How to write a press release

If you have exciting news to share about your business, it can be easy to share it with people face-to-face, but translating that energy and confidence in a written press release can be harder. Here are my tips for writing a press release that will make your story stand out:

1. Keep it simple, refreshing and to the point. If your story’s worth telling, you should be able to summarise it in one sentence.

2. Don’t go over the top - no boasting - it’s not just a case of bigging up what you do. Stick to the facts and don’t exaggerate. If the story is newsworthy you won’t need to exaggerate.

3. Avoid hyperbole and cliché - words like ‘passion’ and ‘award-winning’ are overused and are an immediate turn off to journalists and readers. Write as you would naturally talk to someone using your own voice.

4. Equally there's no need to adopt a bland impersonal tone in your press release give it a bit of your own personality.

5. Make it relevant - I recommend creating a few different versions with different angles for your local media, for trade/business press and for national consumer mags and newspapers.

6. Keep it short and sweet. You don’t need to put all the detail in a press release. One page is plenty perhaps with a few notes or details on a second page. Leave your reader wanting more!

7. Do steer clear of puns or wordplay - this will mean nothing to busy journalists, scrolling through their inbox.

8. Don’t bury your ‘top line’ Most journalists don’t have time to open all the press releases they receive – never mind read them all the way through. So don’t make the mistake of burying the most interesting part – commonly known as the top line – at the bottom of your press release. Get it in the very first line.

9. Put the story in the body of an email - don’t rely on people to open attachments. Remember that journalists are often on the move, so they may be reading your release on their mobile.

10. Quotes bring the story alive. They should add insight and opinion - appeal to the senses with colour and flavour. Don’t use quotes to state or repeat facts. And make sure they sound like you as if you were talking to someone in person.