Table of Contents
- 5 Tips to Write the Best Press Releases
- 10 Press Release Examples
- Key Takeaways
- Conclusion
- FAQs
Knowing how to write a press release effectively can be a great addition to any marketer’s toolbox. However, press releases can be difficult to write, even with extensive experience creating other inbound content for the web.
Press releases have their own set of formatting rules, language, and audience, making them hard to excel at. But then that’s the beauty of this medium. Once you acquaint yourself with the rules, you will be able to write press releases with customary ease.
A press release is also a powerful PR tool, making it popular among startups and SMBs. After all, the key to getting the media’s attention and your clients and customers is knowing how to play your PR cards right.
You can write a press release to narrate your company’s story, inform about a new launch, introduce a new hire, promote an event, or announce an award. Not just that, companies also use press releases to tackle corporate crises and issues that can reflect negatively on their brand image.
A press release is a cost-effective way to earn a larger audience, attract business partners, and maintain a positive brand image. But to reap the many benefits of press releases, it’s important first to know how to write one.
If you need a little hand-holding in this regard, here is some help. This article uses popular press release examples to show you how to create and format press releases for media attention. But before we get to that, let’s talk about a few general tips on how to write stellar press releases. Read on.
5 Tips to Write the Best Press Releases
1. Create an outline
Every day, journalists receive hundreds of press releases and emails. Although you may find a 1000-word description about your product’s new login page interesting, it is unlikely that any journalist will.
A press release should be between 300-500 words. This is three to four paragraphs with a few quotes. Start by creating a brief outline of the story, broken down into three to four sections. Then, write a couple of sentences per section. Bullet points are even better. They improve readability and help you highlight important information. A good press release example for an event will carry information in bullet points.
2. Use supportive quotes
Journalists may use your quotes in their stories word by word. So, make sure your press release relays the right message through its quotes. The person you intend to quote must have spoken in length on the subject around which the press release has been created, but quote only the parts that seem most important.
If you need to make any changes in the quotes, inform the concerned person. When quoting someone from your organization, make sure they are knowledgeable and will be able to answer media questions if necessary. What else? Avoid using quotes laden with buzzwords or technical jargon.
3. Offer access to more info.
Limit your press release to a single page. However, if your story requires it, you may use up to two pages. But make sure you don’t stretch the press release just because you are too excited about your story. At this point, many writers would wonder if it’s possible to keep a press release short without depriving journalists of critical information.
Yes, it’s possible—thanks to hyperlinks! When you create a press release, provide relevant links to your website where potential writers can learn more about you, your mission, and what you have accomplished. Do not make journalists search for additional information by themselves. Guide them as quickly and efficiently as possible to your site, and keep their attention piqued. Check out a press release example for events, and you will likely find embedded links. These links help journalists find the correct information should they decide to cover the story.
4. Adopt a great writing style
A press release is essentially a news story. So, keep your sentences brief and to the point. Avoid using jargon and terms that are difficult to understand for the average person. Focus on facts and information—remember, you want the reporter receiving your press release to know it’s news.
A key element of press release writing is to ensure that the content is formatted correctly and thoroughly read before it’s sent out. If journalists receive a poorly edited press release with many errors, they will hit the delete key immediately. Check out the best press release examples available online; you will most likely not find a single grammar or spelling error in them.
5. Add contact information
Don’t forget to include contact information at the top or bottom of your press release. If journalists decide to write a story based on your press release, how will they contact your company for further details? Adding your contact information in the press release makes it easy for journalists to reach you for more information or even an interview. This is free publicity, so make sure you take advantage of it.
10 Press Release Examples
1. Divert.co.uk
This is a well-thought-out campaign launch press release by Divert, a UK-based waste collection business. The press release promotes the idea of helping people get rid of their ex-partners’ belongings. They used Valentine’s day to promote this through their press release. Although the scheme is impressive in and of itself, the author’s crisp writing, laced with humor, only makes the content more amusing to read. Newsworthiness, a catchy headline, a strong call to action, and a touch of emotion are all the elements that make press releases stand out. Yes, the press release owes much of its impact to the story, but the writing and format are also on point and equally impressive. This one is undoubtedly among the best press release examples we have on the list.
2. Citi Solutions Center, Poland
This is one of the best press release examples concerning new hires. This press release right away answers the most important questions— Who is the new hire? What will they bring to the company? And how many years of experience do they have? The content is concise and direct, yet it contains every vital information a journalist might need to cover the story, along with quotes and visuals.
3. eBay Inc.
This eBay new hire press release sample does an incredible job introducing the employee, outlining their career, and sharing newsworthy information about them. It is also filled with relevant quotes, which makes it more interesting to read as compared to other routine press releases. This crisp and precise press release gets straight to the point, which increases the likelihood of it being read until the end.
4. Apple
Nelson Jordan and many other experts agree that Apple does a fantastic job with product announcement press releases. This press release for Apple’s walking-audio program is an example of an excellent product announcement. It’s written so that journalists can easily find facts and quotes that will help them write their stories. This is precisely what makes it a great press release. This is one of the best examples for those learning to write press releases.
5. Happsy
Happsy, an organic mattress producer, used a clever press release for its launch. It didn’t just use the press release to announce that it was on the market. It found an angle that would appeal to most people—relatability. The press release is more relatable and relevant because it uses a language that sounds highly inclusive with words like “everyone.” This also makes it more appealing to journalists and audiences alike.
6. Heinz
Heinz grabs attention by getting the masses involved in its public search for a Head Burger Artist. It’s a contest where any person can win $25,000 and travel free of cost to taste “test burgers.”
While the title piques readers’ interest, the body of the press release makes sure the readers stick around until the end. This is an excellent press release example for events. It promotes its newsworthy story in an entertaining way that gets people both excited and involved.
7. Gerber
Gerber’s press release about their “Spokesbaby,” does an exceptional job presenting an extremely balanced narrative of the story. This is the kind of press release that time-constrained, deadline-driven journalists can publish as-is. Hence, this is among our favorite press release examples. It contains a heartfelt story, compelling images, and quotes from key players—essentially, everything needed for an impactful press release.
It is a newsworthy press release that informs readers adequately and leaves them looking forward to learning more.
8. Chevrolet
This Chevrolet product launch press release is nearly as impressive as the product itself. Although the content contains only three sentences, it’s not a poor press release sample. Why do we say so? Because the rest of it is multimedia and interactive media. This offers journalists an immersive read. Meaning they will feel as though they are right inside the luxury vehicle. And this experience provides more information than a 500-word press release can. Journalists also have the option to play the embedded video and hear the car commentary from the designers themselves.
9. Kohl’s
Kohl’s does a great job creating a concise but informative press release. In just two sentences, the first paragraph lists the story’s who, what, and when. This is an objective, factual press release that impresses without being too “salesy.”
The press release then offers other vital information to help journalists create balanced stories. This includes multiple quotes from executives at the mentioned companies and journalists’ contact information for any follow-up questions.
10. Tesla
Tesla releases press releases in crisis communication style to present both sides of every story. Tesla is not like other businesses that try to hide crises and other bad news. Instead, they put it out there and begin a dialogue around it. It shows that the company is actively involved in bettering its products and responds to any news, claims, or stories. This is one of the best press release examples because of the element of transparency.
Key Takeaways
- Knowing how to write a press release effectively can be a great addition to your skillset.
- A press release is a cost-effective way to earn a larger audience, attract business partners, and maintain a positive brand image.
- A press release should be between 300-500 words.
- A key element of press release writing is to ensure that the content is formatted correctly and thoroughly read before it’s sent out.
- Use crisp, clear, and simple language to write press releases.
Conclusion
What do the above press release examples make you think? You may have noticed that brands often go above and beyond to provide journalists with a positive experience by sending them well-crafted press releases.
Now, you must be wondering why they do so. Well, journalists work under tight deadlines. So, they need stories that immediately strike as newsworthy, which can be researched and reported on quickly and efficiently.
Remember, the first impression that your press release makes determines the fate of your story—whether it receives coverage or gets ignored. So, no amount of time you spend perfecting it can be considered wasted.
FAQs
A press release is a short news story written by a public relations professional and distributed to different media outlets. It’s a strong communication and marketing tool that contributes to a company’s growth.
The purpose of a news release is to portray and promote important corporate news accurately.
PR professionals usually write press releases to propose possible story ideas to journalists.
Press releases should be written in a crisp and explicit language. Also, make sure that the language you use is precise, impactful, and error-free.
Press releases should be informational but not lengthy. See to it that your press release doesn’t exceed 500 words.
Yes, it can. If you want to learn how to write event press releases, choose a press release example and thoroughly study its format and content. As your understanding deepens, you can explore more examples in this genre and learn.
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