The press release is an often misunderstood and maligned tool. Both overused and under-utilized, most marketers see the press release as simply a maintenance device to make bland announcements. Worse yet, with the explosion of SEO tactics in years past, spammers turned their attention to press releases as a (wrong) way to try and harvest backlinks.

Yet despite all the flaws, the press release still holds an important role in the field of communications.

A poorly written or constructed press release can do immense damage to the perception of a brand.

A cleverly crafted and well-written press release might snag the Holy Grail of PR: getting the attention of a top tier reporter at a well-known media outlet.

Without further ado, here’s the definitive guide to crafting the perfect press release.

1.Headline

The headline will make or break the success of the press release.

A good headline will pique the interest of a reporter, spurring them to read further.

A boring or bland headline almost guarantees being ignored.

Similar to the job of an email subject line, the responsibility of the headline is immense.

In one sentence, you need to both captive and intrigue the reader.

You also need to provide enough details so as not to be too vague, while not going too deep in the weeds due to lack of space.

Lack of space meaning a headline shouldn’t be more than two, max three, lines of a sentence.

It’s important to note here that it’s not always possible to write compelling headlines for announcements that are considered “maintenance”.

These would include company news such as: executive hires, new facilities, quarterly results, attending events.

Even still, boring announcements can be tweaked to be noteworthy with the right attention.

Here are the elements of a headline:

  • Who? Usually the company, product or person’s name has to be in the headline.
  • What? What is the actual announcement?
  • Why? Why should the reader care? Infuse the headline with something relevant or meaningful.
  • When/where/how? Depending on the topic, touch on key details.

Let’s put these into practice in the below example:

Acme Corporation Unveils Industry-First Generative AI Chatbot to Simplify Transcription for Attorneys at the 2024 Annual Legal Conference

Or…

Acme Corporation Unveils Industry-First Generative AI Chatbot to Simplify Transcription for Attorneys at the 2024 Annual Legal Conference

Note that best practice calls for every word to be capitalized except for transitional words such as “to”, “for”, “as”, etc.

Avoid exclamation marks.

Also try and avoid bombastic adjectives. These are the empty words that everyone loves to use such as “revolutionary” or “innovative”. “Industry-first” is both more descriptive and less of a brag.

As they say on late night informercials, “but wait, there’s more!”

2.Sub-headline

Most press releases warrant a sub-headline, yet many don’t take advantage of this precious spot, instead rushing into the body.

This is a mistake because the sub-headline can do a lot of the heavy lifting that the headline has no space for.

It can provide more context and specifics that will convince the reader that yes, the rest of the press release is worth my time reading.

A key point for sub-headlines is not to duplicate anything specifically from the headline.

For instance, if you’ve used the company name in the headline (as you should), don’t use the company name again in the sub-headline. It’s lazy, doesn’t read well and is a waste of space.

Once again this makes more sense if we use an example, drawing on the mock headline we wrote above:

Leader in legal transcription services aims to make lives of paralegals easier with introduction of ChatGPT-like tool; book a demo at Booth #416 at June event

Notice instead of repeating “Acme Corporation” we use a description “leader in legal transcription services”.

Next, we further elaborate on why this tool is so important with a benefit statement. Remember to focus on benefits and not features.

Finally, we provide even more informative details to conclude the sentence.

Using a semi-colon is acceptable to include two separate topics.

Once again, avoid exclamation marks or empty adjectives.

Unlike the headline, there’s no need to capitalize every word although some choose to do so.

3.Intro paragraph

We’ve been trained through school to write papers that have a structure of an introductory paragraph that slowly builds the case through to the main body of the copy.

We are also accustomed to reading short stories or novels that build up to a climax at the end.

Throw that all out.

Writing press releases is not like writing “Grapes of Wrath”.

You must frontload all the important information right into the first paragraph.

The reason for this is that the chances of a busy reporter reading your entire 600 word press release is low.

Therefore, you need to hit them with everything key to your release right up front, because otherwise you’ll lose the majority of them.

After reading the first and second paragraph, the reader should know the main thrust of your announcement without needing to go further.

The best way to remember this is to think about writing release as an “upside down pyramid”.

Start with the most important details and key benefits, then taper down with more details but those of less importance, through to the end.

Most of the time, the first paragraph might be basically reiterating the substance of the headline and sub-headline, but with different wording or with more information.

4.Main body

Keeping in mind the “upside down pyramid” structure, the rest of the press release continues to provide more detail about the news by once again beginning with the more important information to the less important.

This might include product benefits and features, in which case you may want to break out sub-sections with their own sub-headings.

This helps organize the information for the reader and breaks up the continual wall of text.

Bulleted content can also help for this type of content.

Other content to consider including:

  • Data and statistics. Reporters love concrete numbers, probably because they are constantly inundated with marketing-speak and unsubstantiated claims all the time. It only takes a few online searches to come up with statistics to back up or strengthen your claims.
  • Case study or use case. Nothing helps illustrate the benefit of your product or service more than an actual case study. If those aren’t available, it can even be helpful to write a fictional use case that better helps the reader understand.
  • Executive quotes. Ah, yes, the ubiquitous quote. PR people hate writing them, mostly because they end up sounding so canned and phony. But quotes can and will be used in articles by reporters strapped for time who are just copying and pasting straight from the release. So spend more time writing quotes that are informative and sound authentic.
  • Other company achievements or past important news. This is a good opportunity to introduce the reader to other important aspects that they may not be familiar with.
5.Call to Action

Call to action, or CTA, is a well-known term in other areas of marketing. But it is often underutilized in PR. The end of a press release is the perfect place for a clear call to action. It could be as simple as visiting a website, or going to sign up for something, or purchasing using a discount code. You may even want to include the CTA right in the first paragraph.

6.Hashmarks

Using three hashmarks is industry practice to signify to the reader that you’ve reached the end of the release. Generally it’s used before the boilerplate/About Us section, although I’ve also seen it used right after the boilerplate and before the Media Contact. This also signals to the reporter who might read your release that you’re on top of your PR game.

7.“Boilerplate” (or “About Us”)

It’s common practice to have an “About Us” section to end things. This is a paragraph that summarizes the company for those who aren’t familiar with it. Try to keep it within about five sentences or so, with a URL to your homepage. I’ve seen some About Us be almost half a page.

8.Media Contact

Wire services will almost always require a media contact for anyone trying to reach a person at the company related to the press release. Include the full name, agency name (if applicable), email address and phone number. DO NOT use your personal cell number unless you want to be bombarded with spam for the rest of your life. Ask me how I know.

That’s it! Now you have all the components to write a killer press release.

When you’re done with a first draft, go through it with a critical eye. Be sure to make it bulletproof in terms of spelling and grammar. Find ways to cut out words, reduce duplication, tighten it up, make it more punchy. Read it as if you were a reporter. Does it make you drowsy? Send it to someone else to review and edit as well.

Remember, once a press release goes out to the public, it lives forever. As a famous superhero once said, with great power comes great responsibility.

And when you’re ready, be sure to distribute your press release on Nova Release to maximize its exposure to the world and get it in the hands of key reporters. Good luck!