A Copywriter’s Guide to Writing a Press Release

Press releases may seem old-fashioned in a digital world where everything is far more fast-paced. But despite this, they remain a cornerstone of public relations. For us copywriters, mastering the art of crafting a press release means knowing how to balance newsworthiness, clarity and brand voice. 

Although this all needs to happen while simultaneously appealing to both journalists and audiences. In this article, we’ll be giving you a brief copywriter’s guide to writing a press release, going through the essentials of writing press releases that get noticed, published and shared.

What is a press release?

A press release is, basically, a short, formal communication that’s designed to announce something newsworthy on behalf of a company, brand or individual. It typically targets media outlets, journalists, bloggers and sometimes, the general public. For copywriters, the goal is simple: make editors’ lives easier by delivering clear, well-structured and compelling stories. There are multiple uses for a press release that are particularly helpful for businesses, brands and influencers alike, including: product launches, company milestones, event announcements, awards and recognitions and crisis responses or official statements.

The anatomy of a press release

A standard press release has a pretty simple, one-size-fits-all structure that most copywriters will follow. A good, standard press release will include a headline, a subheadline, a dateline, a lead paragraph, a body of text, a quote section, a boilerplate and a media contact. But what does all of that mean, and how can you go about including all of it in your own press release? Let’s delve deeper into the anatomy of a good press release from the perspective of a copywriter:

1. Headline – it needs to be attention-grabbing to ensure the journalist is ready. Keep it between 10-12 words, be specific and avoid the fluff
2. Subheadline – although optional, this is a supporting line that adds context and highlights the significance of the announcement
3. Dateline – needs to display the release date and the location of the news
4. Lead paragraph – this is the “who, what, when, where and why” summed up in 2-3 sentences. This is the most important part of a press release. If the journalist reads nothing else, they’ll still understand the story by skipping the lead paragraph
5. Body – expand and elaborate on the points made in the lead paragraph. Explain everything in more detail, including why the announcement matters, giving background information, supporting the text with facts, stats and data and providing quotes from executives, partners or stakeholders
6. Quote section – quotes humanise the press release and give credibility. Avoid generic jargon and let spokespeople express authentic excitement or insight
7. Boilerplate – a short “about us” section is a major part of any press release. It gives background and provides a mission statement
8. Media contact – make sure you include the name, email and phone number of the person journalists can contact for further information

How to avoid making mistakes when writing a press release

While the above information makes out like writing a press release is a walk in the park if you follow all of our advice and the anatomy of a press release, it’s still likely that you’re going to make a mistake, especially if you’ve never written one before. With this in mind, here are some common mistakes that could be made when writing a press release, along with how you’ll be able to avoid making them in the first place:

• Burying the news – don’t hide the key announcement in the third paragraph, place it as high up as possible, but in a relevant section
• Overloading with jargon – a journalist isn’t going to have the time to look up what specialist terms mean. If you need to use jargon, provide them with a glossary. If not, avoid it altogether
• Forgetting the audience – you need to keep the audience in mind at all times. A press release is for journalists first and customers second
• Neglecting distribution – even the best press releases won’t matter if it doesn’t reach the right outlets, so make sure you’re distributing them to relevant newsrooms, etc

How to distribute a press release

You’ve written a compelling press release, now comes the crucial next step – making sure the right people see it. Distribution can make or break a press release. Without a thoughtful plan, even the most newsworthy announcement risks getting buried in inboxes or overlooked by journalists. With this in mind, let’s see how you can professionally and effectively distribute a press release:

Identify your audience

Before sending your press release off to anyone, you need to ask yourself who needs to see it. Your strategy should be guided by your goals. So, who are you going to send it to? Here’s a list of potential recipients, depending on what you want to achieve:

• Journalists and editors – if you want traditional media coverage
• Industry bloggers and influencers – for niche exposure
• Investors, partners or stakeholders – if the release is business-focused
• General public – when the announcement directly affects customers or communities

Build a targeted media list

Rather than blasting your release to hundreds of irrelevant contacts, focus on quality instead. Maintaining an updated media list is an ongoing task, but it’s one of the most effective ways to ensure your release lands with the right people.

Use Newswire service

Newswire distribution services syndicate your press release to hundreds of outlets at once. Some well-known options include: PR Newswire, Business Wire, GlobeNewswire and EIN Presswire. There are some pros and cons to this, however, with the pros being wide distributions, credibility and SEO benefits, and the cons being that it can be costly and results are NOT guaranteed.

Leverage direct pitching

Sending your press release directly to journalists is often more effective than mass distribution. Instead, write a short, personalised email pitch highlighting why your story matters. Attach the press release or paste it below the email body, and then make sure to include a clear subject line that feels like a headline and not a sales pitch.

Publish on your own channels

Don’t just rely solely on third parties. Publishing press releases on your own blog, news page or social media platforms is a great and sure way of making sure relevant audiences are reading it. This builds credibility and gives journalists a source to reference when covering your news, if and when it takes off.

Get the timing right

Journalists are inundated with emails on a daily basis. Therefore, the timing of the press release distribution matters. It impacts whether it gets noticed or not. Some of the best days to send a press release are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with the best times being mid-morning in the time zone the recipient lives. You should, however, avoid sending them out on weekends or late evenings when everyone is at home or away from their computer, unless it’s urgent or breaking news.

Follow up, but don’t be a nuisance

If you don’t hear anything back, then a polite thing to do is to follow up after 2-3 days. Keep the follow-up short, respectful and provide any additional context or resources. If there’s still no response after this, then let it go and move on to another recipient. 

Measure & refine

Track the performance to learn what works best for your audience. Use these insights to refine your future distribution strategy. Here are some of the key metrics to include: media pickups (where your release is published), website traffic spikes after distribution, social shares and engagement and backlinks generated for SEO.

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