How to Write a Press Release in 5 Steps – NewsCred Insights
A good marketing strategy has many moving parts, one of which involves PR and marketing teams working together[1] to make announcements and share company news. The most common way of doing this is by creating press releases. But it’s critical to know how to write a press release that is compelling enough to garner attention.
Just like other parts of your marketing strategy[2], press releases are important pieces of content for building your brand, earning media coverage, and telling your company’s story.
Of course, just going through the motions of creating press releases for their own sake isn’t going to be effective. It’s important to understand the role they play and to craft them so that they entice the audience and command attention.
Use this guide to learn how to write a press release so that serves as a component to strengthen your overall integrated marketing strategy[3].
The basic idea of a press release is to send out a newsworthy bulletin aimed at journalists and people in your industry to tell them about something your company is doing. For example, it might be about a product launch[4], a new corporate hire, or a piece of research that you’re releasing. Other press releases could be about new partnerships, company accolades, or even to put out fires if the company becomes involved in some type of controversy.
Marketers should definitely know how to write a press release in order to support their overall marketing strategy.
What is the format of a press release?
No matter what your press release is about, the basic structure will be the same. Think of it like a newspaper story, which uses an inverted pyramid so that the most important information is at the top, followed by the details. You’ll start with an informative headline, and the date and location. Then, the first paragraph is your main announcement (the who, what, when, where, why, how), followed up with supporting information/details and relevant quotes from company leaders. The last section is your company boilerplate. It’s also a good idea to include a media contact somewhere on the release (typically found at the bottom of the article or a panel on the right-hand side) so that interested parties can get in touch for further information or commentary.