Alexis Kestler
Hey there!
Looking to create an eye-catching press release to promote your company‘s big news and events?
As a fellow marketing geek, I know how challenging yet rewarding it can be to craft effective press releases from scratch.
The good news?
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll provide you with a complete walkthrough of the press release writing process – from understanding its purpose to using pre-made templates – with plenty of pro tips, examples, and data-backed insights along the way.
Here‘s what we‘ll cover:
- What is a press release and why it matters
- Step-by-step guide to writing a kickass press release
- 4 awesome free press release templates
- Pro tips to create high-converting releases
- How to distribute your release for maximum visibility
Let‘s get started, shall we?
What is a Press Release?
A press release is an official statement that a company sends out to inform the media about a significant event, achievement, or news.
The goal is to grab journalists‘ attention so they cover your announcement in newspapers, magazines, websites, TV programs, radio shows, and other media channels. This amplification effect helps expand your brand‘s visibility and reach.
For example, you can use press releases to announce:
- A new product launch
- Major partnership deals
- Fundraising events
- Executive appointments
- Awards/certifications
- Research findings
- Rebranding efforts
- Office expansions
Basically, if your company has important news that you want the world to know about, a press release helps you shout it from the rooftops!
According to HubSpot, 46% of reporters prefer press releases for company news discovery over other sources like social media or press conferences.
So press releases remain an extremely effective tool for scoring media coverage and publicity.
Now let‘s explore the anatomy of a well-crafted press release.
How to Write a Press Release: Step-by-Step Guide
While press releases can take different forms based on your goals and target audiences, most follow a similar organizational structure.
Here are the key elements that go into writing a stellar press release:
1. Attention-grabbing headline
Your headline is the first thing people notice in a press release. It has to instantly grab interest and entice readers to continue further.
Keep it short, snappy and creative. For example:
- ChefAi Launches World‘s First AI-Powered Cooking Assistant
Avoid vague, overused headlines that could apply to any company.
2. Subheading
An optional subheading provides supplemental context about the news. For instance:
ChefAi utilizes groundbreaking natural language processing and robotic automation to provide customized cooking guidance
Keep it informative yet brief.
3. Dateline
The dateline indicates when and where the news originated, typically structured as:
CITY, STATE, Month Day, Year (e.g. SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 5, 2023).
4. Lede
The opening paragraph, known as the lede, presents a short summary answering the 5Ws and H – who, what, when, where, why and how.
For example:
Kitchen technology startup ChefAi today announced the launch of ChefAi Cooking Assistant, the world‘s first artificially intelligent countertop device that provides real-time recipe guidance and cooking assistance using advanced computer vision and natural language processing capabilities.
It provides just enough context to pique readers‘ interest.
5. Body
The 2-3 paragraphs after the lede form the main press release body.
Elaborate on the key announcement and provide important details, quotes, stats, context, sources, and other relevant information.
For instance:
Unlike standard recipe apps, ChefAi uses AI and automation to monitor food preparation and provide customized verbal prompts tailored to the user‘s specific ingredients, skill levels, dietary needs and taste preferences.
"ChefAi represents a breakthrough in bringing advanced AI technology into home kitchens. Our mission is to make cooking fun, approachable and fulfilling for all people, regardless of cooking experience," said [founders name], ChefAi CEO and co-founder.
According to a survey by [research company], nearly 40% of home cooks struggle with following recipes and get discouraged when attempting complex dishes for the first time.
6. Boilerplate
The boilerplate contains a 1-2 line company description, also known as an ‘About Us‘ section.
For example:
Founded in 2019, ChefAi is a San Francisco-based startup leveraging artificial intelligence to provide personalized cooking guidance for home chefs.
This can be reused in future press releases.
7. Call-to-Action (CTA)
Every press release should close with a CTA outlining clear next steps for readers, like:
Try ChefAi free for 30 days by visiting www.chefaicooking.com/freetrial
Follow ChefAi on Facebook and Instagram @ChefAiCookingAssistant
8. End notation
Conclude your press release with centered pound symbols – ### – to signal the end of content.
This covers the basic framework of a press release:
Now let‘s look at some pre-made press release templates that‘ll make your job way easier!
4 Awesome Free Press Release Templates
Creating press releases from scratch can be time-consuming and tricky to format properly.
That‘s where pre-designed press release templates come to the rescue!
Here are 4 awesome free templates offered by top resources:
1. Smartsheet Press Release Templates
With Smartsheet‘s templates, you can instantly craft polished press releases for social media campaigns, virtual events, product launches, executive hires, awards, and other major announcements.
These templates segment all the critical press release sections clearly and provide sample content as writing guidance. Just plug in your specifics and branding elements.
They also offer handy event press release templates that you can easily adapt for concerts, exhibitions, restaurant openings, and any other events.
2. Jotform Press Release Templates
Jotform provides professionally designed press release templates for all your announcements like:
- New product launches
- Research publications
- Fundraising events
- Book releases
- Rebranding efforts
- Social campaigns
Simply pick your preferred template and customize it using Jotform‘s drag-and-drop PDF editor. Insert your brand logo, images, colors, text, and other details to create a visually stunning, on-brand press release in minutes.
3. Prowly Press Release Templates
Prowly offers 13 free Press Release templates for different industries and purposes like:
- Product updates
- Research publications
- Partnership announcements
- Hiring news
- Awards/recognitions
You can download these templates in Word and PDF formats and easily fill in your specific details.
4. Visme Press Release Templates
If you want eye-catching press releases that grab attention, Visme has professionally designed templates for:
- Product launches
- Event promotions
- Office expansions
- Acquisitions
- Executive appointments
- Charity campaigns
Customize these visually impactful templates by adding your brand colors, logos, images, videos, custom text, and more using Visme‘s simple drag-and-drop editor.
So in just minutes, you can create stunning on-brand press releases that captivate audiences.
These templates eliminate the painful formatting work so you can focus on creating compelling content tailored to your goals and audiences.
Now let‘s cover some pro tips to take your press releases to the next level!
Pro Tips to Create High-Converting Press Releases
Here are some expert tips to craft press releases that attract media coverage and drive real business impact:
Conduct audience research
Take time to research target media contacts, journalists, influencers, and customer segments who would be interested in your news.
Understand their preferences and tailor your angle, messaging, facts, quotes, and other content accordingly.
Quantify your achievements
Back up claims with concrete facts, stats, data, and examples that demonstrate the significance of your news.
For instance, if you‘ve raised $5 million in a new funding round, mention financial details like the investors involved, valuation increase, etc.
Include multimedia
Insert relevant charts, infographics, images, embedded tweets, and videos to make your press release more visually engaging and scannable for modern readers.
Prominently feature executive quotes
Strategically include quotes from your founders, CEO, subject matter experts or spokespeople to offer credibility.
Close with a strong CTA
End your press release with a solid call-to-action driving readers to visit your site, register for an event, follow you on social media or take other desired actions.
Format it perfectly
Carefully proofread and format your release properly with paragraph breaks, centered # symbols, proper spacing, no typos etc. to ensure it looks professional.
Personalize media pitches
When pitching your release to media contacts, take time to personalize emails explaining why it would specifically interest them based on their past coverage.
Follow up persistently
Don‘t get discouraged by a lack of initial response. Politely follow up multiple times across email and social media until you get editors‘ attention.
Now let‘s look at press release distribution strategies to maximize publicity.
How to Distribute Your Press Release for Maximum Visibility
Crafting a stellar press release is step one. You also need to proactively pitch it to targeted media outlets.
This press release distribution checklist will help amplify visibility:
Research relevant media contacts
Use tools like BuzzStream, MuckRack, and Google News to research print, online, TV and radio contacts who could potentially cover your news.
According to MuckRack‘s 2022 survey, top press release targets include:
- Editors at trade/industry publications – 56%
- Newspaper reporters – 50%
- Freelance writers – 49%
- Bloggers – 44%
- TV producers – 31%
- Magazine writers – 30%
- Radio producers – 20%
Write compelling subject lines
When emailing your release, capture attention with subject lines like:
[Company] just raised $10M in Series A funding
Personalize your pitch
Customize emails for each media contact explaining why your news aligns with their audience and past coverage.
Distribute via press release wires
Use press release distribution services like EIN Presswire to share your announcement with thousands of journalists globally.
Promote on social media
Post your release on your company social profiles. Ask employees, partners, and followers to share it across their networks too.
Follow up relentlessly
If you don‘t hear back initially, follow up respectfully via email and social media multiple times until you get a response. Persistence pays off.
Offer interviews
Offer to connect reporters with company spokespeople for interviews, demos or other informational resources to provide exclusive access.
So in summary:
- Take time to craft a well-structured press release highlighting your major news
- Tap into pre-made templates to simplify formatting
- Distribute systematically to targeted media contacts
- Follow up persistently across channels
This will lead to the publicity your company‘s big announcements deserve!
I hope these steps, templates, and expert distribution tips help you create high-impact press releases that captivate audiences.
Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to chat more about optimizing your press releases.
