How to Write a Press Release – 2021 Rules and Best Practices

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A Dictionary Will Tell You That A Press Release Is An Official Statement Giving Information To Journalists About A Noteworthy Event. The Purpose Of A Press Release Is To Inform Journalists Your Company News. However, The More Important Consideration Is Why You’re Sending A Press Release.

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• Formatting
• Press release should be One – Two pages 1.5 spaced APA Style
• Proper use of: commas, structure, punctuation, grammar
• Provide a link to a product, company, or blog page
• Structure
• Headline – Title & Sub-Title
• Lead Paragraph
• The Body
• Quote
• Contact Info

Catchy Headline – Relevant

Headlines should be briefly and clearly expressed. Optimized headlines are in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, boldfaced, include a primary keyword and an action verb. Grab people’s attention, make it compelling!

Lead Paragraph – The First Paragraph – The Five W’s – Who, What, Where, When, and Why + How

Content needs to be optimized for search engines, the lead paragraph needs provide the essential information. It needs to provide the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your news story.

“The Body” – Press Release Body Content

In most writing, Once Upon a Time, you develop a plot and The End. News or Press writing gets straight to the point. The key message is stated at the beginning. and the rest of the information reveals itself from the most important to the least important. Also known as “the inverted pyramid” structure. It’s the structure of all news stories, and it should be the structure of all your press releases.

Tarantino It: Tarantino-it When you start a story by telling the end and then going back to the beginning to finish telling the story.

“Quotes” – Press Release Body Content

Quotes add flavor to press releases. Provide at least one quote, preferably two, from a credible source that backs up the information in your press release. An executive or someone directly involved in the story. Source quotes, work your networks.

Properly Punctuate Your Quotes – “The Rules”

• Put the comma inside the quotation marks.
  • “Our company is reaching a larger audience than ever before,” Kelly L. said.
• Capitalize the first word of your quote
  • “It may be expedient but it is not just that some should have less in order that others may prosper.” ― John Rawls, A Theory of Justice
• If the tagline comes first, the comma comes before the quotation marks.
• The comma came comes after the word EX: “said,” not after the quotation marks.
• If a quote ends the sentence, then the final punctuation goes inside the quotation marks.
  • She said, “We weren’t sure what to do next, but then the answer hit us.”
    • Exception: If the sentence itself, but not the quote, is a question. Example: Did Susie Q. say, “The answer hit us”?

Bullet Points

Format key points into a bulleted list.

• Benefit or feature #1
• Benefit or feature #2
• Benefit or feature #3

Contact Information

You need to provide your contact information so that journalists who want to run a story can reach you.

• [LOGO]
• [Contact Name]
• [Organization Name]
• [Phone Number]
• [Email]
• [Website URL]
• [Twitter @Username]
• [Facebook Page URL]
• [YouTube Channel URL]
• [Other]

Conclusion

At the bottom of a one-page PR add three signs (###), the number thirty (-30-), or the word “: end”: in capital letters (END).  These signify the conclusion of the release. Write “: continued”: at the bottom of the first page, and on subsequent pages, until you get to the final page.

Important tips to keep in mind when writing your press release:

• Write in the third person.
• Best performing releases are 400-500 words.
• Add screenshots and other photo, video, ad media.
• Get straight to the point (no fluff).
• Speak straight to readers (no jargon).

DOWNLOAD YOUR Blank PR Templates HERE

DOWNLOAD Press Release Templates and Guide 2021 with Blank Templates HERE

KDL DIGITAL MARKETING SERVICES

A Colorado native, Kelly Donahue Lussan is an avid alpine skier who enjoys life in the Rocky Mountains. As a digital strategist, she specializes in developing holistic and integrated approaches to digital campaign strategy.  As a digital marketer, she executes marketing campaigns from ideation through execution. Ms. Lussan continues to outrank competition, increase brand awareness, and bring quality traffic to a roster of successful businesses/industries. Ms. Lussan  has spent over a decade meticulously crafting formulas for success dedicated to performance oriented and scalable marketing strategies in-order-to gain customer insight, increase leads and drive sales.
Phone. +1 (970) 274-9603
Address. 758 Main St. Unit A. Carbondale. CO. 81623