How to Write the Perfect Press Release

Media coverage is essential for any business, because it drums up interest and gets your brand more exposure. Press releases are supposed to be attention grabbing, but they're all too easy to get wrong and it's not true that 'all publicity is good publicity'. You have to be putting out the right messages and making sure people actually read your big news.

In order to write the perfect press release, first ask yourself if your story is actually 'news'. It can't just be entirely about you – if nobody outside your company would be interested, then it's not worth publishing.

If it is something with wider appeal, then you need a killer headline. This has to leap off the page so people don't simply scroll past, and keeping it short and punchy is best.

Next, that opening line has to succinctly sum up the entire story and pull people in. In no more than fifteen to twenty words, try and capture the essence of the whole article.

All in all, an ideal press release should run to between 300 and 400 words. People have short attention spans, and any longer means you risk losing them. Keep it concise and informative, with no fluff to act as padding.

Where you can, use quotes and add titbits of useful or interesting information. You want to position this news story in the context of your company and the bigger picture, so potential customers can see where it fits in their lives and learn more about you.

These five pointers should help you get your press release just right.