PR Without Stress: 10 Must-Haves for Your Press Release

It’s 4 p.m. Tomorrow your company launches its first drone shuttle for pets. Suddenly your boss walks into your office and casually mentions: “Oh right, we should probably let the press know too. Could you handle that?”

Your deodorant has already given up on you and you still have no idea where to start? We’ve got you covered with the ten most important elements of a good press release:

An Expressive Subject Line and Headline

Journalists receive enormous amounts of press releases and emails every day. To keep yours from landing in the bin with a single click, both the email subject line and the press release headline need to spark interest. Make it clear that it’s a press release, and choose a short headline that makes people curious. Don’t cut corners here — it’s worth every minute.

Logo

Place your company logo in the top left or right corner. This identifies the sender and may create a recognition effect.

Teaser

The opening paragraph should answer the classic 7 W-questions: who, what, where, when, how, why, and what for. For lesser-known locations, add where they are; for lesser-known companies, explain what they do. Highlight what makes it special: first time ever, world’s first, allows customers to ship small packages quickly at no extra charge, etc.

Tell a Story

Everyone loves a good story, even a short one. Great ads tell a story in just a few seconds. Share how your company found a solution to a problem, overcame a challenge, or turned a setback into a success. Let those involved speak (via a quote) — and make sure they say more than: “We’re very pleased to be launching now.”

Formatting

Leave a margin on the right and use generous line spacing to improve readability. Keep it to one to one-and-a-half pages, left-aligned. Lead with the most important information, followed by the less critical details, so journalists can cut from the bottom up.

Write Journalistically

Avoid promotional language — no superlatives, no self-praise, no constant repetition of the company name. Instead, write short, punchy sentences with active phrasing, following journalistic conventions (spell out numbers one through twelve, write “for example” instead of “e.g.”, use “Michael Schmidt” not “Mr. Schmidt”). Technical jargon is fine for trade publications; general media outlets shouldn’t have to wade through it.

Boilerplate

Below the press release, add a short paragraph about your company, visually set apart from the main text (bold, italic, or a different font size). The boilerplate contains background information about the company that isn’t part of the news itself — such as the full legal name, number of employees, number of locations, and annual revenue.

Contact Details

Journalists often want more: an additional figure, an interview, a different photo. Include the full contact details of a named point of contact who knows the press release and can answer follow-up questions — such as the relevant manager, a spokesperson, or a PR agency.

Image(s)

We live in a visual age. Our brains process images far faster than text, which gives them a clear advantage in today’s flood of information. A beautiful, surprising, puzzling, or amusing image makes even the dullest text more appealing. When a journalist is choosing between two equally dry press releases, they’ll often go with the one that comes with a strong photo, infographic, or illustration.

Distribution List

Don’t send your press release to your entire press list using a spray-and-pray approach. Send it only to the editorial teams or journalists for whom the topic is genuinely relevant. Don’t annoy journalists with content that isn’t their beat — it’s better to write two versions, for example a more detailed one for the regional daily press and a shorter version for the national business press. Also give journalists an easy way to unsubscribe from your list.