How to write a press release

If you are reading this you are either totally new to PR and need spot of help and guidance or you are a PR whizz and wonder what on earth I could possibly know that isn’t the industry standard already.

If you are the former, welcome.  I am here to help. If you are the later, hello to you too! I am not going to reinvent the wheel as there is no point. PR is in fact quite simple. What I am going to do is share my experience on how to write a great press release and gain more confidence in creating successful press releases in the future. 

Here is my simple guide to writing a press release (using a fictional shampoo as an example)

What’s your angle? 

Consider what you actually want to share. Ask yourself a few tough questions to make sure your story is actually news.  Press release are a lot of effort and if the news it not really new. It can be very disappointing for you to see no results for all your effort.  Asking these questions will also help manage the expectation of managers and clients. It’s better to look for a possible new story than to share one that might not take off. 

Is my ‘news’ actually new or have we all heard it before?  

For example, you make shampoo. You have a new shampoo to sell.  Saying you have a new shampoo is not really new news. Instead what it does as a shampoo might be the story. 

Is there anything unique or interesting about it?

This is where you find out where your shampoo is unique and interesting. Where is the USP and the special feature you know makes this shampoo excellent, beyond its newness? For example, it is new and the packaging is 100% sustainable? Does it help with hair growth because it’s made from magic herbs?  That is the interesting part. 

Would this be of interest to anyone outside my business or region?

For example, people who like to know about sustainable packaging would like to know about it.  Maybe people who like herbs would like to know about it too? You can think around the market place.  With the shampoo you can consider if it’s for hairdressers, the public, hotels, hospitals etc.  Your product might be interesting to all kinds of people. 

Will anyone actually care about it?

Does the shampoo make life better for a certain group of people, maybe direct the news at them?  If there are multiple groups of people it might be interesting to, then simply write different versions of the press releases to different journalist that tell different stories.

Headline.

This has to stand out, strike a cord and have an impact. Do remember that journalists are sent thousands or press releases a day. The subject line and heading need to grab their attention while remaining clear and exact about the story. 

Format and length.

Short and sweet.  Describer the story clearly in the first paragraph. Imagine it will be only the first 3 lines that have to tell the whole story and try to summarise the story to fit.

This is then followed 2 or 3 explanatory paragraphs to back up the story and to go into more detail. Make sure to be clear and honest.  You do not need to share every small detail, if the press want to share a story, they will always contact you with more questions. 

Bring it to life.

You have to add quotes from people who are experts, key to the story and who might be available to interview, if the story is popular. Images are also essential and they make the work of a journalist easier; they will thank you for good high quality images. 

And that is it really.  Decide if your story is actually news and find the exciting and interesting angle. Give it a clear heading, share the story in the first paragraph and make sure to add quotes and images. 

PR is a very simple as I said before, but it requires a bit of confidence ( and a super media list).  You will learn from doing and the more you write press releases the better they will become, I promise.