|
A press release is a powerful tool you can use to promote your business. When
written correctly, a press release will be welcomed by the media and will attract
positive attention for your company.
First, let’s discuss the parts of a press release:
Title
Paragraph One -- Summary
Body -- Include all information important to the press release
About Paragraph -– This should be a short paragraph about your company
Contact Information -– How to contact the company and author
Title
The title should be as short as possible and include your company name and the
purpose of the press release. For example, "ABC Company Purchases XYZ Company"
Paragraph One (Summary)
The first paragraph should start with the location of your company (city and
state/province), followed by the date and then your company name, followed by
a summary of the press release. For example, "Toronto, Ontario – January
1, 2005 – ABC Company announced today that…."
Body
The body of the press release should include the story of what the press release
is about. Try to be direct and on topic. The fewer words you use to explain
your news event, the more memorable it will be to your audience. You can include
a link to your website and have a more detailed explanation listed there or
offer a phone number if the reader would like more information.
About Paragraph
In the About section, include a short statement about your company, such as
what services you offer, your location, how long you have been in business or
other company history. This section is meant to inform the reader what your
business does and what products or services you offer.
Contact Information
The final section is Contact Information. It should include your name, company
name, address, phone number, website address, and email address. It is a good
idea to include a separate contact for media as you may be contacted by other
media sources once your press release is published.
It is important to remember that when you are writing a press release, you
aren’t targeting your usual audience, you are trying to appeal to the media.
You need to ensure your press release is news and not advertising. After all,
if your press release is mistaken for advertising, it likely will not be published.
Most well written press releases include all the above elements and are written
in easy-to-understand language. Take time to ensure your spelling and grammar
are correct. If your press release is time consuming to edit, it will likely
be overlooked.
With wide-spread use of the internet as a source for news and information,
companies now have a virtually endless supply of media contacts at their fingertips.
To make your task even easier, there is software you can purchase that includes
media contacts. This eliminates the need for you to search for your own sources.
Another amazing benefit of sending out a press release is the positive effect
it can have on your search engine positioning. Most major search engines now
include the number of sites that have a link to your company as part of their
criteria for your listing importance. Press releases are one of the many ways
you can gain exposure.
Press releases can be a fabulous marketing tool. They are an inexpensive way
to promote your business, gain exposure, announce your company news, and increase
search engine ratings. Using this guide, you can easily create press releases
that will take you little time and can give you amazing benefits.
About the Author:
April Oliver
You can visit April Oliver at www.TheWebWire.com.com. This is a site dedicated
to gathering press releases, articles, tutorials and other webmaster related
informational resources in one convenient location. |
