When you’re writing a press release, there are a lot of things you need to keep in mind to make sure your story is broken down into small manageable chunks that will interest your target audience and draw in potential sign-ups for your website.
Here are a few tips from a press release pro on what to learn by writing one.
Focus On The Facts
With any story there is always room for more information. However, a good press release always begins with the most vital details first and builds up from there. This is because there is no point in reporting on a story which has already been covered. Your aim is to come up with new angles or information that will make your story different from what others are writing about or thinking about.
A good example of this is a cancer research story that I was pitched on recently. This was a story about an Italian study which found that women with high levels of estrogen in their bodies were more likely to develop a type of cancer known as ER+ breast cancer. This study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2019. But what makes this story different is that it focuses on the fact that this is the first study to investigate the connection between estrogen and ER+ breast cancer. The results of the study clearly support the thesis that high levels of estrogen can increase the likelihood of a woman developing ER+ breast cancer. But the fact that this is the first study of its kind shows how little we actually know about the subject matter.
Be Objective
When you’re writing a press release, it’s important to remember that you are writing to inform journalists – not to influence them. This is why it’s important to write from an objective point of view and refrain from being too emotionally involved in your subject matter. Otherwise, you’re likely to end up publishing something that is a little bit biased or with misleading information.
The last thing you want to do is write something that will make your subject matter seem more positive than it actually is. This brings me to my next point.
Avoid Overinflating Your Discoveries
Even though you would like to think that your research is going to be groundbreaking and solve all your problems, you need to resist the urge to overhype your findings. If you do this, you’re going to end up sounding like a crazy person and, in all likelihood, turn off any potential readership to your story. So, always put your ego aside and be reasonable about your conclusions. Remember – there is no point in writing a press release if no one is going to read it.
Also, when you talk about your discovery, stick to the facts and your conclusions. Avoid giving the impression that your research is going to explain everything there is to know about your topic. This is not going to happen and, at the end of the day, you’re just likely to upset someone with your over-optimism.
These tips on what to learn by writing a press release are just a small fraction of the information you need to include in order to write a solid release. If you apply these guidelines to your story, you’re going to end up with something that is both informative and engaging.