The press release makes it easy to transmit important information to journalists, in connection with the news of a company. They can use the press release for different reasons, which we will see in this article about writing a press release.
What Is A Press Release?
It is a document that a company sends to journalists to share important information with them. In general, this information is related to the news of the company. It can be a:
- Fundraising,
- Management evolution,
- Major innovation,
- Merger-acquisition Etc.
So here is our answer to the question “What is a press release?”
The press release is a communication channel that companies use to convey information that concerns them to journalists. Of course, the goal is for journalists to pick up this information to talk about it in the press.
What Is A Press Release Used For?
As explained above, the press release allows companies to convey important information to journalists. But for what purpose? The whole goal behind a press release is to generate visibility. Journalists are a key target for businesses. It is mainly for the reach that their content can have. When an article is published, and highlights the news of an organization, its visibility and credibility are reinforced. There are two explanations:
Visibility is increased through the reach and audience of the media.
Credibility is enhanced by the general public’s perception of traditional media. An individual confronted with a newspaper article about a company and an individual confronted with an advertisement from the same company will have two different perceptions of the latter.
It allows companies to make themselves known by reaching journalists and communicating about their products, services, marketing actions, or even a particular event. This document also makes it possible to stand out from the competition, to consolidate its brand image and to increase its notoriety as a company.
Advantages
This is a format recognized by journalists, considered a serious source of information. Writing doesn’t cost you money if you do it yourself. However, you can be accompanied by an agency. This will come at a cost, but you will save time in writing and distributing your paper.
How to Structure a Press Release
To achieve its objective, a press release must have a good structure and contain all the information necessary for the journalists you are going to contact. The goal for you is to structure your press release well to facilitate the work of journalists. This increases your chances of seeing your information appear in the press.
Structure Your Press Release
The first thing your press release should achieve is to be identified as such. This means that by seeing your press release, the journalists to whom you send it should be able to immediately recognize that it is a press release, but they will also need to know its source.
The Title of a Press Release
Next you are going to need to create a title that will be catchy and informative at the same time. This means that by reading the title of your press release, the journalists who receive it will not only have to learn something, but will also have to want to know more. Your title is particularly important, because it is on the basis of it that journalists will decide whether or not to read your entire press release. Concretely, to write a powerful headline, you need to know exactly what will be the main message of your press release: what information do you want to convey? Once this element is clear to you, you can sequence your title into three elements:
- The novelty that you announce
- The consequence of this novelty
- Your link to this novelty
For example: “company x raised y million euros to do z”
This title allows us to know which company is making an announcement, what is the novelty associated with it, and what is the objective or consequence or impact of this novelty.