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  • Press Releases

    A press release is simply a document announcing a particular event, sent to one or many journalists/news media.

    There are standard mediums and formats used. Press releases can be sent directly to editors, and/or submitted to paid or free distribution sites.

    Recently, given that press releases are accessible directly by the target customer, they can (should?) be written more like blog posts: more frequently, and more colloquially.

  • When to write a Press release

    Focus on being or doing newsworthy things first. Focus on creating good content.

    A press release is just another channel to distribute your news, not an end goal. Never set out to “write a press release” for its own sake.

  • Writing a Press Release

    When writing a release, (or anything else), focus on the content first. The format & style is secondary and distracting.

    That said, formatting according to convention can help you get noticed and read.

  • Submitting a Press Release

  • Getting specific, major press

    Press releases on their own will not be enough to rise above the noise, and land major press.

    In most cases they are more like directory submissions: it should be done a few times early on, and may result in some SEO benefits (though these are said to be decreasing in relevance), but isn’t worth relying on.

    If you are itching to get featured on a particular site, approaching the editors directly with something that helps them is often a better tactic.

  • The Content

    Before anything else, answer honestly:

    1. “Who cares about your news item?”
    2. “Why do they care?”

    The more concretely you can answer this, the easier it will be to find appropriate outlets for this news, and the more likely those sites are to actually use it.

  • The Format

    1. “Catchy tweetable blog post” title
    2. “Brief, factual newpaper article with quotes”
    3. Contact info footer
    4. Relevant “Find out more…” links

  • I’ve learned one important thing about press releases. A great press release is not something that prompts a journalist to write an article; rather, a great press release is published as an article.

    - Copyblogger

  • Headline

    Short, direct, attention-grabbing. Aim to replicate those blog post titles that you just can’t help clicking on.

  • Lede

    Get to the point, quickly.

  • Body

  • Contact Info

    Don’t just include the contact info and disappear… be contactable.

  • “More…”

    Include several relevant links. Primarily for your readers (be they end users or journalists), and second for search engines.

  • PRlog

    PRlog requires you to create an account, and a Business profile. The format is as follows:

  • Headline

    30 - 100 characters

    • Headline is the first single line of text in the press release and tells what the press release is about. It is the most important line in the press release.
    • It is shown in a large font on top of the press release. It is also shown on many other pages, for example - industry pages, location pages, etc.
    • Should be descriptive and convey the subject matter accurately.
    • No HTML codes or other formatting codes are allowed.
    • All uppercase sentence or all lowercase sentence not allowed.

  • Subhead

    (optional - Do not repeat headline or body)

    • Subhead is shown on the press release page, below the headline but above the body. It let’s you build up your chance to entice the reader further.
      Do nots -
      • Do not enter dateline here.
      • Do not repeat headline here.
      • Do not repeat subhead in body.
      • Do not enter HTML codes or other formatting codes.
      • Do not enter all uppercase sentences or all lowercase sentences.

  • Body

    • Body is where you enter details. It is made of two parts -
      • Introduction - It is the first paragraph & generally answers who, what, when, where and why.
      • Details - The details follow and give further explanation, statistics, background, or other details relevant to the news.
    • Body should have multiple paragraphs with each paragraph about 4-8 lines.
    • A blank line after each paragraph provides good readability.
    • Body should be around 3000 characters or 500 words but not more than 8000 characters.
    • Do NOT include the following as they will be automatically included by the system for consistency -
      • No PRLog in the starting.
      • No date in the starting.
      • No location in the starting.
      • No ### in the end.
      • No “For Immediate Release” or “Press Release”.

    • Number of links supported -
      • Free = Up to 3 plain, restrictions apply
      • Premium = Total 5 text or plain
      • Premium Plus = Total 10 text or plain

{"cards":[{"_id":"3acc8eecb3279ed097000068","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":1,"parentId":null,"content":"# Press Releases\nA *press release* is simply a document announcing a particular event, sent to one or many journalists/news media.\n\nThere are standard mediums and formats used. Press releases can be sent directly to editors, and/or submitted to paid or free distribution sites.\n\nRecently, given that press releases are accessible *directly* by the target customer, they can (should?) be written more like blog posts: more frequently, and more colloquially."},{"_id":"3accaacbb3279ed09700006c","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":0.5,"parentId":"3acc8eecb3279ed097000068","content":"## When to write a Press release\nFocus on *being* or *doing* newsworthy things first. Focus on creating good content.\n\nA press release is just another channel to distribute your news, not an end goal. Never set out to \"write a press release\" for its own sake."},{"_id":"3accf757b3279ed097000070","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":1,"parentId":"3accaacbb3279ed09700006c","content":"### Getting specific, major press\nPress releases on their own will not be enough to rise above the noise, and land major press.\n\nIn most cases they are more like directory submissions: it should be done a few times early on, and may result in some SEO benefits (though these are said to be decreasing in relevance), but isn't worth relying on.\n\nIf you are itching to get featured on a particular site, approaching the editors directly with **something that helps *them*** is often a better tactic."},{"_id":"3accaa82b3279ed09700006b","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":1,"parentId":"3acc8eecb3279ed097000068","content":"## Writing a Press Release\nWhen writing a release, (or anything else), focus on the **content first**. The format & style is secondary and distracting.\n\nThat said, formatting according to convention can help you get noticed and read."},{"_id":"3accfcdbb3279ed097000071","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":0.5,"parentId":"3accaa82b3279ed09700006b","content":"## The Content\nBefore anything else, answer honestly:\n1. \"*Who* cares about your news item?\"\n2. \"*Why* do they care?\"\n\nThe more concretely you can answer this, the easier it will be to find appropriate outlets for this news, and the more likely those sites are to actually use it."},{"_id":"3acd8968b3279ed09700007b","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":1,"parentId":"3accfcdbb3279ed097000071","content":"> I’ve learned one important thing about press releases. A great press release is *not* something that prompts a journalist to write an article; rather, a great press release is published *as* an article.\n##### - [Copyblogger](http://www.copyblogger.com/how-to-use-the-modern-press-release/)"},{"_id":"3accee3eb3279ed09700006f","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":1,"parentId":"3accaa82b3279ed09700006b","content":"## The Format\n1. \"Catchy tweetable blog post\" title\n2. \"Brief, factual newpaper article with quotes\"\n3. Contact info footer\n4. Relevant \"Find out more...\" links"},{"_id":"3acd7f92b3279ed097000074","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":1,"parentId":"3accee3eb3279ed09700006f","content":"### Headline\nShort, direct, attention-grabbing. Aim to replicate those blog post titles that you just can't help clicking on."},{"_id":"3acdc995b3279ed0970000c9","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":3.5,"parentId":"3acd7f92b3279ed097000074","content":"[Top 25 headlines from PRWeb.com](http://service.prweb.com/learning/article/25-popular-online-press-release-headlines/)\n"},{"_id":"3acd7fcfb3279ed097000075","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":2,"parentId":"3accee3eb3279ed09700006f","content":"### Lede\nGet to the point, quickly."},{"_id":"3acd8014b3279ed097000076","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":3,"parentId":"3accee3eb3279ed09700006f","content":"### Body\n"},{"_id":"3acd803cb3279ed097000077","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":4,"parentId":"3accee3eb3279ed09700006f","content":"### Contact Info\nDon't just include the contact info and disappear... *be contactable*."},{"_id":"3acd8075b3279ed097000078","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":5,"parentId":"3accee3eb3279ed09700006f","content":"### \"More...\"\nInclude several relevant links. Primarily for your readers (be they end users or journalists), and second for search engines."},{"_id":"3accab7ab3279ed09700006d","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":2,"parentId":"3acc8eecb3279ed097000068","content":"## Submitting a Press Release\n"},{"_id":"3acd83a8b3279ed09700007a","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":0.5,"parentId":"3accab7ab3279ed09700006d","content":"## Free PR sites\n- [PRlog.org](http://www.prlog.org/)\n- [PR.com](http://www.pr.com/)\n- [NewsVine](http://www.newsvine.com)\n- [Newswire](http://www.i-newswire.com)\n- [Free-Press-Release](http://www.free-press-release.com)\n- [SBWire](http://www.sbwire.com)\n"},{"_id":"3ad9b42efe95814ffa00006b","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":1,"parentId":"3acd83a8b3279ed09700007a","content":"### PRlog\nPRlog requires you to create an account, and a Business profile. The format is as follows:"},{"_id":"3ad9be88fe95814ffa00006c","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":1,"parentId":"3ad9b42efe95814ffa00006b","content":"### Headline\n30 - 100 characters\n\n- Headline is the first single line of text in the press release and tells what the press release is about. It is the most important line in the press release.\n- It is shown in a large font on top of the press release. It is also shown on many other pages, for example - industry pages, location pages, etc.\n- Should be descriptive and convey the subject matter accurately.\n- No HTML codes or other formatting codes are allowed.\n- All uppercase sentence or all lowercase sentence not allowed."},{"_id":"3ad9c078fe95814ffa00006d","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":2,"parentId":"3ad9b42efe95814ffa00006b","content":"### Subhead\n(optional - Do not repeat headline or body)\n- Subhead is shown on the press release page, below the headline but above the body. It let's you build up your chance to entice the reader further.\nDo nots -\n - Do not enter dateline here.\n - Do not repeat headline here.\n - Do not repeat subhead in body.\n - Do not enter HTML codes or other formatting codes.\n - Do not enter all uppercase sentences or all lowercase sentences."},{"_id":"3ad9c489fe95814ffa00006e","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":3,"parentId":"3ad9b42efe95814ffa00006b","content":"### Body\n<ul><li>Body is where you enter details. It is made of two parts -<ul><li><b>Introduction</b> - It is the first paragraph &amp; generally answers who, what, when, where and why.\n</li><li><b>Details</b> - The details follow and give further explanation, statistics, background, or other details relevant to the news.</li></ul></li><li>Body should have multiple paragraphs with each paragraph about 4-8 lines.\n</li><li>A blank line after each paragraph provides good readability.\n</li><li>Body should be around 3000 characters or 500 words but not more than 8000 characters.\n</li><li>Do NOT include the following as they will be automatically included by the system for consistency -<ul><li>No PRLog in the starting.\n</li><li>No date in the starting.\n</li><li>No location in the starting.\n</li><li>No ### in the end.\n</li><li>No \"For Immediate Release\" or \"Press Release\".\n</li></ul>\n</li><li>Number of links supported -<ul><li>Free = Up to 3 plain, <a href=\"/tips/1024\" target=\"_blank\">restrictions</a> apply\n</li><li>Premium = Total 5 text or plain\n</li><li>Premium Plus = Total 10 text or plain\n</li></ul>\n</li></ul>"},{"_id":"3acd831fb3279ed097000079","treeId":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","seq":1,"position":1,"parentId":"3accab7ab3279ed09700006d","content":"## Paid PR sites\nCommercial sites are not free, but worth considering given the potential cost/traffic ratio for a well written release. The simple fact that your release will appear on Google & Yahoo News, etc is worth it.\n\n- [BusinessWire.com](http://www.businesswire.com)\n- [PRNewswire.com](http://www.prnewswire.com)\n- [PRWeb.com](http://www.prweb.com)\n- [MarketWire.com](http://www.marketwire.com)"}],"tree":{"_id":"3acc8ed4b3279ed097000066","name":"Writing and Submitting a Press Release","publicUrl":"writing-and-submitting-a-press-release"}}