How to Write a Strong Press Release

When you're running a business you're going to learn two things rather quickly. One, the media can do many wonderful things for you. Two, they're a pain in the neck. But a necessary pain in the neck! It's through the media that your company's clients and consumers are going to stay up to date on what you've been doing, so it's important to keep them in the loop! To do that you're going to have to learn to write a strong press release.

If you're running a major corporation you've probably got a team of marketing professionals that spent an entire semester in college learning how to effectively write for the media; however, if you happen to BE your company's marketing department you may be left feeling like you're in way over your head! Here are some helpful hints to help you write an effective press release that's guaranteed to make its way out onto the newswire:

1) Make sure your news is newsworthy. The press isn't (usually) going to waste valuable space writing up an article on an issue no one cares about, so it's important to make sure your news really is newsworthy.

2) Create a short yet stunning headline. Your headline should do three things. First, it should identify your company or industry. Second, it should give the reader some idea of what you're talking about, and third, it should catch the attention of the reader! If you're having a hard time evaluating the success of your press release headlines, visit the Advanced Marketing Institute's online heading analyzer and use the tools and tips available.

3) Make sure your press release answers the who, what, why, when, where and how of your news item. You don't have to go on and on (most press releases should be 400-600 words or less unless there's simply too much information to include).

4) Close with your contact information.

Writing an effective press release may feel difficult at first, but if you know what you're talking about, who you're talking to and why you're talking to them it won't be long before effective PR is as easy as breathing.