The article below was written by a competitor at eReleases. It’s very well-written and I’m sure you’re
going to learn something from the content which is why I decided to republish
the article on this blog. You’ll find
links to eReleases below and you’ll be able to download for free a press
release check list along with PR do’s and don’ts to get you started on the
right track.
I’ve always said press releases are a great way to create
massive exposure with minimal investment.
They’re also perfect for website SEO, but only if your
press release writing service uses anchor text links on
your keywords. A nice video or picture
will also enhance the SEO value of any content that’s posted online.
What goes into a proper press release? Whether you’re
sitting down to write your first one or trying to figure out what nobody has
picked up your last few releases, it’s important to get the basics down before
continuing. You don’t want any of these releases to go to waste, and if they’re
not properly formatted they’ll get barely a glance!
For this example, let’s say your company is a something fun
– a video game publisher. The company is fairly big but hasn’t had a huge
release…yet! Your latest game may just be your big break, so you naturally want
to get the story out to any game magazine that will listen.
After designing a nifty looking header with your company
logo on it and putting your contact information so the magazines can ask follow
up questions, you get started on your release.
Headline
The headline for your press release should be centered and
noticeably separated from all the other parts of the release. One line or two
should do it. Also, make sure to bold it and use all caps.
As for the content of the headline, you want it to be as succinct
yet informative as possible. Sound contradictory? Maybe it is, and that’s the
issue. You “simply” have to choose the most important words to describe your
entire press release in its entirety. If you don’t have a great headline, you
risk getting totally looked over.
For our example, something like “Megagame Corp. Releases
Groundbreaking Shooter” would work. Since you’re sending this to video game
publications you don’t have to actually say “video game” in there since it’s
implied.
Sub-Headline
Just below the headline you have a chance to further grab
your audience with a sub-headline. It should still be centered but this time
with italics and in mixed case.
Now, you don’t HAVE to use a sub-headline. Only use one if
you feel you didn’t have enough info in the headline.
Perhaps your big video game release is the first of its
kind, something truly unique. You don’t want your readers to miss this, so the
sub-headline would be a great place to insert it. “First Shooting Game to
Combine Vocal Commands and Dance Moves” could do the trick.
Body
The first paragraph of your press release is also extremely
crucial. Editors will often scan the first paragraph before deciding if the
rest of the release is any good. This is your last “gate post” so to speak to
cross, so if you have a great first paragraph you have a solid chance of
getting published.
The rest of the written portion of the release is aligned
left. First put the city (in all caps), month, date, and year, then a dash. Now
you start writing.
I’m a big fan of keeping the first paragraph as simple as
possible. Try to keep it to one or two sentences if you can help it. Also, the
first paragraph should be straight facts – who, what, where, etc.
“FUNTOWN, NY, September 5, 2012 – Off the heels of their
indie hit “Explosion Brothers,” Megagame Corp. announced the follow-up
shooter/dance/singing hybrid “The Dancing Gun” yesterday. The X-Box exclusive
will be the first of its kind and will be packaged with all copies of Halo 5.”
The rest of the body is devoted to fleshing out everything
you mentioned in the first paragraph and any relevant quotes from authority
figures. For instance, the CEO of your company and/or the project lead of Halo
5 would make for great quotes!
After you’ve perfected the rest of your press release, don’t
forget to put “###” sans quotes centered at the very bottom so they know when
to stop reading. Now you’re done, so start sending them out!
Need help with that? Check out
eReleases for managing your press releases
and getting them to the journalists most likely to get excited about your news.
