A few weeks ago I was talking with a prospect who told me he had worn himself out writing and sending press releases with his company’s information to the media without them being taken into account. He did not understand how his competition captured the interest of its target audience while his information, no less valuable, went unnoticed.
When reviewing one of the releases sent by my interlocutor, I was able to detect some mistakes that are very common when writing a press release, and that could lead a journalist to lose interest when choosing content of value for their followers.
A company’s news can be extremely interesting if an appropriate combination of creativity, figures and novel content is used, but above all, if before writing we think about the contribution of our information.
Take note of these four mistakes when writing this document.
- Not having an objective. Before you start writing, you must be clear about the objective of the release, the audience it is aimed at and the central topic the news will revolve around.
- An unattractive headline. Catching the reader’s attention is the hardest and most important part of the process of creating this document. When a topic is on everyone’s lips it is easy to generate attractive information; the challenge is to make newsworthy what could be the update of content that has already been covered in the media.
- Excessive company advertising. Every brand handles a series of key messages with which it wants to position itself; however, excessive promotion undermines the release’s credibility.
- Absence of a story. A story can capture the attention of whoever reads it, but a good story will truly captivate. Remember to include a good opening paragraph that conveys the most important point forcefully, season the text with quotes from spokespeople, add market figures, and insert your key messages into the content in a subtle style that feels pleasant and natural to the reader. Finish with an overview and land a good ending, moving toward the particular.
Writing a press release that is attractive to a journalist is not complicated; however, the next time you have this task, remember to avoid these four mistakes, and perhaps your information will secure a privileged spot over your competition.
