How to Write a Press Release
You now know a press release is a valuable tool, but how do you use it. Press releases are written and prepared for distribution to the news media announcing something or claiming to have news value with the intent of gaining media coverage and exposure.
A press release consists of following sections:
Headline: The headline is the first single line of text in the press release and tells what the press release is about. It can be a very effective tool to grab the attention of the journalists, so writing it from a journalists perspective is very important. Use a catchy headline to attract attention.
Summary: The summary let's your build up your chance to sell your press release to the journalist. It is generally a requirement of on-line press release services and it can be of the size of a small paragraph and generally less that 250 words
Press Release Body:
Introduction - This is where the press release body starts. It is the first paragraph and generally gives basic answers to the questions of who, what, when, where and why.
Body - The body comes after the introduction and gives further explanation, statistics, background and/or other details related to the news.
Keywords: This is an area offered where you can list keywords and phrases a person would use to search for your release.
Categories: This area is where you can narrow down the location of your press release. This ensures the right people will view your release.
Company Profile: The about section is used over and over again. It is generally a short section providing background information on the press release issuing company, organization or individual.
Contact Info: This section contains the name, phone number, email address, mailing address, or other contact information for the contact person.
