A well-written press release can help build relationships, manage brand image and improve SEO.
cerci is a translation of the excellent ahrefs article: https://ahrefs.com/blog/how-to-write-a-press-release/
Here’s everything you need to know about press releases, including a step-by-step guide to writing a good one :
- What is a press release?
- When to use a press release
- How to distribute a press release
- What to avoid in a press release
- How to write a press release
- Press release performance tracking
What is a press release?
A press release is an official statement sent to members of the media. It is generally used to announce newsworthy information about a company, with the aim of obtaining media coverage.
It is usually written :
- Internally, by the company’s communications team.
- by a third-party supplier, such as a public relations agency.
When is a press release used?
Press releases are versatile and are often used to announce :
- The launch of a product, service, campaign, event or company.
- Major company updates, such as rebranding, restructuring or new hires (usually at management level).
- Information about a crisis.
How is it sent?
It’s entirely up to you. In general, there are three ways to distribute a press release: manually, through a syndication service or a mailing list.
Let’s take a closer look at how it is distributed:
Manually
We welcome manual distribution of your press release. Although it can be time-consuming, sending a personalized e-mail (along with the press release) can increase your chances of getting media coverage.
Our CMO, Tim Soulo, can testify to this, having manually sent over 100 personalized e-mails as part of a link-finding experiment.
At the risk of sounding like a stalker, it’s also possible to find anyone’s e-mail address these days.
Try adapting your message using the following suggestions. You can :
- Use a catchy e-mail subject line. Editors and journalists receive dozens of press releases every day. So make yours stand out with selling points, such as “Interview opportunity with Apple CEO Tim Cook”.
- Address your recipient by name.
- Tell him briefly why you’re writing.
- Link your message to their publication or company. (Why would this news be suitable for their publication?)
- If necessary, suggest one or two angles of attack for your article. Include the names and titles of the interviewees.
For the last point, decide for yourself whether it’s worth proposing angles of attack in your presentation e-mail.
It really depends on the nature of the information contained in your press release.
For example, the launch of a SaaS platform in Southeast Asia may attract the interest of several technical publications. To increase your chances of coverage, consider preparing one or two article proposals to accompany your e-mail and press release.
Via a syndication service
Syndication services act on your behalf to distribute press releases, and have an extensive network of media contacts.
PR Newswire is a widely used option. It enables news to be scheduled or distributed instantly to thousands of news agencies, media publishers, editors and journalists.
Via your media contact list
A press release can also be distributed via a mailing list, managed by a company’s communications team or a third-party agency.
In these media contact lists, you’ll often find members of the media categorized according to the publications they write for and the areas in which they specialize (technology, food & beverage, personal finance, entertainment, etc.).
This ensures that only relevant press releases are sent to them. This is an interesting distribution option if you’re short on time and have built up a considerable network of contacts.
What to avoid in a press release
Writing a press release is relatively easy once you get the hang of it. But it can also go wrong, so consider the following points:
Not having a clear focus
We can’t stress this enough: a press release should only contain one newsworthy idea, whether it’s about a product, a campaign, a service or an event.
The rest of your press release should then complement this piece of information.
If you’re not sure, go back to the drawing board and ask yourself, “Would I be interested in reading this press release and its media coverage?”
Too many words
Your press release should be around 400 words long.
If it’s much longer than that, re-read it to eliminate the superfluous. Do you really need an entire paragraph detailing your company’s mission and why it relates to the product launch? Is there any jargon that might not be easily understood by the lay reader?
Expressing opinions or appearing overly promotional
Subtle selling can be difficult to achieve, but you’ll be in a good position once you’ve found that balance.
To do this, avoid using promotional words and statements such as “best in the world”, “best in class”, “revolutionary” and “one of a kind”, to name but a few.
Unless you can back up these claims, or are a leading company in your industry, such expressions could work against you by reducing your credibility.
Using too many quotes
We recommend using no more than two quality quotes. But what is a quality quote? This brings us to the next point.
Boring, clumsy or fabricated quotes
Choosing quotes is a tricky business. As The Guardian says, your quotes should offer insight, not information.
In fact, they should complement the facts, rather than repeat what has been said in the rest of the press release.
Let’s take a closer look at what makes a poorly written quote:
- A boring quote is one that adds no value to the press release, either by stating the obvious, or by repeating what has already been said in the rest of the release.
- A clumsy quotation can include run-on sentences, take too long to get to the point, or use cookie-cutter statements.
- Fabricated quotes are of the same order as those that look too promotional.
Here’s one that ticks all the boxes:
Clumsy Apple quote
Unheard of, incredible, magical – followed by a loaded, information-heavy quote that should have been paraphrased.
Fortunately, Apple is getting off lightly, as the success of the big tech company speaks for itself. In any other press release, however, you’d probably question the bold claims made.
How to write a press release in 14 steps
Now that we’ve covered the basics, use this step-by-step guide to writing a good press release.
1. Understand PA style guidelines
The Associated Press (AP) is one of the world’s largest news agencies, and its style guide is used as a point of reference by journalists around the world. It guarantees consistency in the content of your press releases.
However, the AP does not provide guidelines for formatting press releases. So we’ve put together some general conventions you can use:
Use a common font
Use a common font in your press release, such as Times New Roman or Arial.
Style your font
You can vary your font style throughout the press release, for example by bolding your headings and subheadings, or italicizing the text of image captions. We recommend using the following fonts:
Heading: 14 pt
Subheading: 12 pt
Body text: 12 pt
Image captions: 10 pt
Write in the third person
Write in the third person (he, she, they, etc.). This applies to both brand mentions and quotations.
Brand information
Apple refers to itself in the third person in all its press releases, including this one. So, instead of saying “We’ve launched the third generation AirPods”, the company introduces itself as follows:
Quote where Apple mentions itself
In quotation marks
It’s also worth noting that, ideally, anyone quoted should be in the past tense, i.e. they said, shared, noted, etc.
Tim Cook quote
2. Choose your format
The structure of a press release doesn’t vary much, as you’ll see in our downloadable template.
But there are different ways of presenting a press release, and you’ll need to decide on one before you get down to the actual writing. Here are three common ways:
In pdf format
The pdf is usually attached to your introductory email – which we covered in the section on distribution methods above – and is hosted on the company’s website (usually in the “Press” or “Newsroom” section).
Press room” section on Apple’s web page
In interactive format
An interactive press release – or multimedia press release – is hosted on the company’s website as an article. You can easily copy and share its elements (text, images, etc.) or click on links to visit related pages.
Here’s an example of a multimedia press release featuring Apple’s new AirPods. In addition to hypertext, downloadable images can be found throughout.
Image of a girl running with AirPods. Download button in bottom left corner
You will also find these buttons at the bottom of the press release:
Buttons for sharing articles, copying text and downloading images.
In the e-mail
If you opt for manual distribution of your press release, another commonly used solution is to simply paste your formatted press release into the body of your e-mail.
This method is particularly effective for short press releases, and eliminates the extra step of scrolling all the way to the bottom to retrieve the pdf.
However, editors and journalists generally prefer to be able to copy text and download images easily. So consider hosting your press release “in the mail” on your website too. (This will also make it easier for you to track your backlinks and mentions).
3. Choose an interesting angle
To identify a worthy angle, start by thinking about the main idea you want to sell. Is it the launch of an e-commerce campaign, or the announcement of a corporate restructuring?
What’s so special about it, and why should readers care?
You’ll need to summarize this angle in one sentence, which you’ll include in your opening paragraph.
4. Add your release date
Let’s move on to the editing. Start by indicating whether the information contained in the press release can be published immediately or is subject to an embargo until a certain date.
It should look like this (delete accordingly):
FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION or
UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL [DATE ET HEURE + FUSEAU HORAIRE].
5. Leave some filler text for your title and summary.
We’ll be back soon.
For now, leave several line breaks between the publication date and the opening paragraph so that you can complete your title and summary later.
6. Write a strong opening paragraph
The most important information should be at the very beginning of your press release. To identify these essential facts, use the inverted pyramid:
Inverted pyramid with 3 levels: “need to know” at the top and “good to know” at the bottom.
Think of it in terms of press article structure.
The headline presents the most important and eye-catching information in your press release, and the first paragraph of the release should answer the five questions and the first point (who, what, when, where, why, how).
- Who: the name of the company publishing the information.
- What: The information you’re releasing. What is the subject of the press release?
- When: The date of the event, whether it’s a campaign launch or a new hire.
- Where: Where can your readers find out more? You can choose to include a location or links to further information here.
- Why: why this information is important and worth telling.
- How: how the information adds value to the company, its users or the sector.
7. Body paragraphs
In this section, you should expand on the introductory paragraphs with supporting details.
Let’s return to our previous example, the Apple press release.
It begins by announcing the launch of its updated AirPods. Subsequent paragraphs then deal with the product’s design, audio features and battery life, each under its own bold subheading.
Extract from Apple’s press release on the new AirPods design
8. Add relevant quotes
Your press release is taking shape! Reread your text and add no more than two quality quotes from no more than two people.
These quotes should only come from reputable company or industry figures, such as senior executives or industry representatives.
The first quote is normally added immediately after your introductory paragraph; if absolutely necessary, another can be added later in the press release.
BOARD
In general, the official titles of the persons mentioned should be :
Capitalize if you plan to mention the title before the name.
“Quote lorem ipsum,” said Ahrefs Marketing Director Tim Soulo.
Lowercase if you plan to mention the title after the name.
“Quote lorem ipsum,” said Ahrefs Marketing Director Tim Soulo.
9. Add images
Adding images (and image descriptions and/or captions) is optional. But studies have shown that a press release containing images is seven times more likely to be read than scanned.
If you’re launching a product, including high-resolution images in the body of the text makes it easier to read and gives a clearer idea of what you have to offer.
Don’t forget to include a link to downloadable resources (try using a URL shortener like bit.ly) at the bottom of your press release.
10. Write a convincing title and summary
Now it’s time to return to your title and summary.
While it’s generally a good idea to write your press release in chronological order, we believe that these two elements should only be written once you’ve completed the main text.
Since you’ve worked through the press release to identify the most important information, you’re now in a position to come up with a clean, factual and fresh headline.
Under the title, add a one-sentence summary of the entire press release.
Title and one-sentence summary
Remember that your summary is not quite the same as your introductory paragraph. It doesn’t have to answer every question, but it should arouse enough curiosity to keep the reader reading.
You can write your title by capitalizing only the first letter of the sentence, as in the screenshot above.
We recommend that you use title case, which means that the first letter of most words is capitalized. Try using this automatic capitalization tool to help you write accurate titles.
Buttons for the various style guides. Click on each to display the text field for adding/formatting the title.
11. Boilerplate
Your presentation template comes after the main content of the press release, but before the contact information. It provides readers with some information about the company behind the press release.
This should be a one-paragraph summary of the company’s history (if applicable), as well as an overview of its products or services. You can also briefly mention any notable achievements.
Here’s what it might look like:
12. Finish your press release
Below your template, indicate that your press release is complete by using the notation “###”.
13. Press contact details
In a new section, add the necessary contact details so that journalists and editors can reach you easily.
They are normally written in this format:
Name (in bold)
Name of company or PR agency
E-mail address
Contact number (country code)
14. Revise your text
In the final stage, re-read your press release, reviewing the previous steps.
In particular, check the following points:
- Is it written objectively?
- Is it interesting and succinct?
- Does it contain all the essential details?
- Quotes, images, details of the event or launch (time, date and place), etc.
- Are there any typos or stylistic errors?
- This happens more often than you might think, especially when it comes to personal names.
- You should also check for stylization errors. For example, it’s “AirPods” and not “Air pods”.
Finally, ask a more experienced person for advice, as this is a crucial step in identifying anything you may have missed.
Once everything is in order, your press release is ready for distribution.
Track the performance of your press release
The next step, of course, is to examine the analysis of your press release.
They help you determine how well your campaign performed, whether the resources spent were justified, and whether you reached the right audience through the right platforms. It’s also a good way to better understand the general sentiment towards your press release, which can inform future press releases.
Most distribution services offer basic visibility reports that allow you to review the most common metrics, such as click-through rates, conversion rates, backlinks and downloads (if you’ve published the press release in pdf format).
The problem is, these services can be expensive. A free tool like Ahrefs Webmaster Tools can help you offset unnecessary costs while allowing you to easily track backlinks and mentions.
How to track backlinks
First, follow this illustrated guide to set up your first project on Ahrefs Webmaster Tools.
Then, in Ahrefs’ Site Explorer, enter the URL of the page on which your press release is hosted. From there, you’ll be able to see the number of backlinks you’ve received.
For a detailed breakdown, go to the left-hand panel and go to Backlink Profile > Backlinks. Here you can view “live” backlinks, as well as recent and historical backlinks.
You can also hover over the tooltip (marked with a small “i”) for each measurement to get a better idea of what you’re looking at.
If you’re in a hurry, or don’t know whether it’s worth your while to sign up for a free account, try using our free backlink checker instead. This tool provides an overview of the top 100 backlinks for your page.
Backlink overview with UR, DR and top 100 backlinks.
How to track mentions
If you’d like to track mentions of certain keywords, quotes or your brand’s latest products, you can set these up in Ahrefs Alerts. These mentions will be sent to your mailbox at the frequency of your choice.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it.
Although it may seem similar to Google Alerts, Ahrefs Alerts offers a more comprehensive view of information, according to our mini-study of the two monitoring tools.
Final thoughts
So here’s your detailed guide to what a press release is, what to avoid and how to write it.
It’s a good idea to brush up on the basics from time to time, so as not to lose sight of the fundamentals of press release writing.
Got something to say? Let me know your ideas and suggestions on Twitter.