Promote yourself, your website, services, and products with fine-crafted press releases. Free publicity drives traffic to your website and increases page rank. If you make your press release interesting, you may even get the attention of a major newspaper or radio show producer.
A press release, not an advertisement or article, reads like a newspaper story written in journalistic style. Choose an interesting angle. Connect to a newsworthy event, current event, or popular social issue.
Effective Press Release Outline
1. Headline Captures Attention (Title Case, not CAPS)
Spend time creating your headline. You must make an instant impression with your keywords and benefit to your audience.
2. Brief description to target market. Make it NEWSWORTHY and tell reader WHY (benefit) to read on.
3. Body: Interesting Details
* Include the five journalistic contents: who, what, where, when, why, how.
* Write short, concise sentences and paragraphs. Focus on what makes you different from everyone else.
* Avoid adjectives, passive verbs (is, are), vague pronouns (it, she, he, they), redundancy, fluff, embellishments, exaggerations, jargon, hype, "too good to be true" statements, and excessive use of exclamation points!!! If your true story sounds unbelievable, tone it down a bit for credibility.
* Proofread. Proofread again. If you don't have a PhD in grammar, hire an editor.
Tell a story that shows how you helped someone with a problem. Reinforce your service or product's benefits to the reader. Give examples and testimonials or endorsements. Ask for permission before you use another person's words or write about them.
4. End with a short description about your company, products, or service and a short history. End with a strong call to action. Tell the reader to visit your website for a free report or ebook. Bragging about your qualifications won't persuade the reader to click. Create an enticement with a powerful benefit to your target market.
5. Add your contact information. Protect yourself from spam; don't provide your email address.
Press releases provide a low-cost method to multiply your visibility, add credibility to your business, and give your online presence a dramatic boost through greater exposure.
Copyright 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher |
