More and more marketers are tapping into the many benefits of content marketing and this has led them to explore ways of distributing press releases on the web. Writing a strong, full-bodied press release and submitting it to the right sites is a tricky task at the best of times, and we often get asked for best practice methods by companies struggling to get it right.
Stick to these straightforward tips and your releases are sure to be accepted by all the major PR sites. They’ll also be more engaging and professionally written, too!
Make sure the release contains a clear news announcement. If you can’t think of a newsworthy story, write a tip sheet instead (more info on this can be found here).
Plan your release by considering the ‘who, what, when, where, why and how’ mantra. Arrange everything you need to write the release in the initial stages and leave no stone unturned!
Include your company name at the beginning of the title where possible. Doing so immediately communicates the source of the news and will also boost your SEO efforts.
Always capitalise the title.
Insert a targeted search phrase into the title if the theme of the article allows you to. This will aid your SEO campaign, further adding to the value of the press release.
Include the date and city of the origin of the release. This will appeal to journalists and add integrity to your work.
Keep your language clear and free from too many adjectives and fancy words. The release needs to be largely factual and easy to read for web users of all levels of literacy – if you need to use any industry-specific terminology, make sure you fully explain what you mean to avoid alienating a less-savvy audience.
Structure the release logically. Keep the ‘inverted pyramid’ in mind at all times to make sure that crucial details are stated at the beginning of the release and further details are added later on.
Use short paragraphs. Not only does this help you keep the format of your release clean and simple, it also prevents you from waffling on!
Make sure the summary paragraph adequately paraphrases the heading and provides the journalist with a little more information about the topic. This snippet of information needs to encourage them to read on for more details.
Include a quote from someone in your company. This adds credibility and personality to the release. Make it clear that you’re connecting the quote with the member of staff and write so there’s no confusion.
Write a boilerplate that packs a punch. The boilerplate is a short paragraph that can be added to the end of every single release. It’s there to provide the reader with more information about the source of the news article, ie your company. Learn how to write the perfect boilerplate here.
Provide the reader with an external link to your site, either in the boilerplate or via cleverly placed anchor text.
Don’t use more than one anchor text link per 100 words. Any more is frequently considered ‘spammy’ and will hinder the release of the article through high-profile sites such as PR Web.
