Creating a Press Release

Telling the world about your new website

Sending out information about a new website, new product, or significant changes to your service or business. Or it could let the ‘world’ know about hiring a new employee, an award, or a partnership/affiliation that others should know about.

A press release could contain quotes from the owner, customer testimonials, reviews of a new service or product, or a special offer or call to action.

Using the Internet or a pdf

Using the Internet to post a press release has many different options not easily available to a press release that is sent out on paper. A hypertext (html for the Internet) email or notice can include:

• hyperlinks to your website or others that contribute (adding value) to the release, adding even more information to the piece.
• photos can be easily added to the hypertext document.
• audio clips, for example a customer review of a new product.
• video of a product review, demonstration of a new product or service, or an interview.
• using social media buttons to post the release to popular social bookmarking sites.

Also, a pdf can be created to include all of the items just listed.

Remember that once the pdf or html has been sent out it’s published.

What should the Press Release look like?

Most references indicate that over 500 words maybe too many. For the Internet less is best. No unnecessary words, paragraphs or sentences.

The format of the press release should follow this outline:

• Logo–name of the business or service.
• Headline which engages, a call to action–to read on.
• Summary in a couple sentences for what’s in the release.
• Body of text providing information about the reason for the release. Photos, videos could be included here. Hyperlinks to more information could be here.
• About your business or service in a couple sentences.
• Contact Information, including hyperlinks to both email and website.
• Traditionally three hash or pound symbols close the release ###

Who to distribute the press release to?

With the Internet there are many different ways to disseminate the press release:

• emailing journalists at magazines, newspapers or blogger directly
• use on Online Newswire, either a paid or free newswires.
• post to your website.
• twitter an announcement, post on facebook or use some other social media tool.
• post to your own blog or send to a blog that you read or to blogs that are about your business or service.
• comment on a blog that you participate in with a short notice about how to obtain the full release. Publishing a comment about how to find the press release to a blog should add value to the blog’s subject matter.
• send it out to your email list, if you have one.
• use email marketing through a service.
• put the information in a newsletter.

Some Resources

Paid PR Newswires

• http://www.prweb.com
• http://www.marketwire.com
• http://www.businesswire.com

Free Newswires

• http://www.pr.com
• http://www.24-7pressrelease.com
• http://www.clickpress.com
• http://www.prleap.com

Finding blogs and directories

• http://www.technorati.com
• http://www.blogsearch.google.com
• http://www.alltop.com