Unless your business is marketing-based like mine, you probably didn’t study marketing strategy or writing. You probably didn’t even think about them before starting your business. But understanding both is important to a successful business.
Every business owner needs to understand the purpose and use of the press release. Here’s a quick overview and a great example.
A press release is a written document meant to be sent to media outlets. It is meant to be read by writers and editors. It introduces your product, company, event, or news to them and is meant to excite them enough to want to write about it and share with their readers.
Although style can vary, there is a standard format that includes contact information, a catchy title, and the essential details like dates, times, and locations. Its short because writers and editors must comb through the sometimes hundreds they receive each day. Its not a full-length article. It is your brief chance to catch their eye and hold it long enough to get them to assign the topic to a writer and make room for it in their publication.
A press release I wrote for an upcoming event is a great example. Brave & Beautiful: A Retreat for Women is scheduled in late April in the Bellingham, Whatcom County area. Based on the existing web site for the event, I was able to craft a press release for the event that was then sent to my long list of press and media outlets, all for an affordable price to my clients.
Within two days of being distributed, WhatcomTalk.com requested an additional photo and published it on their site. Organizers Stephanie Williamson and Kelsey Barnwell could then share the link on all their social media accounts. Within minutes, potential retreat-goers were commenting and sharing the link with their friends. An editor at WhatcomTalk.com added it to her Editor Picks for the month and now the press release will appear on the front page of the site for as long as its designated. Within another day, the post was trending on their site and literally hundreds of people had read or skimmed the press release. All that happened within three days and the event itself is still a month away. At this pace, their retreat will be at capacity well before it begins.
Do you have to know how to write a press release? Not when you hire trained professionals like me to do it for you. Consider using a simple press release the next time you want your product, business, or event to be seen, written about, and shared.