Online Press Releases: The Right Format

During your college days, you probably had to follow a certain format when it came to writing your academic papers. Most likely, your teachers constantly reminded you of the importance of the format when it came to writing about a certain subject. No matter how excellent the content of your text, a good format shows that you are an organized and disciplined writer who cares about your reader. Now that you are part of the world of advertising and marketing, the same equation applies to the writing of a press release.

What is it?

Even though you are new to the subject of press releases, the chances are that you have probably read one online, in a magazine, or in your local newspaper. A press release is a news item that has the purpose of promoting a particular business — whether it's a newly opened store, a product that has just been launched, a company that has recently merged with another firm, etc.

Press releases are often written by the business owner himself or the advertising team of the company. In writing a a press release, your main goal is to capture something that is newsworthy about your business, and not rave about it or hype it up. For instance, instead of saying how your bakery shop has the best customer service in the area, write about how our weight-conscious society has ignored the good qualities of pastries! You could talk about emotional well-being. For instance, you can write about how a certain customer of yours associates cakes, cupcakes, pies and other pastries with happy occasions and family reunions. You can then relate this to family values, quality time with your family in a fast-paced world, etc.

Going public - now or later?

The words "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" are found at the beginning of any press release, unless you want the release delayed. It can be in the right-hand corner, the left-hand corner or anywhere on the top of the page. This means that the story you submitted is ready for public viewing upon the approval of the editor.

If you had submitted your press release in advance of the event it covers, then you can put "HOLD FOR RELEASE UNTIL (date)". For instance, if your press release is about the grand opening of your store and you're still putting in the furniture, then you have to wait until the actual event before publishing your story.

Stop the presses

When you write your headline, you have to remind yourself that this is your one and only chance of grabbing the attention of the reporter, editors or, in the case of releases posted on line, your potential customers. Don't necessarily expect the reader to read your entire story, because they rarely do. Reporters will receive numerous press releases every single day so they often only have time to look at the headline before deciding whether to discard it or to consider the story. Make your headline concise and catchy. Let's use our earlier example. An example of a headline that you might come up with is "NEWLY-OPENED BAKERY OFFERS PASTRIES TO SWEETEN FAMILY REUNIONS AND SPECIAL OCCASSIONS". This headline is bad for several reasons. Aside from the fact that it's long, it also immediately promotes the business. Most importantly, there is nothing new and exciting about it.

A better headline would be "PASTRY SHOPS: CAN THEY SAVE THE AMERICAN FAMILY?" It is short, intriguing and catchy.

Say it up front

The first paragraph of your story is the next most important part of your press release. Imagine the reporter or your potential customer, glancing at your headline and thinking "Hmmm, perhaps this is worth reading". He will then continue to read on. This is why the first paragraph is so important. Now that you have hooked the reader with your headline, you will then reel him in with your first paragraph. Be sure to state the location and date of your news story. Then start immediately with the meaty details that answer the basic journalism questions of what, who, where, when and how. Don't try to build mystery or intrigue—that's the headline's job. Your job now is to make sure that the reader gets what he is looking for in the first few sentences of your news story.

If you want to learn more about writing a good press release, visit PR Friend. You can also post your written press releases here if they have not been posted anywhere else.