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Press releases are an important part of the marketing/communications effort. They communicate the latest news about your company and its products to the media. Journalists rely on well-written press releases for story ideas and information.

Press releases on new product developments are important to journalists for a variety of reasons, the major one being that their readers are interested in the latest product developments in their industry. If you have a new product you need to write a release. Press releases compliment any advertising campaign by keeping your name in front of your market every time you launch a new product.

Another name for a press release is a news release meaning that it is new news. Journalists are keenly aware of press releases on a product that has been around awhile without substantial change. You run the risk of angering journalists and having any future release seen as suspect. If you have a product that has been around but has a significant new feature, that is news and the journalists will welcome this information.

What are the key Steps to writing a successful press release?

The important key to writing a press release is keeping it concise and to the point. Editors receive hundreds of releases every week. A tight, well- written release will help an editor understand quickly why your news is important to their readers.

The links below provide information on the steps you need to take to write a successful release. Download these documents compliments of Product News Network.

Press releases are also good search engine optimization tools. A press release adds content to your site as well as provide rich keywords and prhrases used by search engines.

How to Write a Press Release - PDF

Press Releases Are Important!

Press releases are an important part of the marketing/communications effort. They communicate the latest news about your company and its products to the media. Press releases on new product developments are important to journalists for a variety of reasons, the major one being that their readers are interested in the latest product developments in their industry.

Another name for a press release is a news release meaning that it is new news. You need to evaluate your press release in terms of newsworthiness. The purpose for your press release is to inform the market of you new or improved product or service. Journalists are keenly aware of press releases on a product that has been around awhile without substantial change. They are also leery of press releases that read like advertisements and are selling a product. You run the risk of angering journalists and having any future release seen as suspect. If you have a product that has been around but has a significant new feature, that is news and the journalists will welcome this information.

This document highlights the important steps to writing a successful press release and although there are no guarantees that every press release you write will be picked up by the press, these steps should improve your chances.

Preparing to write a press release

One of the first steps in creating an effective press release is preparation and planning. It is important to create a plan for what you want the press release to accomplish. You should have basic concepts established prior to writing the release. Here are some questions you should answer in your press release:

  • What is newsworthy about this release? Will a journalist, or more importantly the marketplace, find the news item important.
  • What makes this product or service interesting to the market?
  • What problem does it solve, solution it provides?
  • What features of the new product or service will have an impact on the market? What improvements are significant to the industry you serve?
  • Who is your preferred audience?
  • What do you want readers to take away from your release about your new product or service?
  • What are the keywords or key phrases used by your customers when searching for your type of product or service?
  • What does your release provide: invaluable information about a new product or just another offer?
  • What is the support or justification for the information in your release?
  • What is the tone of your release?
  • Are you aware of possible pitfalls or areas to avoid?
  • What do you want to accomplish with your release: increase business, disseminate information, or both? Does the release's lead (opening) address or answer the basic tenets of journalism:

    •      o who
         o what
         o when
         o where
         o why
         o how

Once you have written the plan it is time to write the press release.

Writing a press release

The important key to writing a press release is keeping it concise and to the point. Editors receive hundreds of releases every week. A tight, well-written release will help an editor understand quickly why your news is important to their readers. Make sure your release does not read like a sales pitch. This will often send up a flag in an editors mind to be skeptical of the release.

When writing a release

The first item on a press release that a journalist will see is the headline. It is important to write a headline that will grab the journalists attention. The headline should sum up the entire story. It should be concise and descriptive so the journalist receives clear picture of the contents of the release, and if it is of interest to their readers, they will read the release. If the release is on a new feature, or an update to an existing product, state that information in the headline.

After the headline, the first paragraph of the release is the most important. Just as we learned in journalism 101, the first paragraph should answer the following questions:

  • Who
  • What
  • Where
  • When
  • Why
  • How
In some cases, it may take two paragraphs to accomplish this, but never more.

The rest of the press release supports the first paragraph. A journalist wants to be informed, not sold. It is important that you are factual and honest with your statements about the product. The document should provide supporting information to substantiate any claim made. You should avoid marketing hype. This can be put in the boilerplate at the end of the release.

It is important that you avoid unsubstantiated claims in your release. A journalist judges the credibility of a release based on the credible back-up information provided with each claim. It is also important that a release supply the answers to potential questions about your product.

Keep the writing style dynamic and to the point. It is important to engage the busy reader of the release immediately even if the release is about an industrial staple. If you are not excited about your product, you cannot expect a journalist to be.

Your release should preferably be one page and no more than two. Realize, most stories about new products tend to be one or two paragraphs in most trade magazines. A release longer than two pages will most likely not be read to the end. Again, as stressed earlier, be concise and to the point.

Avoid the temptation to use industry terminology and jargon. Write in a conversational style using conversational English. You will find a large number of journalists do not have the same technical background as you even if they write for a trade magazine. While avoiding too much jargon, you want to add keywords and key phrases commonly used by your customers to create keyword-rich press release. Include them in the headline and first paragraph of your release. This will make them more effective on your site as an search engine optimization tool.

When describing your product remember Feature, Function & Benefit. What it is, what it does and the benefit to the user. This will help the journalist communicate to their readers why they should consider your products. It is important that you provide specific and detailed information.

The last information in a release is about your company and the important contacts as it relates to the product. The company information should describe your business and the industries you serve. You need to provide a contact name that the journalist can contact for more information. This person should be familiar with all the news in the release, and should be ready to answer questions. Include the contact phone number, fax, Email address, Web address and mail address. You can also issue your release on company letterhead to give it a professional appearance.

Lastly, have someone you trust proofread your work. Typos, spelling and grammatical errors will hurt your credibility with journalists.

Supporting Documentation

The following items should be included in the press release packet, whenever available:

  1. Pictures & Images  all pictures and images that help the journalists and readers visualize you product.
  2. Specifications Sheets / Product Brochures  Any specification sheets or promotional information.
Resources used in creating this document:

Packing a Punch with Press Releases  About.com, http://advertising.about.com/library/weekly/aa090302a.htm

How to Write a Press Release, Planning Begins Before You Write  Michigan State University
http://www.msu.edu/course/aee/211/newswritinghowto.pdf

Using press releases in search engine marketing, Pandia Search Central
http://www.pandia.com/features/pressrelease.html