid Structure
The next most important part of a press release is the structure of it. All press releases are structured similarly, as it has been the most effective and useful way to grab attention. The information of a press release is presented in an inverted pyramid manner. To be more precise, it follows a descending in logical order, starting from the most important to the least important part at the end of the PR body. It should be something like the following points:
- An attention-grabbing title
- Impactful and informative opening paragraph
- Convey the value of the PR
- Include tempting quotes
- Summarize the ‘who’ and the ‘what’ in a boilerplate
- Give contact information
- Multimedia and CTAs
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Using photos and embedding videos is a great way to capture attention. Offering visuals is a very useful way of communication and if you do it successfully then you can too receive a great opportunity to grab the attention of your potential customers and investors. And when information is presented in this manner, people tend to complete the entire thing while reading it. And once they read the complete thing they can choose whether to vouch for these services or not.
Integral Qualities of a Press Release – Styles of a Press Release
There is a good chance that your press release can be printed or distributed by news networks. Apart from that, if you understand the basic behavior of readers is that they are willing to conclude as fast as possible, which makes it harder to unveil your facts slowly. So, first share the main gist of the story and then you can make it as beautiful as you would like. To ensure this quality these are some styles that will help you.
- State Only Facts – Don’t be vague, mystery thrillers might be great reads but not while you are writing a press release. Make sure that you start your title and your opening paragraph with facts and only facts.
- Stick to your Facts – Once you have conveyed your news, stick to your facts and elaborate on the news a little further. Don’t hesitate to add or show feelings in a time of crisis.
- Apologize – If the press release is about something disheartening, don’t avoid mentioning that you are ‘sorry’. If something is wrong then you should share it like you care.
- Emotions – Apart from apologies don’t show any sort of emotions through press releases. Strong expressions like boasting and bragging, anger and finger-pointing, etc. should not be a part of a press release.
- Make it Simple – Ensure that your press releases don’t gather too much technical jargon. This can be very annoying for readers to constantly Google some words while they are reading a press release. There are many knowledge tools implementation approaches and services that can be useful for concocting a simple-read press release.
- Be Specific – Facts, time, date, place, or approach nothing on a press release can be vague. So make sure that while you are sharing your news you can be as specific as possible. Whenever you are sharing something through a press release being precise is a mandatory step.
- Avoid Personal Pronouns – Press releases are very formal and they can shape the perception of your company. And while you are writing a press release make sure that you avoid using any personal pronouns. For instance, mention 10th January instead of ‘Today’. Don’t mention ‘we’ use the name of the company.
Press releases are a great way to share the news but the structure of a press release is what matters the most. And in most cases, people try to bank on the distribution rather than the structure. Distribution is important but maintaining these qualities is also equally essential.
