5 Easy Steps to Make Your Press Release More Effective
August 5, 2019 | Category: Public Relations
Used across countless industries, press releases act as the perfect medium to share new and newsworthy announcements. From product launches to corporate accolades, the main purpose of a press release is to spread the news far and wide in the hopes of attracting high-authority media outlets. Press mentions are the end-goal, and to achieve those, it is crucial that your press release exudes eye-catching qualities.
Here’s how you can better reach your target audience and media outlets with your next press release:
1. Always Lead with an Attention-Grabbing Headline
First impressions lie in your press release’s headline. A headline the first thing that journalists see, so you want to make sure that the message garners enough interest to be read. For an eye-catching headline, you should always remain concise, direct, and comprehensive. And do not forget those action words! Most importantly, it’s essential that you convey your headline’s message in 10 words or less. Too lengthy, and you will only lose the interest of your potential readers. Lead with an attention-grabbing headline and your chances of getting a press mention increase ten-fold.
2. Make it Relevant
Before you start drafting your press release, take a moment and think about its potential relevance to your targeted audience. The relevance of your press release is absolutely crucial because it will be a determining factor in its ability to get picked up by note-worthy journalists or news outlets. To make your press release more effective, consider weighing the themes of exclusive research, breaking news, and emotional connection.
3. Choose Your Words Wisely
The language used to structure press releases should reflect professionalism but also be comprehensive to all who read through it. Jargon and industry-specific words and phrases should be avoided as much as possible so that readers can easily flow through the content without confusion. Additionally, the writing should be straight-forward rather than verbose–conciseness is key!
4. Don’t Forget Your Call-To-Action
Don’t let your well-written, relevant, and attention-grabbing press release fall flat; tie it all together in a bow with a clear call-to-action. You have to point your reader somewhere, and a call-to-action will do exactly that.
5. Timing is Key
When it comes to the distribution of press releases, timing is everything; and if you want your press release to shine above the competition, it is essential to select a distribution time that doesn’t match with the influx of other releases. It’s very typical for other outlets to schedule their press releases at the top or bottom of the hour, but to beat the odds of ending up in the junk folder, try selecting times like 7:55 a.m. or 8:15 a.m.