Gain Instant Exposure & Grow your Audience : WRITING YOUR OWN PRESS RELEASE

YOU’VE DONE IT! YOU STARTED YOUR OWN BUSINESS, OR CREATED A NEW PRODUCT. OR PERHAPS YOU’VE FINALLY WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED YOUR BOOK. CONGRATULATIONS!

But how can you get the word out? Of course, there is always Social Media, which is an excellent free platform to share your awesomeness. And I highly recommend you start building an email list. But for a really effective launch, you need to cast your net far and wide. One of the greatest tools to employ is a press release.

Don’t wait for a reporter to discover you and come interview you—save them the work, and deliver an amazing Release right to their inbox.

Smaller publications are always looking for a story and it’s quite likely that your well written piece will make it into their upcoming edition. Larger publications have more competition, but if you do this really well, and have something truly great to share…you could get lucky.

It never hurts to try!

Writing your own press release that looks polished and professional is easy if you follow these simple guidelines.

General Guidelines

Focus your piece on something that is: unique, urgent, interesting, or important. What makes your business or book different from the others? Most importantly, what BENEFITS will readers gain from engaging with your new product/service?
Write about yourself in 3rd person. Make it sound like a journalist interviewed you and wrote this article.
Use easy, straightforward language. Try not to sound like a physics professor…unless you are one. Even then, make it simple. Most readers do not want to read a complex, industry jargon-filled article. They want it broken down in their language. Keep it simple.

Stand out from the crowd.

Share what makes you unique.

Formatting

Your contact information at the top, left justified.

Contact: John Smith
Phone: (123) 456-7890
Email: john.smith@email.com

Release date: if it is ready to be distributed right away, include the words “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” at the top right side of your press release.
Have a catchy headline—This is the make or break part— Is there a buzz-worthy angle? Make it intriguing! Keep it short. Try to stay with 65-80 characters.
Sub-header (if desired)- can be up to 120 characters and should describe a little more about the headline.
Place & Date Stamp- The first line of your body should begin with this: City, State. (Month Day, Year) -
Lead with Hook-Your very first sentence will determine whether they keep reading, or skip on to the next story. Start with something very relatable or highly unexpected…but don’t be boring.
Give facts: who, what, when, where, why & how
Support with a quote from you and/or a partnering group.
Supply any background info with all the charm and personality you wish.
Call to Action- Be sure to tell readers what you’d like them to do! Visit your website? Go to Amazon to buy your product? Find you on Facebook? This is your chance to ask for what you want. Attend your event? Write a clear and specific call to action. Carpe diem!
Boilerplate at the end: This is your company’s “About” section. Include your company’s background, awards, amount of time in business, or anything that might be of interest about your company. Be sure to provide a link to your website. A boilerplate should be less than 100 words.
End Notation: For a super professional touch, the final page should end with three pound signs, centered. -###-

Distribution

Send this beautiful document as an email to:

Newspapers—especially local and regional
Magazines
TV stations
Trade publications
Online publications
Anything you can think of. This is a FREE chance for instant exposure. Sending an email costs you nothing. The worst that can happen is …nothing. The best? You make the cover of TIME or VOGUE, or National Geographic, or your church bulletin…whatever you can get, count it as success!
Email subject line should be simple & short. Journalists are BUSY!

A sample email subject line- Release: Title of your story

Look Like a Pro

Follow this format

YOU CAN DO THIS! However, if this seems overwhelming, or you just don’t have time—hit the “Contact” button & let me write it for you. With a professional copywriter, you can rest assured that you’ve maximized this opportunity. Plus, I will make you look like a Rockstar.