HOW TO WRITE A PRESS RELEASE THAT GETS RESULTS & MAKES YOU MONEY – 12 AWESOME PRO TIPS

Are you looking to generate the kind of traffic and brand trust that makes your business more money? If you haven’t started with press releases, then you might be missing the boat! As much as I love watching Ridiculousness on MTV, it’s taught us that the only other way to get the attention of big media outlets like NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX is to do something dangerously silly on YouTube that gets someone seriously hurt!

So if you’re looking to generate traffic and increase your conversion, then you might want to read on…unless you’re into extreme sports, breaking bones, or being the next big embarrassing spectacle on Youtube.

But first things first … let’s lay the foundation.

What is A Press Release
In simple terms, a press release (or press report) is an official written article containing information sent out to media outlets for publication. Press Releases are what gets journalists to consider featuring you in their magazines, blogs, radio, social media and TV. They are usually written to give information about a topic ( events, products, new businesses, public figures, etc.) to a targeted audience. Press releases have been around forever. You may have even come across quite a few of them without knowing! 

The main goal of a press release is typically to develop enough buzz to either develop interest, awareness or trust. Some fail to achieve either of these purposes. This raises the question: 

HOW DO YOU WRITE A PRESS RELEASE THAT GETS RESULTS?

The following are the key factors to consider in knowing how to write a great press release that gets results:

Press Release Rule 1: Know your audience
Knowing what your targeted audience wants to hear, when they want to hear it, and how they want to hear it is the foundation of writing an article that interests them. In simpler terms, everyone is searching for helpful information that will benefit them in some way. If your prospects are football fans, they may be more interested in information relevant to football. It may even be a great idea to distribute your press release to media outlets that football fans frequent. Football fans may be more interested in an article that cleverly uses references to touchdowns and interceptions, rather than wildlife and nature.

Press Release Tip 2: Have a great hook
So many people find the term “hook” confusing, and I totally understand. Yes, we’re fishing. No, we’re not fishing for actual fish. We’re fishing for potential clients! What’s on your line? Do you have the right bait on your hook? Are you making your potential prospects curious enough to bite? If not, then you might need to reconsider your marketing collateral material. 

Who are your potential clients? If you’re selling onesies for babies and toddlers, then parents are probably your target. An ineffective hook could be that not all onesies last forever.  Who cares?! Their child will outgrow their onesie in 3 – 6 months! 

A more effective hook could be to inform them that not all onesies are safe for their children. I’m definitely going to be more interested if there’s a chance my child is not safe. I might even be more interested if you told me about examples of children who were hurt by their low-cost onesies made in a radioactive factory in Chernobyl, Ukraine or Fukushima, Japan.

PRO TIP: To write a truly effective hook, you should be credible, but go for the jugular!

– The Traffic Junkies

Need help coming up with a great hook? We’ve created lots of effective press releases. Text or call for a free consultation

Press Release Rule 3: Use compelling titles – Specific, Direct, Active-voiced & SEO Optimized
The use of catchy titles is essential to igniting your reader’s interest. Catchphrases and taglines can help some audiences decide if the article’s body is worth reading. This is all the more true for a Product Press release. At the same time, however, be careful not to disclose too much about the content of your article in the title. Many people won’t want to read the entire article if they feel like they got the gist of everything from the title.  Product press releases are targeted to consumers who may want to purchase your product, so you may want them to actually read and click through to your site. 

A good title should make them want to click to find out more, and make a purchase. You typically want them to read enough of the article to want to reach out to you and give you their contact info so you can follow up.

Press Release Tip 4: Follow-up! 
This is probably one of the most important rules for effective press releases. As with all sales and marketing, follow-up is key! Keeping the followers of a particular topic regularly up to date with new occurrences is a way to feed their curiosity. It is typically much more effective to give your readers follow-up articles that position you as the expert in your subject matter. Make them aware of all the moving and shaking you’re doing in your industry. There are so many ways to keep the flow of information moving toward your prospects. 

For example, readers interested in the NBA Playoffs or NCAA Final Four typically love to be aware of how everything is going as it unfolds. Anything that gives them the information they’re looking for will typically be worth the read.

Press Release Rule 5. A Good Press Release should include a great offer!
Offers and sales are absolutely appropriate for a press release! With the rising cost of fuel, supply chain issues, and even a shortage of food, why would most people not want to save money?  So many business owners think press releases have to announce a new product or business. If your sale or promotion can help someone either make enough money or save enough money to put food on the table, then you should let them know … creatively.

People want to know about your insane 50% off sale! They want to know they can save $500 a year with you vs another business.

Text us for a quick 10 – 15 minute consultation. We can help you come up with the right strategy to leverage the media to drive traffic to your Website and help you achieve your business goals.

Press Release Tip 6: Your press release should always be relevant
Knowing how to present a bulletin (press release) with a ton of urgency and relevance is key to knowing how to write a press release that gets results. It is crucial to keep up to date on current trends and viral news of the day. There’s a reason it went viral, and it’s typically because a ton of people are interested! That’s why articles that are relevant to viral trends tend to get more attention than those that do not. If there is a viral trend happening, it may be a good idea to jump on the bandwagon.

Press Release Tip 7: Timing is Everything
This one is simple enough. If your product tends to have a busy season, then you might want to focus your press coverage before, and during your most effective season. This is why tax professionals don’t tend to increase their press coverage during the summer months, but HVAC technicians will. Vendors selling NBA memorabilia will most likely get the most press response during the NBA season. Know your product, know your season, and time your release dates to when you’ll get the best reader engagement.

Press Release Rule 8: Use appropriate distribution channels
After carefully curating your press release content, don’t forget to carefully consider your distribution channels. Distribution also contributes to the success or failure of the article. Some press releases will be geared toward TV or radio. Others are more suited to blogs. Moreover, the types of TV stations, blogs, and radio stations you distribute to are important. If you offer an investment product, it may be a good idea to also distribute to local or regional industry blogs your potential readers frequent. 

Choose your distribution channels wisely. A press release intended to describe the physical features of a product may not work well with audio media outlets like radio and podcasts. Knowing the appropriate channels that will convey your message the way you intend is also crucial to writing a press release that gets results.

Press Release Rule 9: Build Urgency
If time is the enemy of sales, then urgency must be its greatest ally. Combining what your prospects want with scarcity and deadlines. Use words like “act now,” “clearance,” “limited time,” and “before it’s gone” to get your message across and motivate your prospects to take action. 

Press Release Rule 10: Integrity of the press release
Some media outlets are notorious for spreading fake news, causing their audience to consider their press releases ‘Fake’. Some journalists and public relations departments get lazy and neglect the vetting process. Exciting, but truthful information about your brand will serve you more in the long run, and give your business a better chance at longevity. Eventually, journalists and prospects will consider your brand too risky to support. This contributes immensely to the failure of most press releases.

Press Release Tip 11: Use good exciting diction 
As with any communication in life, your choice of words matters. The old cliche “all press is good press” may not necessarily be true. Use words and phrases that give readers confidence in your ability to deliver what you say you will. Also, be careful of being overly controversial. Being controversial is great if all your prospects agree with you. That’s rarely the case though! Deliver your message in an exciting, but smart way. You may otherwise lose out on a few potential buyers.

Press Release Rule 12: Avoiding plagiarism
Newsworthy press releases require originality. Lazy writers avoid careful research and development of their own articles. This can potentially lead to plagiarism. Some writers go as far as copying every word in the article. Yikes! That’s a recipe to get the infamous Google death kiss! 

All our press releases at The Traffic Junkies are 100% original and scanned across billions of Websites for plagiarism. Most readers are usually aware of this and won’t bother reading your unauthentic content. Being unique and dynamic are the cure to being counted as repetitive.

Press Release Bonus Tip: Use Your Words (Keywords)
If using a press release for search engine optimization (SEO) to get you on the first page of google is your goal, then don’t forget your keywords! After building a strong business model and taking care of your current customers, keywords are everything to business growth online. Conduct great keyword research and choose your keywords wisely! Some people use press releases for link dilution. Others need a keyword boost. What are your goals?

Having a great press release that gets you the results you’re looking for is important. We’ve done this for years, and would love to help you achieve your business goals. Give us a text or call if you need help!