The Basics Of The Press Release

Press releases are a news style of writing, featuring information to announce or promote a business or an accomplishment. Companies usually distribute press releases to announce a sales achievement, to introduce a new startup, because of wining an award, to promote an upcoming event or contest and for a variety of other reasons. For example, an online company can use a press release to announce a new blog or podcast, to detail a local award won by their small business, to announce a certain number of visitors to their site or to offer a free product or contest they are currently sponsoring.

By submitting a press release companies hope that their story will get picked up by the news media and given a wider exposure. Press releases are also commonly called press statements and news releases. Companies can choose to use press releases to contact local print media but increasingly it is becoming popular for small companies to write Search Engine Optimized press releases and submit them online for distribution to a number of different sites.

The objective of the press release is self-promotion when generating a press release a company will then send it out to various news media hoping that they will take this information to write an article about a company. Press releases are typically slanted to showcase a company in a positive light and written to provide interesting and useful information to the media. By making the content more entertaining, the chances of a press release getting picked up increases, especially when submitted to local publications, which may struggle to provide new news on a daily basis. Press releases should always answer the questions who, what, where, when, why and how.

There is an established format to writing a press release when submitting to journalist. For press releases submitted to newspaper outlets use of a company letterhead makes the press release look more professional. Companies contact information should be included, make sure to add any forms of contact that a potential customer could want to contact your business are included. The inclusion of your company name, phone number, business address, email and web site are standard. A contact person and contact number should also be provided in case the media has any questions or requires additional information.

The mileage on a press release tends to vary, with some companies using press releases on a weekly basis. Regardless of the type of company, a monthly press release is a good idea to showcase accomplishments to potential customers and catch the attention of others in similar businesses. As long as a press release is focused on newsworthy subjects, a business improves their chances of having it picked up and ran in the media.

Press releases are simple for most companies to write, often written by the public relations department of large companies most small companies choose to create press releases themselves or hire the services of writers who specialize in creating press releases. Regardless of the method used, the cost is still much lower than the cost associated with most other forms of marketing a product or service.