When writing (or ordering and buying a press release) a press release, a common mistake is to treat it just like an article.
In fact, press releases are not like articles in form, structure, components or even in the end goal. A press release is there to publicize an event, a company, a project or a product launch.
It is not there for SEO purposes or to be sent to the end reader. They are sent to bloggers, news sites and industry publications so that whatever you are trying to publicize will be written about by those publications.
The Vital Newsworthy Element
Before writing a press release, or having a press release writer create it for you, there are two important steps- researching what you’re publicizing and finding a newsworthy angle. Because you are trying to interest blogs and news outlets in carrying a story about the topic, there has to be some kind of newsworthy angle that will allow them to do that. Without the newsworthy element, it’s basically an ad that you are asking them to publish for free.
They won’t.
To find your angle, choose the essence of the message and present it in a way that will interest more than just the company that is releasing the info. If you are writing a release about the introduction of an interesting new product, research the industry and how this product will change or fit into that industry. That will make the release perfect for blogs and periodicals that cover that industry.
Don’t Try to Sell
Above all, your press release can’t read like an ad. It isn’t designed to sell anything. At the most, it is designed to get people to find out more about what you are publicizing. If your release is full of language about how great and fantastic a product is, it will be deleted along with the other releases that do exactly the same thing.
Instead, consider tying the launch to something currently in the news. Instead of talking about how great a new vape shop is, talk about the launch of the store it the context of how popular vaping has gotten and how studies have shown that they can help people quit smoking. With a newsworthy hook, you have a much better chance of media outlets taking notice.
