Cheat sheet for authors: how to write a press release correctly

Many authors (copywriters, journalists) sooner or later face the need to write a competent (in every sense) press release. Sometimes this causes difficulties, especially if the author – I'm new to this and have never written anything like this before. But even more difficult with the preparation of the correct press release will have to people who are far from writing texts. And such a need may still arise if you are going to organize an event or release a new product that needs to attract the attention of the general public. Estet-portal.com decided to help the authors. We have prepared for you a kind of instruction-cheat sheet that will help you write a press release correctly and in an accessible way.

How to write a press release correctly: a guide for beginners

First of all, it is worth recalling what a press release is and for what purposes it is needed.

Press release – this is clearly structured and clearly presented information (usually in a fairly short form, but there is no clear framework) for a specific audience, which should attract the audience's interest in a specific topic or event.

Usually, press releases are made for journalists and various publications, since it is publications in the media that are beneficial to attract the attention of the target audience.

True, now interest in print (and other types) media has noticeably fallen, so it makes sense to focus on Internet publications, which are the future. Moreover, some publications on the Internet can become “viral”, that is, they can be reprinted by many people and duplicated in different sources countless times. And this is a guarantee that your content, to which you were trying to attract attention, will become super popular. In addition, open access to this information on the Internet is provided and  for your potential clients or business partners.
By the way, it is also useful to post press releases on social networks, which can become one of the main traffic channels for your business.

There are two main types of press releases, depending on the purpose:
1.    Announcement ("before") tells about the future event – event or release of an innovative product. Usually, such a press release is written and sent out to attract as many visitors as possible to your event or to draw attention to another event.
2.    Post-release ("after") – this is news information "in hot pursuit" (i.e. in the shortest terms after the event) about an event or other event that has already taken place.

Basic rules for how to write a press release

A press release usually has a clear structure that will help you avoid confusion when writing it and then reading it. The structure of a classic press release consists of five parts (who? what? where? when? why? how?):
1.    Title (short, bright, catchy, memorable, but informative).
2.    Lead (a short introduction of one paragraph), answering the 5 main journalistic questions: what, where, when and why (or why), how to get there?

3.    The main part (of one or two paragraphs), which expands and details the information from the introduction (Fig.2).
4.    A quote from the organizer or other responsible expert on the topic involved in the event (it is better to make a quote of a small, no shorter paragraph) – it will help make your press release more lively and interesting. A quote is not an obligatory element of a press release (in extreme cases, you can do without it), but it gives it a twist and makes it more memorable for readers (photos and videos from your previous event).
5.    Reference information about the organizers or the company (contact details, the scope of the company, achievements or awards, if any).

However, it is not enough to understand the structure of a press release – you also need to know the basic rules for working on it in order to write a text that will really hook readers and draw attention to your event or product.

These rules for writing a good press release are mostly derived from the structure of the release:
1.    It's tempting to make the headline as catchy as possible, but don't deviate from the theme of the press release for the sake of chasing cheap sensations. After reading the title of your release, the reader should at least roughly understand what will be discussed next.
2.    Introduction (lead) is better to highlight in bold or italics (or other concise way), since the main information is contained in it (Fig. 1).

3.    When you write the main part, try to stick to the journalistic style – do not go deep into the artistic style, do not flirt with lush descriptions and ornate epithets. Everything should be clear, accessible and easy to read.
4.    Important: Your press release should never contain direct advertising or propaganda! This will turn away the audience, and the media may refuse to publish such. Save advertising your business for the event you call people to with a press release.

5.    Try to write as briefly and concisely as possible, ruthlessly throwing out all unnecessary details from the text, otherwise there is a risk that no one will read your opus to the end.
6.    Facts and specific figures used in a press release automatically make it more solid and inspire confidence in the audience.
7.    Shorten long and complex sentences by breaking them into parts. For example, instead of the option "Join us to meet new partners" it's better to say "Join us! This is a chance to meet new partners.
8.    If you doubt your literacy, it is better to give the text to an experienced author for preliminary proofreading.
9.    After writing a press release, put it aside for a day. Then go back to the text and reread. With a fresh mind, flaws that need to be corrected are better visible.

Another important piece of advice that is no longer about writing a press release. Remember the dates! Send a press release to the media in the last days before the event – big mistake. Each publication usually has its own pre-made content plan, and it can take time for journalists to squeeze your release into it, which before that still needs to be proofread and formatted for a specific publication.

Besides, you should not try to place the same release on the same day in several different media – this can cause oversaturation (and, as a result, unconscious disgust) of the audience.

It is best to start sending press releases 1.5-2 weeks before the event. Then your text will be noticed by a lot more people who are important to you.

Don't forget about the "two clicks" rule, how easy is it for a reader to find your registration form? If it takes him more than three clicks – know you've lost your potential visitor! It is useful to put a link to the registration form in the text several times!

Follow the rules described in this article, and your press release will definitely become the very tool that will help increase the authority and recognition of the company, as well as audience loyalty to it.