With the emergence of online marketing, the press release became even more important in public relations. If you run a new or newer business that needs a good distribution of information quickly, online press releases are the solution. Being inexpensive to have written and distributed online, all you need is to make it high quality, newsworthy and viral.
Catchy, Attention-Grabbing Title
Being in a larger font, and bold, the title is almost always what readers notice first. The title acts like a filter, it may both attract and repel, depending on how intriguing it is. Do not try to make it too short, nor too long, but put the most important info prior to the rest. Do not include calls to action, remember it’s a press release, that would be for use in the body text.
First Paragraph is The Lead-In
The first paragraph needs to be short, simple, straightforward, but still convincing. Outline the main idea for the release, so people will get a clue about the topic and be encouraged to read further. Optimal length for the first paragraph is between 50 and 80 words. However, once you make it, read it many times and try to find a way to improve it. The first paragraph is the keystone of each PR, it conveys whether people will really be drawn to it or feel like they have been duped into reading it by a catchy title.
Length
The whole article has to include all the relevant info, but the main purpose of it is to enable the reader to remember and take action sooner or later. Respect the reader’s time. PR’s that are too long will deter most people. The ideal length for a press release is between 400 and 600 words. However, different industries may vary in the length required to get their points across, so you can check what other businesses in your industry do, follow and track their press releases, but don’t stick too much to their guidelines. Make your writing style at least a bit different.
Organization of The Press Release
Press releases need to be made readable from any aspect. Once you write a PR, read it carefully to detect any grammar or style errors, useless content and repeated facts. The whole article needs to be newsworthy, every single sentence, a sequence of sentences which draws readers to keep on reading.
Paragraphs and Highlighting
Most people who read anything online, no matter if it’s a blog, press release, instructions or other, don’t like to see a box filled with text as it is in novels. Make small paragraphs of 50 – 200 words. Large paragraphs should appear in the second half of the release, these will be useful to those more familiar with the topic. Highlight the basic info and data, things which people look for the most, e. g., if it’s a product, include its features and technical parameters.
The last paragraph may include calls to action, links to the info about your company and its other products, or a quote from you or your company’s key people, which is intended to be the message targeting the press release readership.