Sunday, March 1, 2009

10 Simple Tips in Writing a Press Release that Works

By Elisa Whealer

The last thing you want is writing a press release that will not deliver as per your expectations. Releases are supposed to get the attention of your audience; to inform them of the value they get from doing business with your company; and to convince them to actually do buy your products or hire your services"with the last as the most important"as this is the part where you actually record a sale.

With all these in mind, how should you go about developing that successful press release? What are the techniques you can follow?

Here are Ten Handy Techniques: A Press Release That Works

1.) Know the required format for submission. With this, you know what the needed data will be in your release. Different online press distribution service providers will vary slightly on the lay-out of the release format"the substance though will usually be the same.

2.) Brainstorm with your colleagues on what information you will want to include in the release. A team approach will be excellent in deciding which will be most important and critical for the business to include as information in the release. This way, every angle can be considered"and everybody gets a say on what will matter for the business.

3) Do not try to squeeze in all details in your press release to the point that you will lose the attention of your readers. Choose carefully the highlights of your company and include only those that will attract and convince your readers to deal with your company. In an effective press release, sometimes less information is stronger than more. Too much can distract your targeted audience and they might lose interest in reading the rest of it.

4) Your Press Release must deliver what it promises. You want your business to grow and to have more traffic. The moment you fail to commit to your promises in your press release, you will have angry customers growing in numbers and your company will bear the brunt of it. So be truthful and live up to the expectations of your readers. Happy customers are loyal customers. An honest press release goes a long, long way.

5) Stress out the extraordinary features of your products or services. Be precise in your wordings so as to get the attention and interest of your targeted readers.

6.) Writing style and correct English matters. This does not need expounding, if you dont know if this has a place in this guide"you are in for a bigger problem.

7.) Get a second opinion about your draft release as a whole. Have someone check this for clarity and succinctness. If necessary, do some revisions. All writings undergo revisions until a final and polished written material is achieved"writing a press release is no different.

8.) Choose an online press distribution service provider that fits your needs. Do some research and see if you can entrust this important role of release distribution to them. Not all sites can provide the quality of service you will need. So be sure you will not be wasting your time on such sites. Do a search on online forums, and see what others have experienced with these different providers.

9.) Select the top 5 sites among your list. Narrowing your list down will give you now, fewer options to choose from.

10.) Contact each of these 5 sites, and do some inquiries. By mere correspondence with them, you will get a feel on their responsiveness and how they might be conducting their businesses. If you cant get a decent response now, what can you expect from them if you get their services and have some concerns along the way?

Take these ten handy techniques to heart. Let these techniques direct you to a well written press release that will reap so much value for your company. Remember, a big part of the success of your company depends on your press release.

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