Press releases (also known as news releases or media releases) are a PR tool used to tell members of the media (including bloggers, webmasters in your niche, etc.) about your company news. Paid and free press release distribution sites (such as PRweb and PR.com) have made press releases an attractive and affordable publicity tool to a growing number of small and online business owners.

There are three keys to a successful press release:

1. A quality news angle (never send a press release if you don’t have real news)
2. A well-written release (following proper formatting, writing styles, etc.)
3. A tailored press release distribution plan (there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to distribution)

This guide will walk you though the components of a press release and offer several press release writing tips you can use when learning how to write a press release for your business. Use these tips in conjunction with the free press release template from BizHow2.com.

Press Release Components

• Release time - The top of a press release should either have “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” or an embargo date listed (EMBARGOED UNTIL DATE) if the news isn’t to be published immediately.
• Headline – The headline is like the title of your press release. It should grab the reader’s attention, make them want to click or read more, and still manage to introduce the news angle itself.
• Summary – Press release summaries are popular in online press release distribution. This should be a two to four sentence summary of the news, expanding on the headline but not as detailed as the press release body. When using offline press release distribution methods, this can be substituted with a one-line sub-heading.
• Dateline – The dateline of a press release comes directly before (but on the same line as) the opening body paragraph. It will include the hometown of the company issuing the news release as well as the release date.
• Press Release Body – The first body paragraph of a press release should briefly answer the questions of who?, what?, when?, where?, and why?. Following paragraphs will include supporting details and often a quote from a representative of the company.
• Boilerplate – A press release boilerplate is a short backgrounder on the issuing company, person, or organization, generally no longer than one paragraph.
• Call to Action – The call to action invites the reader to get in touch with you for any additional details they may need in writing a story.
• Contact Information – At a bare minimum include a media contact name, phone number, and email address. It never hurts to include a mailing address, cell, or fax number as well.
• Closing – All news releases should contain a closing mark (often ### or -30-), which signifies to the reader that there’s nothing more to come. If a release goes to a second page, the first page should be marked with something like -more- to make it clear that another page will follow. You can list any addenda (such as photos) just before the closing.

Proofread your press release carefully before distributing it to journalists or posting it to a press release distribution site. If you’re still not confident enough to write your own news release given these tips and template, hire a press release writer or PR firm to write your release for you.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Try to keep a press release to one page whenever possible. People don’t generally have a long attention span when reading them.
• Only send a press release when you have press release ideas with real news to distribute. Littering the Web or hounding journalists with too many “fluff” releases can damage your chances of coverage in the future.
• Write using the journalistic inverted pyramid style (with the most important information coming first, and working down to less vital, supplemental details).
• A release in the 300 – 400 word range is often adequate. If your press release is longer than that, see if you can cut something without losing effect before deciding to keep the longer copy.
• Don’t forget to add complete contact information!
• Publish your press release to your company website. This creates an archive of your news for journalists to later refer to, and makes your press releases more directly accessible to your customers, clients, or visitors.
• Publish your press release to an online press release distribution service that will get it listed in news engines such as Google News or Yahoo! News. This makes your press release available via search. Paid services such as PRWeb can do this. Some free services, like PR.com, can get a press release listed in Google News as well, although you generally have to pay to include live links.
• Write using short paragraphs and sentences.
• Avoid testimonials or other promotional language. A press release is news; not advertising.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Your Catchy Headline Goes Here

This is where you’ll include a short summary of two to four sentences. Some press release distribution sites allow you to include a link here. This section usually shows on RSS feeds, so at least include your website name to encourage type-in traffic if nothing else.

City, State – Date – Type the first paragraph of the body of your press release here. This paragraph should very briefly answer the questions of Who?, What?, When?, Where?, and Why?

The second paragraph of the body of your press release should elaborate on your news, and give further details.

Continue with short paragraphs to discuss different aspects of your company’s or site’s news, including a quote when appropriate. A quote should only contain something that needs to come from a representative of the company or authority source to give it credibility.

The last body paragraph should include less important details and supplemental information not included earlier.

About Your Company

You should include a boilerplate (it’s often the same on every press release you send) with a basic description of who you are and what you do. Give relevant statistics, or any information that makes you seem newsworthy in a general sense (being a major international organization, a published author, etc.).

For more information about Your Company/Site or (specific news, product, etc. in the release), please contact Your Name at Your Phone Number.

Contact Info:
Contact Name
Company Name
Mailing Address
City / State / Zip (or City / Country)
Phone: Your Phone Number
Email: Your Email Address
Web: Your Website URL

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This article explores various press release components, from the headline to the contact info, explaining what each means, and why it’s important to the press release. (more…)

An online press room (or online media room, news room, etc.) can be a beneficial addition to the website of any home, small, or online business, although it’s something many small businesses never develop.

What is an Online Press Room?

An online press room is almost like an interactive media kit. It’s where members of the media (and often general visitors as well) can view past news coverage and mentions of your business, products, or services, your archived news (press releases / news releases), obtain media-specific contact information, and more.

Benefits of an Online Press Room:

• It can make the company look larger, more important, or more professional.
• By showcasing past news coverage, it shows members of the media that others have already deemed the company “newsworthy.”
• It serves as an archive of past news and achievements.
• It serves as a communications “headquarters” between the company and members of the media.

What Should an Online Press Room Look Like?

An online press room can be integrated into your site without anything special visually. What’s important in a press room is the content and the ability for members of the media to interact with the company in some way.

Common Online Press Room Components:

• Press Release / News Release Archives
• Past Press Mentions
• Detailed Company Bio
• Executive / Owner Bio(s)
• Built-In Search Function
• Ability to Subscribe to the Company’s Latest News
• Detailed Media Contact Info
• Company Fact Sheet
• Product Fact Sheets if Appropriate
• Photos / Multimedia (executive photos, product photos, high resolution logos, videos, audio interviews, etc.)
• Media FAQs (questions that members of the media may have, laid out for them ahead of time – these can be answered in the press room, or just the questions to inspire interview questions; often used that way by artists and authors)

Learn how to write a press release by following these press release writing instructions and list of press release components. These press release writing tips will show you how to write a press release using the free press release template also available on BizAmmo.com.

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Press release writing doesn’t have to be hard, as long as you take the time to learn how to write a press release correctly. Here you’ll find a list of the basic parts of a press release, how to write each section of your press release, and even see a sample press release laid out for you. Follow the instructions below to learn how to write the different parts of a press release:

Header – When writing a press release, you should always include a header with the contact person’s name and contact information (such as phone number and email address). Beneath the contact information, you should type FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. (For online press releases, contact information may be placed at the bottom.)

Headline – You should write a catchy, yet informative, headline (or title) for your press releases. This should be centered a few lines below your header information, and can be placed in all bold type. While some people like to use all CAPS when typing a headline, you should avoid that. Many online news services (press release distribution sites or newswires) won’t accept a title in all caps.

Summary – This is an optional 1-4 sentences briefly summarizing the news angle of a press release. This is traditionally added to news releases when the company plans to utilize online press release distribution sites or newswires. If the release is being distributed manually offline (such as via fax), a sub-heading can still be used in its place.

Dateline – Every press release you write should have the date included. The dateline usually occurs in one of two places: either under the header and before the headline, or at the beginning of the press release body, along with the city and state. For example: New York, NY – March 14, 2006 – ‘Body of your press release here.’

Press Release Body – The body of every press release that you write should answer the questions of who, what, when, where, and why. Ideally, these questions will be answered in the first paragraph of your press release, and you’ll expand upon the details in a following paragraph. Quotes are often effective in the body of a press release, as long as they’re not testimonials (not promotional in nature).

Boilerplate – At the end of your actual news, you should include a standard boilerplate. This can be a simple paragraph talking about the business, organization, or individual presenting the news found in the press release. It’s your opportunity to give background information and statistics about who you are and what you do.

Call to Action – Add a line after your boilerplate similar to: “For more information, please contact Your Contact Name at Your Phone Number.” This can simply be a repeat of the contact information presented in your header.

Media Instructions / References – At the very end of your release, before the closing, you should include any details about photos or other materials you’ve included or referenced (such as naming the individuals in the photo), and include any media instructions if the release is in reference to an event they may be interested in covering (such as where they can park and set up their equipment).

Closing – You should always end a press release with ### or -30- centered at the bottom of the page. That tells the reader that they’ve reached the end of your release, and there are no additional pages. If you do have more than one page because of addenda being attached or because it’s a long release, you should use the -more- tag at the bottom of every page but the last one.