How to write a press release for anything

Image courtesy of Annie Spratt, from unsplash.com

It’s worth knowing how to write a press release for anything and everything that you are trying to promote - be it a new book, business, event or product, because this is a very easy way to tell the world what you are doing and why you matter. Press Releases can be quick and even free to put together, and easily sent out to media outlets. In this blog post I am going to tell you how.

The layout

When you are learning how to write a press release for anything the first thing to learn is the layout. Below you can see an image of the layout required (if the image is appearing too small, full press releases are available on my website), the different elements of the press release are detailed below the image in chronological order.

Logo/image

Place your logo or image at the top of your document. You can keep the logo or image on your press release simple, or have a banner if you want to be fancy.

Document title

The standard format is to write Press Release in capital letters on your press release.

Date

It doesn’t matter in which format you write the date on your press release.

Main story

Tell the story. Press releases are always easy to understand and should contain all of the information that any editor or journalist needs. It’s not great practice, but is in reality very common, for press releases to be simply lifted from the page and inserted into a magazine or newspaper with next to no editing.

Assume that your audience knows nothing about your story or subject. Keep to the basics but add anything of interest. Don’t go into too much detail about your subject, you can do this at the end. To try and capture a tone, have a look at different press releases online and see how other institutions have written theres.

Put in as many links as you need in the story. It is good practice to link relevant text, not to put in long links unattached to text. This is neater and better for people with disabilities.

END

You always write END at the end of the main story. I don’t know why. This is just how press releases are formatted.

Subject bios

Give some context about your subjects. This can be a little fluffier. Here the author (aka, me!) has written about herself as the subject, and about Caversham Writers the Writer’s Group.

Website and social media

List your website and any social media platforms that you want to be highlighted. Ideally you’ll want the media outlets that you are sending your press release to to connect with you, so ensure that they have everything they need to tag you on social media correctly. If they have time it is also useful for them to have your website for further research.

How should I save my press release?

It’s up to you if you would like to save your press release as a PDF or a Word document. I personally save mine as a Word document because it is easier for the content writer to edit it at the other end, and easier for me if I am loading it into a site like Press Loft, which is currently offering 60-day free trials.

What can I write a press release about?

You can write a press release about anything of interest. Ideas could be:

Your product or service

Upgrades or updates to your product or service

You or your company trying something new

You or your company attending events, or maybe an event you are holding

Awards that you or your company are nominated for, or have won

Competitions or promotions that you are holding

Details of collaborations with another business

If you become a little more famous, personal updates about life milestones or achievements or even life fails

You can even think outside of the box and come up with ideas to do something that could be a reason to send a press release.

How do I send a press release to the media?

If you are the PR or Marketing personell in your company, you should send your press release via the service that your company uses, or you might pass on your press release to a PR company and there are lots of them out there. If you are an entreperneur or an author or a very small company there are two ways that I would recommend to send a press release:

Use a website such as Press Loft, which is currently offering a free 60-day trial. Through their platform you can upload your press release and send it to every media outlet on file with one click. They operate in many countries and for a 60-day free trial it’s worth trying out to see if it works for you.

Google newspapers, magazines or other outlets and send your press release in an email as an attachment to them directly. If you place all of the addresses into the BCC field each one won’t know that you have emailed many at the same time. This method has worked well for me when I have done book signings - I have managed to get the event into at least two local papers each time.

Hosting press releases on your website

Many great companies have a Media page on their website and you should too. On this page you can host your press releases, articles where you have been featured, maybe events that you are hosting or attending in the near future, and, if you have capacity, some images, logos and banners that people such as journalists can download for use in order to promote you and your work (you can create terms as to how those can be used). This is all very useful for anyone who would like to feature you because they can have the assets instantly without having to contact you for them. I personally always host the press release on a page, and then have a Word version available for downloading as well, just to make life easier.

Good luck sending your own press release. Let me know how you got on in the comments below.

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