How to Write a Press Release That Gets Attention
Writing a press release is an awareness-raising exercise which is fast becoming essential to any sort of marketing or advertising campaign and press releases can also be very effective in getting a positive message of hope out there, or simply spreading the word about anything really.
Whether the main aim is to draw attention to a new product or service being offered, the launch of a venture or any other announcement, a press release is only as good as the impact it makes. Writing a killer press release, that draws attention, is something which can be consistently achieved by integrating a selection of some key constituents that make any press release stand out immediately, taking into account:
- Presentation & Layout
- Content
- Call-To-Action Details
- Contact Details
Presentation & Layout
Next to the content, the presentation and layout of a press release is probably the most important attention-grabber. When readers simply take a look at the layout of a piece of writing, the way in which the text is organised often sets the tone as to how interesting the content is perceived. Done right, the presentation of a press release can compel readers to read all the way to the bottom, but if they don’t, they should be able to extract all the information intended just by reading those areas of the content to which their eyes are immediately drawn.
The presentation and layout of an attention-grabbing press release should include the following elements:
- Title – The title should read like one that would appear in a newspaper article and should fall just one or two thoughts or processes short of giving away exactly what the whole press release is about. You want to engage the reader to formulate an idea in their head as to where this piece of writing may be headed, with a number of possible open-ended possibilities.
- Long Title – A longer “title” should follow the title, which is essentially a two- or three-line summary of what the whole press release is about. No more than one sentence is enough and should a reader only read the title and the longer title, they should know exactly what the press release is about and have the implied questions suggested in the title answered in the longer title.
- Text Formatting – The longer title should stand out from the rest of the text as well as the title, achieved by applying bold typeface or uppercase letters.
Content
- The press release content simply needs to deliver on the promise implied by the title and essentially give a detailed account of the two- to three-line long title/paragraph.
- The style and tone of the press release needs to consistently follow a news-type delivery, with everything written in the third-person. The first-person tone can be used, sparingly, for driving home personal points, but should be kept to a minimum.
Call-To-Action Prompts and Contact Details
Since the main aim of a press release is to ultimately get some sort of response out of readers, call-to-action prompts should definitely be integrated, but not in a self-promotion, sales-like manner. An example of a call-to-action would be one prompting the reader to grab their no deposit bonus on a particular casino site by clicking on a provided link. Call-to-action prompts and contact details should be integrated in the following manner:
- An action should be suggested to readers who are interested in buying a product, acquiring a service or to get more information about whatever topic is being discussed in the press release, including contact details
- Contact details should also be integrated, as a separate section at the very end of the press release, preferably including an email address, a web address, physical address and phone number, where possible.
This separate contact details section should follow an “about us” section, which gives readers a brief background on the company, business or person/product discussed, after which the contact details serve as a final, subtle call-to-action.