Release Me – Tips for effective Press Release Writing
People take in a LOT of information these days. Think of how many different images and words you are exposed to in a day – from magazines to web banner ads to text messages, everybody’s got something to say. To keep from being overloaded by these messages, many times we will “tune them out”, especially if it is a message we feel we have identified previously.
Bearing that in mind, when it comes to Press Releases, you are essentially competing with a lot of different messages in many forms. Since the ultimate goal is to get your release published or at least noticed, here are a few tips of how to leverage what you do have on your side to hopefully get some buzz generated.
1. Get to the point – quickly. Make your point in the quickest, clearest way. Boil down the information to its essentials, and then arrange it so it makes sense. A press release is not the place for clever or flowery language, unless you have the rare skill of writing with brevity and wit. Save the commentary, opinions and clever observations for your blog – like I am!
2. Avoid Jargon. You know what you mean, and I may know what you mean, but the general public may not. A large part of boiling things down means to put them in terms that most will easily understand. Using confusing jargon is an easy way to lose a reader. Many people have access to and read press releases that have not been filtered by the media. Keep this in mind.
3. Make it Timely. Modern culture moves at the speed of light. What’s interesting to a reader one day will change the next. Keep your releases as current as possible. A good way to get into this habit is to write press releases on a consistent basis, even if you don’t feel like it is news. You never know what will be published, and this will keep you in the practice of completing releases in a timely manner.
4. The Web is your friend. The Web is not only your friend; it’s the dependable friend that you can call for a ride home. Most everyone uses it on a near-daily basis, space is unlimited, and many times you can control the content. What a great tool! Leverage this as much as you can by writing releases that contain keyword-rich copy and placing links in releases to deliver potential customers to landing pages on your Web site. Another idea to consider is adding social media tags to the release, such as DIGG, del.icio.us, and Technorati, to enable your release to be found easier on the web.
So in short: get to the point, make it clear, make it timely and leverage the web.
Good luck!
posted by K. Viles 1-12-08
