A few days ago, I provided a case study in how not to write a press release. Here are a set of tips and samples from Jennifer Saragosa at BusinessWire on how to write a press release:
- Determine who your audience is and write appropriately for the audience. For example common goals of press releases are media pick-up, attract new customers, educate current customers, attract investors, populate Google search, etc. Write for the specific you are targeting and use vernacular they are familiar with.
- Keep the release short – 400-600 words max
- For best Google results, headline should be 70 characters or less (or else Google will cut it off)
- Make sure company name is in headline
- Make sure important keywords (that their readers would be searching on) are in headline and first sentence of release.
- In headline, frontload the keyword at the beginning of the headline
- First paragraph should include the 5 Ws and a good lead sentence
- Have a boilerplate that is titled “About XYZ company.” Keep that paragraph fairly short and include a written out URL for their corporate website. Include social handles if they have them.
- Add anchor text to first paragraph on first mention of company name or product so that reader can quickly get to their site
- Add bullets for key points
- Include your contact information including phone and email
- If there are multimedia assets, consider linking to them in the press release
Examples:
Release written for customers: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190225005005/en/Analog-Devices-Unveils-SHARC%C2%AE-Audio-Module-Platform
Release written for media coverage and to boost sales: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190225005005/en/Analog-Devices-Unveils-SHARC%C2%AE-Audio-Module-Platform
See other sample releases sorted by subject here: https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/news/subjects/