How to write a press release?

What is a press release?
News to the media, prepared in a journalistic manner and from the point of view of the media. A press release is structured as follows: header, headline, lead, body copy, and boilerplate. Press releases are distributed simultaneously to all selected media by mail, fax, and increasingly by e-mail. Commercial press-release distribution services are also used to distribute press releases.

How to write a press release?
Decide why you are writing a press release and determine your thought. Keep it short and to the point. Usually, press releases are no more than one page. Print the words “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” in the top left-hand margin in all caps.

Follow this line with relevant contact information:

• Name
• Title
• Address
• Phone number
• E-mail address.

Write a headline and center it in bold type just above the first line of the body of the press release. Headlines typically highlight the most important, significant or shocking fact in the release.

Create a dateline - the starting line of the body of your press release - that includes the city where the release is generated and the date.

Make certain the first paragraph includes all the vital information:

• The where
• When
• Why
• What
• Who

Wrap up the last paragraph with a “for additional information” line, a place to find more details. An annual report or a Web site can be with complete sources of information.

Center these marks, ” # # #” or “-30-”, at the bottom of the page to indicate the end of your release.

Why write press release?
By effective press release writing and distribution, your company can achieve a significant and measurable increase in brand visibility on search engines, web site traffic & sales. Press Releases can help you achieve excellent rankings within major search engines. Press releases provide opportunities for inbound link development when Yahoo News, Google News and major news search engines list your data online.

Press release also benefits your website when you issue a release because you are providing relevant information to those searching for news related to your industry. It could be a prospect looking for industry info when researching a purchase or a journalist researching a story. At any rate, your company will be represented in the search results, which increases the relevant traffic to your site.