Like any other marketing artefact, Press Release (PR) too have evolved. From acting as a corporate news feeder for the traditional mainstream media to becoming the key driver of the SEO vehicle for a while and now finding a place somewhere midway between the mainstream and digital media, press releases have evolved through the years.
While the changes could be minimal in terms of the PR document format and structure, the changes are noteworthy in terms of content and distribution, especially with the advent of internet technologies. Here’s taking a relook at the factors that affect the effectiveness of a PR, while keeping in backdrop the contextual and technological changes.
8 Questions to ask before your next press release
1. Is the content really newsworthy?
Ask this big-picture question right at the planning stage – why are you doing what you are doing? A good rule of thumb is- unless you have a good reason from the audience point of view, don’t go for a press release. It could be the launch of a new product or service, a special event, opening of a new location, a record-setting sale year or any other valid reason that would interest both the journalist as well as the final readers.
2. Is the headline attention-grabbing?
Heading is everything, just like the packaging is to a product. Even bad products sell well if presented in attractive packs, the same is true with PRs. Unexciting, boring and generic headings have no place in today content-rich world. If your heading doesn’t give enough reasons for the reader to continue reading, then your PR is nothing but a disaster. In short, before you release your next PR, take time to give a good thought to ensure that the heading is catchy, short and engaging, while not doing any attention-getting gimmicks.
3. Have you written it like a reporter?
While crafting the press release, think of yourself as a reporter writing about an event or a news. In other words, the tone or style of writing should be such that you are talking of someone or something else as a ‘third person’. ‘I’ and ‘We’ should not be part of the body, unless you are making direct quotes from other people. While on one side, this third-person journalistic style of writing give readers the impression that this is a press report and not an advertisement, it also helps journalists easily pickup this story and republish it with minimal editorial changes.
Another basic lesson taught in news reporting is to cover the “five W’s – who, what, where, when and why”, which forms the crux of a story. This journalism thumb rule applies to press releases as well with the only difference that all of this should be presented in a concise and crisp manner within the first or second paragraph, in 50- 100 words. Tell your readers who you are, what you are announcing, where this is taking place, when it’s happening and why this news matters.
4. Does it include keywords?
In today’s world, press release is a digital document, irrespective of whether it’s released in traditional mainstream media or the online media. In other words, your PR has an online presence and that explains why it is important to include keywords that will make your release finable to those searching online for information about a topic or a company. This group of online searchers even include journalists who use search engines to research stories, which increases the chances of your story being picked up and published. Moreover, if tied up with reputed online media counterparts like Huffington Post or Inc., or if the story is being released through PR news wire websites then including search optimised keywords in the release will substantially increase the chances of online visibility and website traffic.
5. Does it include links?
Many PR professionals have stopped including links in their press releases after Google’s web spam team made it clear that links from press releases will be considered as nothing but “paid advertorials” and wouldn’t help improve SEO ranking. However, including meaningful links in press release is still a very important step in the conversion process, as it provides the reader additional information and continuity on what is being talked about by goading him to web pages created to aid the sales conversion process. So before you publish your next press release, make sure that it includes at least a live link to your company website or to a landing page which talks in detail about the product or service that’s covered in the news. However, take caution not to over stuff your press release with links as Google would consider this as nothing more than a spam. Play safe by limiting your link count to two or three at the most.
6. Have you included quotes from a high-powered person?
Quotes are powerful tools that adds credibility to your press release, especially if it is from an industry analyst, long-time customer, brand thought leader or even a senior executive of your company. It also helps the readers gain additional information about the project, understand the benefits or impact of the product or get the larger picture from an expert’s perspective. However, it is to be noted that such quotes should be served only in the later paragraphs of a press release, with proper attribution to a person. While quoting, stick to the verb “said” instead of using other polished verbs such as suggested, recommended etc. That’s another PR thumb rule.
7. Did you attach visuals?
The primary goal of a press release is to get the word out to the press about something you consider as newsworthy and make them talk about it on their media platforms. Sometimes this becomes easier when the narrative is visually expounded through a photo or a video. That explains why it’s important to include the photo of your new product or a video link where your top executives or customers are sharing their view about the new launch.
8. Did you check the word count?
While there isn’t any hard and fast rule or a magic word count for the perfect press release, the general industry guidelines is to limit it to 300 to 400 words at most. The whole idea here is to present the matter in the most clear and concise manner in a single page, while complying to the standard formatting rules such as readable font, double line spacing etc. Once you eclipse the 400 word limit and break into the second page, chances are high that the readers will only scan through the content to take the nuggets they are looking for. On the other hand, if you keep it too short, you may fail to generate interest in the reader, unless he is willing to sift with a fine-tooth comb to understand the significance of what’s talked about.
Before signing off, here’s one bonus tip- if you are sending a press release for the first time, download a PR template or place your press release against an industry standard format to ensure that it includes all the required elements including sub headings, contact details and a boilerplate paragraph at the end giving essential information about the issuing company.
