How To Write Press Releases & Why They Are Important

Read Time: 4 minutes

Press Releases are possibly one of the best and longest-standing ways to get exposure and share current and relevant announcements with the public.

When you’ve created a strong press release, journalists will lap it up and publish it in the press, this is a great PR tool for any growing or established business and will ultimately connect the right people to your business.

If you are looking for ways to connect with potential clients then we highly recommend taking advantage of the Connectica press release service in your content creation and marketing strategy.

We have highlighted some key notes about press releases below as well as a guide to writing one that will gain the intended traction.

What Is A Press Release?

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, a Press Release can be defined as follows: “an official statement that gives information to newspapers, magazines, television news programs, and radio stations.”

If anything newsworthy has happened in your company, like launching a new product or service, a special millstone, or even an expert opinion piece about a current topic, these are a great way to spread the word quickly.

How Does It Work With SEO?

You may be asking if press releases are still relevant in marketing today, and the answer would be a resounding yes. This is why we offer them as a service, we have witnessed amazing exposure for our clients through using press releases in their SEO, and digital marketing strategy.

How does this work with SEO you might be asking? Well, there are two ways this can work with SEO:

1. The press release URL shows up directly in the SERPS (search engine results pages). This functions the same way as if a blog gets published and it ranks high on search engine pages. It has the ability to link people back to your site, and it can generate new leads at the same time. This is also great if it shows up in the ‘news’ section within a search engine.


2. Our goal with a press release, however, is to write it so well and in a relevant format so that others grab hold of it and spread the word. By others, we mean bloggers, magazines, newspapers, or any other media broadcasting platform. This kind of ‘word of mouth’ marketing is powerful and can make a huge impact on your level of exposure. We ultimately want recognizable, credible sources to speak about your brand so that you generate huge leads and even conversions.

Some other press release SEO benefits include brand exposure, recognition and credibility, referral traffic, and link sharing.

Steps To Writing A Great Press Release

Every press release has a specific format that makes it more ‘newsworthy.’ If you think about reading a news article, you’ll always find specific facts about the story right at the top of the article and then a few extra details towards the end of each piece. This is done so that the reader has quick access to facts, and can choose whether or not they carry on reading.

With this in mind, writing a press release is also specifically formatted for its unique purpose. Below you’ll see a few of the typical elements needed:

• Headline: writing a good, strong, and eye-catching headline is one of the best ways to grab the attention of your readers but also the press. Your heading should summarize the entire press release in a couple of words that will have a great impact.


• Date and location: Any good news piece or press release should have an active location for where the news has taken place. Adding the date also keeps news fresh and current. This gives readers a sense of news being ‘close to home’ which in turn leads them to connect more with the content, as it is more relevant.


• Lead sentence: this is a single sentence used at the beginning of a press release in order to summarize the whole story, and keep the reader interested.


• Body content: in your body content you’ll explain further detail around the news or information, giving the reader access to ‘insider’ details.


• Company description: at the end of your press article, you’ll need to write out a brief description of your business, product or service so that people have context.


• Contact information for the press: this information is valuable because it will give newspapers, magazines, or broadcasters a point of contact to get more information.

Within these essential elements, we recommend throwing in some quotes from experts, or people inside your company or industry for extra emphasis and credibility. At least between 3 to 5 quotes per press piece is usually a good amount.

Our Top Press Release Tips

Although there is more than one way to write a press release, some details (like we mention above) are non-negotiable. Here are some of our top tips for writing the perfect press release:

• Be sure to do your research before writing a press release, and make sure your facts are accurate and timely. Misinformation can do as much damage as a press release intended to do good.


• Adding in some exclusive facts, information, or data will hold you in good stead.


• Make sure you target the right news beat: you don’t want to send a lifestyle press feature to a medical news forum!


• When managing the press and communicating with journalists, it is best to reply promptly, because the press moves super-fast.


• Make sure your information is actually newsworthy. Think of news such as new hires, product or business launches, the launch of a new service line, event news, award announcements, emergency announcements, and more.

Get Help From Experts In Digital Marketing

At the end of the day, we encourage you to consider the PR power of using press releases in your digital marketing strategy. At Connectica we have a well-rounded team of experts on every spectrum of the digital marketing service scale. Get in touch with us today for a quote and some help with your communications strategy and execution online. You can visit our website or call us at 877-816-2259.