How to write a press release
- » The importance of a good press release
- » How to write an effective press release / What makes an effective press release
- » PR checklist
- » Formatting your press release
- » Follow a standard press release format
- » Press Release acceptance criteria
AMEinfo.com has put together a series of press release best practice initiatives. This includes a video and articles relating to: The importance of a good press release; How to write an effective press release; What is a press release?; Who uses a press release?; PR checklist; Formatting your press release; and Press Release criteria.
The video and articles on PR best practices should help you to successfully put together a press release, identify what the key characteristics are and how to successfully get media coverage online.
AMEinfo.com is proud to support the growing media influence in the Middle East.
The following information will assist you when writing a news release for distribution through AMEinfo.com. A well crafted press release captures the attention of journalists and potential customers and is optimized for distribution over the Internet, through e-mail and via AMEinfo.com's network feeds.
Note: Some of the information contained in this tip sheet are specific to the AMEinfo.com service.The importance of a good press release
The importance of writing and creating a very good press release is paramount in communicating your brands news and objectives, as well as attracting a larger audience. Having your news press release published online successfully will achieve several positive results.
A press release therefore has to include newsworthy content. Your press release is a marketing activity, a means of outlining key positive publicity about your company and its business.
It is an opportunity to highlight your brand and create an audience of followers through words as opposed to a creative advertising campaign.
To get your message across to an audience is simple if you know several points, for example the person you are trying to communicate with or reach; the decision maker; the one who will buy your product etc. You need to clearly outline your audience and their objectives. Identify your main goal and target and create a matching press release that is newsworthy and attracts a reader's attention.
To ensure you understand the importance of a good press release, think of your target, have you addressed their needs and outlined the reasons?
Remember that a reader is looking for facts. Clearly address the 5W's and H. The Who, Where, What, Why, When and How. Think of ways that words can be used to keep the reader interested. Will a journalist or the audience want to continue to read your news?
A reader will want to understand the contents of the press release in the first four lines. Have you been able to clearly and simply outline the significance of the release in the introduction?
In today's ever increasing online media channels a good press release will stand out from the rest. The importance then of defining your message and including search engine optimized keywords will reflects the writer's ability to understand the media channel and the reader's objectives.
A well written press release will be interesting to read, will attract a reader's attention and will challenge a company's perception of who you are and what you do and if successful will allow for companies to indentify your key positive successes and how you might support their business in future or buy your product or brand buy in.
Spending time on creating a good press release is valuable to ensuring your brands message gets across the way you intended.
How to write an effective press release / What makes an effective press release
What is a press release? A press release is a piece of well written communication typically prepared by a company's internal public relations or media relations department or by a public relations agency and issued to members of the media that they can write an interesting news story about you and what you have done.
Who uses a press release? These days online media outlets publish a press release as is issued by the public relations agency. The release then creates awareness, builds interest and knowledge in the message being communicated.
A press release may be used for numerous actionable reasons:
- By journalists as the basis for a good story,
- By research teams looking to understand the market, and for compiling intelligent reports
- By key marketing or business development individuals to identify business opportunities
- As well as for monitoring or tracking key competitor analysis and activities
When writing a press release, think of the audience. How will this interest the audience?
A press release is a way, for you to highlight your activities but also an opportunity to change an individual or company's behaviour and highlight your business. It also allows you to communicate your message and for organizations to learn from your business acumen.
A well drafted press release will answer questions, enlighten and stimulate activity. Your communication should be used as an educational exercise to highlight your recent activities and how this affects the market, industry or region and the difference it makes.
For AMEinfo.com a press release should be written in a strong business tone and clearly highlight the basic 5W's and H
Outline clearly -
- Who you are;
- Where you are,
- What you have done, and What makes the difference
- Why
- When
- and How does this set you apart. How have you achieved this
Remember to address what the idea is, how will you use your message to get it across, what examples can you include, has it been targeted to the audience and have you identified the doubts in the reader's mind?
Refrain from writing your press release just to get it published or because it only includes what you want to say. This is an opportunity for you to communicate your brand message, your actions and activities. Use it to build rapport, connect with a particular audience in the region and expand your business objectives.
When compiling your press release think of the message you want to get across. What is your key message and objective? Create a clear and engaging story
- Structure your message
- Explain briefly what you mean
- Think of the language, sense check so people will understand
- Substantiate your message, give examples
- So what? Why should people read or listen to you
Other areas to consider once you've compiled your press release. Have you outlined:
- Are you an authority in your field, if so how?
- Does your press release have energy and drive?
- Will your audience be engaged in your message?
- Are you clear about your message?
- Will a company or individuals decide a course of action after reading your press release?
- Why should they believe you?
Always be clear, honest and consistent in communicating your message.
*** Make sure your press release has been verified by all parties before submitting to the media.
PR checklist
A quick checklist for press release requirements:
- Is the press release business focused?
- Is it written in a strong business tone
- Does it include a clear Middle East business relevance?
- Does it have a business angle?
- Does it include a quote from a senior Middle East based executive?
- Have you identified the key message you want to communicate?
- Have you included full contact details for the company?
- Have you included full contact details for the sender whom the release is being sent from?
- All press releases submitted should originate from an official corporate email id, alternatively include details of why it has been sent from another email address
- All press releases sent from either Outlook, Webmail, Blackberry/Smartphone devices/ non corporate accounts should contain a signature setup to speed up verification
- Have you included a photo with caption or logo?
- Does the release include a date it was issued to the media?
- Have you highlighted several search engine optimized (SEO) keywords or Tags e.g.: these could relate to the industry or an event the company is participating in?
- Client/ Company mention - Be sure to advice on whose behalf the release been issued e.g. the organizer of an event, the company or the client.
- The release should have a minimum of 350 words
- AME Info typical press release guideline format:
Headline (no more than 100 characters)
Stand first/ Introduction (no more than 50 words)
Full body of press release/ contents (no less than 350 words)
Boilerplate - Have you included and submitted an English and Arabic version?
- Get permission. Be sure that you have written permission before including information about another company
Formatting your press release
How you present your news is just as important as its content. Some of these suggestions are specific to AMEinfo.com
Mixed case. NEVER SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE IN ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS. This is very bad form. Use mixed case.
Correct grammar usage. Always follow rules of grammar and style. Errors in grammar and style affect your credibility. Excessive errors may cause your press release to be rejected by AMEinfo.com's editors.
No HTML. Never embed HTML or other markup languages in your press release. Your press release will be distributed over a wide array of networks. Including such formatting will negatively impact the readability of your press release and slow down the process as the AMEinfo.com editors will usually need to strip the formatting.
More than one paragraph. It is nearly impossible to tell your story in a few sentences. If you do not have more than a few sentences chances are you do not have a newsworthy item.
Summary paragraph. AMEinfo.com asks you to include a one paragraph summary. Some distribution points only receive your headline, summary and a link to your press release. If you fail to include a summary paragraph you may reduce the effectiveness of your press release.
Word processor. Write your press release on a word processor instead of composing online. Writing online will not achieve best results. Take time to do it right. Write, print, proof read. Rewrite, edit ...
Pictures and captions. Make sure you include a picture where possible - alternatively a company logo can be submitted. Images must be in JPEG format - and remember you are sending this by e-mail for publishing online so please ensure they are web optimised. When you do send images, make sure you include a caption for the image - either in a separate text file or as part of the release.
Do not include your e-mail address in the body of your release. Do not include your e-mail address in the body of your press release. We have a special field during the submission process where we include your e-mail address to guard you against spam as spiders routinely scour the Internet harvesting e-mail addresses for spammers. Provide your e-mail address only in the contact information at the end of your press release.
Follow a standard press release format
Make sure your press release looks like a press release. The following can be used as a template for your press release.
Headline - Be creative. One sentence. Use proper title case, capitalizing the first word, first and last name of people, company names...
City, Country, Month Day, Year -- Get their attention here. A strong introductory paragraph should cover who, what, when, where, why and how.
Put the body of your press release here. Expound on the information provided in your introductory paragraph. Include quotes from key staff, customers or subject matter experts.
The body of your press release should contain more than one paragraph. The final paragraph should restate and summarize the key points of your news release.
For additional information (or sample, copy or demo), contact: (include contact information here)
You can include details on product availability, trademark acknowledgment here.
About XYZ Company
Include a short corporate backgrounder.
Contact Information:
Contact Person
XYZ Company
Address details
City and country
T: +971-4-555-6666 (include country and city code in contact numbers)
F: +971-4-555-6667
http://www.YourWebAddress.com (if applicable)
Contact e-mail address
Image caption: Description of the attached image(s) if applicable
Include safe harbor statement (if applicable).
Press Release acceptance criteria
AMEinfo.com may decline a press release based on a number of reasons.
To begin with a press release should be just that, an announcement of your company's activities. It must be newsworthy.
A press release should not be an advertisement. Your communication should be well written without grammatical errors and should be proof read several times before submitting.
These are some common reasons for PRs being declined:
- Does not relate to the Middle East market or does not have any Middle East business relevance. The release needs to focus on the Middle Eastern business user and its local significance or impact
- Too advertorial/ reads like an advertisement
- Does not include a quote from a senior Middle East business executive
- Does not state the date the release was issued or the press release has not been sent in a timely manner/is too old
- No headline included, grammatical errors, poor English/ Arabic or insufficient content; not written in a business related format
- Insufficient newsworthy material
- Unable to verify/ authenticity
AMEinfo.com looks forward to highlighting your companies' business activities in the Middle East.
