How to Write a Press Release

Why would you want to?

We tend to focus on promoting our blogs online, because that’s where most people are, right? But there’s a whole offline world out there we’re potentially missing out on. And those people may not even know you or your blog exist! The good old fashioned press release is a great way to let some of those people know what you’re up to. At worst you may gain some readers and at best you might get some new customers.

Who will use a press release?

Radio stations, newspapers and other websites. This is a news hungry world, and everyone is looking for new stories. Social media is the hottest ticket in town right now, and conventional media has an insatiable appetite for stories relating to it. You may not think what you do is cool, but offline people do, and they want to know about it!

OK, so go on, how do I write a press release?

The first thing to bear in mind is that what you are writing is an article, and you should aim to write it so that it can be simply copied and pasted into a newspaper. That means it needs to be in the third person. Some publications, like local newspapers, will actually do just that! But many will either contact you for more information or paraphrase what you’ve written. Brevity should be your watchword.

The release should follow this format:

• Heading – this should be like a headline, short and snappy
• Sub Heading – A little more detail here about the story
• Body – A full description, ideally with a quote from somebody (you?)
• More information section – This is where you let the reader know how to contact you for more or for an interview

So let’s try this with an example. We’ll use my new project Transglobe Blog for this:

Blogger Attempts to Create History (there’s our headline)

Professional blogger Mike Cliffe-Jones has created a Weblog with the aim of capturing a post from every single country in the world. (Here’s our subheading)

Mike is a full time professional blogger, based in Lanzarote, The Canary Islands. He has recently set up the website www.transglobeblog.com with the objective of getting at least one post on it from every country in the world.

Speaking today, Mike said: “I already owned the website name, and I was trying to think of a way to use it when the idea of creating a genuinely “Trans Globe” blog came to me. The objective of getting a “Day in the life” post from every single country in the world is a tough one, but with my international contacts in the blogging community and on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, I'm sure we can do it. And once the site is complete it will be a fascinating snapshot of life around the world in the early 21^st century.

People can visit the site now to read what's on there, and I'm very happy to receive posts from anybody around the world – I'm going to limit it to a maximum of five per country. You may not think your “Day in the life” is that interesting, but to someone from the other side of the world it probably is! The email address to send the posts to is on the site, and each poster can have one photograph and one link with it.

Former England Rugby captain Will Carling is writing a post, and I'm also talking to a couple of other well know celebrities via Twitter, so I hope they will contribute as well.”

There are around 195 countries in the world (depending on who you use as a source) so the project will probably last several months.

There are estimated to be more than 100 million blogs in the world, ranging from sites read by a handful of people to ones like the Huffington Post which has millions of readers every day. Blogging and social media have connected the world in a way that the press, cinema and even television have never managed.

Transglobe blog seeks to increase those connections giving a unique insight into different cultures and lifestyles.

(That’s the main body, and notice the long quote from me)

Ends

For further information, interviews or photos, please contact Mike Cliffe-Jones via mike@transglobeblog.com or by telephone 0034 600 558 008

(And there’s the final part for further contact)

So where do I send it once it’s written?

Anywhere and everywhere! To local newspapers, radio stations, why not try television stations as well? Other blogs and websites in your niche. Just keep pumping it out – some people won’t run the story, but you’ll be surprised how many will. The other thing that will happen is that people will now have you down as an expert in your area. I’ve had a call from a radio station to talk about social media, purely on the strength of a press release.

Treat PR’s as sowing seeds, they won’t all come up, but sow enough and you’ll reap a few.

You might also enjoy:

1/ Give away the secret of social media

2/ How the blogging market is changing

3/ It’s how you say it, not what you say

Update: Devon has commented below, but she's provided a great link to resource to get your Press Release out. PR Resources.