Top 10 press release writing tips – keep your copy at the top of its game
Part of a successful PR campaign is the production of well-crafted, engaging press releases that present your brand and product to the world. Writing a press release can be an immensely rewarding task when it generates column inches and sales enquiries.
The experts at leading property PR agency, AB Property Marketing, share their top 10 tips on how to write a successful press release.
1. Know your message
When faced with a new service or product, ask questions. Ask questions until you run out of air and can’t think of anything else to ask. It’s how you gain a full understanding of the service / product and the message you want to convey to the world about it. Without clarity on this, your press release is doomed from the start.
2. Know your audience
Equally important is understanding for whom you are writing. If you have visions of featuring in luxury publications but you’re emphasising their product’s affordability and lack of exclusivity, your message won’t be getting across to the right people. Target your writing to the audience likely to buy the service/ product, as well as to the journalists who have the power to reach that audience.
3. Love your product
It’s not enough to just know your product; you have to feel it. In fact, you have to love it. Your passion (or lack thereof) for your subject matter will show in your writing. If you want your readers to love your service or product, then you have to convey to them why they should, so let your passion flow into your copy to truly inspire those who read your work.
4. Do your homework
You’ll want to link your press release to relevant statistics and research, to back up and give weight to the information that you are presenting. Credibility is king, so get stuck in online and find original, just-published reports and datasets that you can use to present new and exciting information in your client’s press release. Don’t regurgitate old figures and always track down and check the source report.
5. Banish waffle
The internet has done miraculous things in terms of sharing knowledge around the world and connecting people with information. It has also reduced our attention spans dramatically. If a headline and first sentence doesn’t grab a reader, they will be on to the next link in a flash. So banish waffle from your copy. Keep it simple, clear and on point. If you want to witter on, write a novel!
6. Think human
People love to read about people. It’s why so many celebrity magazines exist. We are fascinated by the lives of others and social media has made these lives accessible in a way that has never previously been possible. When it comes to your service or product, think about the human element. Include a case study of someone who has benefitted from it and give the reader someone to relate to.
7. Be bold
Be bold. Be exciting. Be innovative. Use fresh data, new ideas and interesting concepts. Whatever you do, don’t let your content feel boring or stale. There’s a huge world of content out there. If you want readers to notice yours, it needs to be a cut above the rest.
8. Don’t proofread your own work
The human brain has a well-documented ability to read what it thinks should be in a word or sentence, rather than what actually is. This is particularly true when you are rereading something that you have written yourself – the brain can skip over errors as it knows what the sentence should say and not what it does say. The moral? Always opt for a fresh pair of eyes and get someone else to proofread your work.
9. Know when to write
Get to know your circadian rhythms and find the best time of day to let the muse take you. If you’re at your best in the mornings, write then, or if you’re a night owl then adjust your schedule accordingly. Don’t force the words if they don’t come easily – step back and let your subconscious work out the knots and you’ll find your writing flows more freely as a result. Unless, of course, you’re on a tight deadline in which case grab a double shot latte and knuckle down!
10. Never be complacent
No matter how good the press release that you’ve just written is, the next one can always be better. Writing is a craft that can be improved over time, just like any other skill. So seek to make each press release you write the best one yet.
By AB Property Marketing www.abpropertymarketing.co.uk
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