As a newbie to the PR world, learning to write a press release is crucial. If properly pitched to media outlets, press releases can spread across like wildfire, proliferating your ideas to the right audiences.
What’s in a press release?
There are many key components to a press release, but the title takes the cake. It should read like a newspaper headline and give the reader an idea of the story’s topic in just a few short words. Catching the readers’ eyes quickly and prompting them to keep reading is the goal.
The first paragraphs should include the five W’s: Who, What, When, Where and Why. These should be addressed to convey pertinent information. Following paragraphs should have more detail and expert quotations.
Finally, your release should conclude with a boiler plate – brief, standardized copy about your company.
How is a scientific press release different?
A scientific press release is similar to other types of releases, but it has its own nuances.
Conveying complicated, scientific information without causing confusion can be difficult, but it’s doable with the right understanding. Be concise and use terms that the layman will understand. Avoid turning people away from fascinating, important news because of complex terms. Having worked at a pharmaceutical company where meetings are 95% science-based, I can say that it’s much more interesting and pleasurable if you can follow along!
A few extra tips
- Be succinct – no one reads lengthy text these days.
- Don’t use exclamation points or capital letters because it will seem like you’re trying to SELL SOMETHING! It’s better to let the facts do the exclaiming.
- Avoid grammatical and spelling errors by having others proof your writing.
- Check out a few sample releases.
What tips can you provide to someone writing a press release?