How to Write a Press Release?

So, how to write a press release? That's a million dollar question. If done right, it can indeed bring you a million dollars in revenue. Let's get started by answering what a press release is.

"A press release is simply a statement prepared for distribution to the news media announcing something claimed as having news value with the intent of gaining media coverage."

A press release consists of following elements:

Headline
The headline is the first single line of text in the press release and tells what the press release is about. It can be a very effective tool to grab the attention of the journalists, so writing it from a journalists perspective is very important. Think what headlines catch your eyes in the newspaper.

The headline should be descriptive but not too long. For the later reason, PRLog limits it to 100 characters. The headline should be formatted in title case, that is, each word in the sentence should have first letter capitalized, and rest of the letters in lowercase. Acronyms can be in uppercase.
Summary
The summary lets you build up your chance to sell your press release to the journalist. It is generally a requirement of online press release services. Identify a unique feature about your product or service and then write how it is going to revolutionize the world.

The summary should be a single paragraph with about three to five lines. Beyond 250 characters is too long, so this is the limit for PRLog. All sentences in the summary should be in sentence case, that is, only first letter of a sentence should be capital, and all others should be lowercase. Again, acronyms can be all capital letters.
Body
Dateline
The dateline contains the release date of the press release and usually also the originating city of the press release. For online press release services like PRLog, the date stamp is automatic and should not be entered.
Introduction
The introduction is where the press release body starts. It is the first paragraph in a press release, that generally gives basic answers to the questions of who, what, when, where and why.
Details
The details come after the introduction. It gives further explanation, statistics, background, or other details relevant to the news and also serves to back up whatever claims were made in the introductory paragraph.
The body should be at least 3000 characters or 500 words. PRLog allows you a much higher limit of 8000 characters. The body should have a minimum of two paragraphs. All paragraphs should be ideally between 5 to 8 lines each. There should be a blank line after each paragraph for good visibility.
About
The about section is also called the "boilerplate" as it used over and over again. It is generally a short section providing background information on the press release issuing company or organization.
Media Contact Information
This section contains the contact information like name, phone number, email address, mailing address, etc for the media relations contact person. For good credibility, the email address should be the same as the organization the press release is about. For example, if the press release is about an organization with a website called abcd.com, then the email address should be email_address@abcd.com.
General Tips
A press release should be written in third person. Instead of using we, us and ours, your should be using they, them and theirs.
It is very useful to look at other people's press releases. Feel free to take a look at the most viewed press releases, as it usually gives a lot of insight into how to write a press release.

Press Release Writing - Tips to Write a Press Release

1. Start strong: Your title and initial lines should briefly and directly convey what you want to say. Include the "who, what, where, when and why" in the lead of your press release. The remaining part of your press release should include supporting facts and examples.

2. Make it easy for the media: Some media agencies and journalists will grab your press release and carry it in their publications with slight editing or no alteration. But even if it's not used word for word, journalists may use it as fodder for other stories or to create their own story ideas. The more information and details you include, the less work the media has to do.

3. Think like the reader: Your press release should be able to keep the reader's interest. Put yourself in the reader's shoes. Would you want to read your press release?

4. Make it relevant: Try to point out real examples to support the message you want to communicate. Show why your information is important and how it benefits the reader. If your release isn't newsworthy, don't expect anyone to read it.

5. Support your story with real facts: Facts make your point stronger and tell the journalist you've already done much of the research for them. If you pull facts from other sources, make sure you attribute them. Avoid fluff and add-ons. And never make anything up. If content seems too good to be true, tone it down or you could hurt your credibility.

6. Be concise: Avoid using superfluous adjectives, extravagant language, or unnecessary clichés. Get to the point and tell your story as directly as possible.

7. Avoid industry jargon: The harder your press release is to understand for journalists and laymen, the less likely it is to be picked up. A limited use of industry terminology is ok, if you're trying to optimize the news release for internet search engines.

8. Avoid exclamation points: The use of exclamation points may hurt your credibility by creating unnecessary hype. However, if you have to use an exclamation point, use only one! Not several!!!

9. Get permission: Companies can be defensive about their name and image. Get written permission before including information or quotes from officials or associates of other companies/organizations.

10. Include company information: The press release should conclude with a short description of your company, including where your company is based, what products and service it provides and a brief history If you are creating a press release for more than one company, provide information for all the companies at the end of the release. Also include contact information, both phone number and e-mail, for each company's spokesperson.

Courtesy:http://www.1888pressrelease.com/tips...s-release.html

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"You Can Analyse The Past But You Have To Design The Future"
Miss Writer

Thanks, dear, i was searching web for process and techniques of writing press releases. Allah apko ajjar day.
Allah Nighaban-o-Nasir.

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" None are more hopelessly enslaved, than those, who falsely believe that they are free"
Goethe

Its called boiler-plate.

cheers,
floydian

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Police Service of Pakistan (PSP)
39th Common Training Program

thank u floydian this specific term is an addion in my knowledge.
thanks again

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"You Can Analyse The Past But You Have To Design The Future"
Miss Writer

Copywriting's 5 W's

To achieve great Copywriting, always use the 5 W's.

Who are you trying to kid? Of course you know what they are. They were drummed into you way back when. Yep, in English class where you sat there wondering why in the world you had to learn them.

Writing Basics - Who, What, When, Where, and Why

Yes, now you remember learning the 5 W’s in school.

Did you forget about them the minute you left the classroom?

I didn’t. I think they were the only thing I learned about basic English that actually seem to serve a useful purpose. (When was the last time you diagramed a sentence?)

They are, of course, the fundamental questions that make up your content.

But they are very useful on an even more basic level than that.

They can help you overcome the “blank page” syndrome. Try it next time you don’t know what to write. Just start asking yourself those questions. It’s almost impossible not to hit one that will get you going.

They can help you put your thoughts in order when you are very excited about your topic.

Sometimes we get so excited about our topic that the pen seems to fly. That’s great for the first draft where you want to get everything down on paper.

But if you have a deadline you might not have to time to edit properly.

Focus on everything you want to say about each “W”, one at a time. You will have all the major issues covered. And chances are you will have time to go back and rearrange anything that might not have fallen into place.

They can help you organize masses of information into a logical presentation.

Some topics are almost overwhelming. You might be sitting at your desk, looking at a stack of research that is higher than you are.

First, go through the stack and separate it.

Sort as much as possible into piles according to which "W" it fits best.

Then go through each stack and put it in logical order.

Now the actual writing will be much easier and a lot faster.

Summary:

1. Write down the answers to the Five W’s.

2. Arrange the W’s in order of importance.

3. After writing your lead, start to flesh out the answers in more detail.

4. Be as detailed as you need to be without congesting the content.

5. Write your text so that it provides a way the reader can take action.

Use the five W's and your copywriting will flow much easier.


Grace Adele
www.wondrouswords.com

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"You Can Analyse The Past But You Have To Design The Future"
Miss Writer