Inbound marketing, newsletters, social media strategy… Just because you’ve adopted a full digital strategy doesn’t mean you have to abandon traditional means of communication. The press release is still a very interesting medium to give credibility to your image and potentially benefit from a good publicity stunt by attracting the attention of journalists . How to write a compelling press release? What and when to communicate? What is a press release?
A press release is a relatively short text, aimed at promoting news specific to your company, addressed to journalists. The objective: to make your products / services known to as many people as possible, free and simply. A press release can be sent to several media at the same time: regional or national print media, radio, TV and even websites. If it is unlikely that all the journalists contacted will relay the information communicated, a well-written press release addressed to the right person can earn you a press article or even a TV story , at zero cost. Codified medium, the press release must however be written with care.
Press release: when to write it?
Because it is aimed at journalists, the press release must relate to fresh news . Several occasions in the life of a company, which are all significant facts, can be relevant for soliciting the media:
Many companies, too small or having favored the web, shun the exercise. It’s a shame, because even the news of a TPE is likely to interest the local newspaper, the famous regional daily press (PQR) which is still read religiously every morning by many subscribers. Be careful, however, not to fall into the opposite excess by sending press releases at the slightest micro-opportunity : you risk tiring your interlocutors who will not even bother to open your emails.
What should a press release contain?
Regardless of your news, the information must be transmitted in a neutral and objective tone. A press release is not a garish publicity : its vocation is to inform journalists of news specific to your company, in the hope that the latter interests them enough so that they devote a subject to it. To maximize the chances of spin-offs, you need substance and hot news.
A clear and precise message
Assume that journalists will have very little time for you. You must therefore be clear from the subject of the email containing your CP. The content of the press release must then be angled, that is to say, talk about your subject under a specific dimension. It is important not to go in all directions. Also keep in mind that if you want to interest journalists, they have to interest their readers . Try to write your press release with the target, the end reader in mind.
To be immediately intelligible, the information contained in your press release must use journalistic codes, and respond to the 5Ws (Who? What? Where? When? Why?). Do not hesitate either to give quantified information : journalists love it. Also make their life easier by explaining, for example, why your new product / service will change the lives of its users. Synthetic, the press release can not say everything. You must, – as in an article -, prioritize the information while giving enough marbles to the reporter. After reading your CP, he must be able to write a short article on your news. For longer formats, you must include details of a person to contact for further information.
How to interest journalists?
The title of your CP is very important: it must be informative and powerful. A journalist can receive between 30 and several hundred press releases a day, so you need to stand out without being off the mark . Why not opt for a pun if it is justified, or a question that will attract attention. Tying your news to national news is also a good method. For example, if you are a software publisher for nursing homes, you can link the release of your product to the rise of the Silver Economy, by mentioning a few figures that demonstrate the strong potential of your solution.