How to Write an Online News Release
Learn the keys to writing a successful online news release.
A Change to the News Room
Making a Story Newsworthy
Writing for the Web
Writing for the Search Engines
Writing for Success
The Writing Process
News Release Particulars
Conclusion
The “press release” is slowly dying. Well, the release part is still kicking.
Press releases aren’t just for the press anymore. With the rise of online user-generated content, your news release can go from your screen to your consumers’ eyes without the zealous red pen of an editor.
In the past, you sent your press release out to journalists and editors in hope that a newspaper might pick it up. Today, you can publish it yourself and reach hundreds of thousands of readers.
A Change to the News Room
Online news distribution sites like PRWeb changed the landscape of the news world. And with it comes a necessary change of perspective. If you write news releases, you have to think Web.
We’re not reinventing the wheel, merely adding some spokes. There are still some basic tenets of writing a news release, but new conditions make for new considerations.
Making a Story Newsworthy
Most importantly, your release must be newsworthy. You can publish anything, but if you want it to get read, contemplate these questions. Is it happening now? What geographic range does it affect? How many people does it apply to? Is it relevant? How unusual is it? If you don’t have a good answer to these, you probably don’t have a newsworthy story.
Every story needs an angle. Don’t just spout off information. Figure out why anyone should care. What problem are you solving? How are you making life better or easier for your reader? Once you’ve established the purpose of your story, you can start writing.
Writing for the Web
Writing for the Web differs from traditional writing. Online readers possess short attention spans and tend to scan rather than read. And then there’s your other audience—search engines. You need to strike a balance by writing for both.
When it comes to writing an online news release, keywords rule. Keywords in your news release tell your reader and the search engines what your release is about.
The major search engines, such as Yahoo! and Google News, enable users to search for news by keyword. If you want to rank highly on such sites and attract interested readers, optimize for your desired terms.
Achieving high search engine rankings and readership rates depends on your use of keywords. Keywords belong in every place of your press release: the headline, the summary, the first paragraph, a middle paragraph, the last paragraph, embedded links and the boilerplate. Without sounding redundant, use keywords to inform your audience what your story is about.
The headline is hands down the most important part of your news release. For people, write a catchy headline that will draw their attention and make them want to read further.
For search engines, use your primary keyword as close to the front as possible. For example, if your keyword is “Web site design,” don’t use the headline, “Brook Group Makes Web Site Design Easier.” Instead, say “Web Site Design Made Easier by Brook Group.” You might be using a past tense verb, but you’re getting your keyword top positioning.
Writing for the Search Engines
When writing the body of your release, you’ll score with the search engines if you do these 5 things:
- Start your first paragraph with your keyword. It may alter the flow of the sentence, but the value to the search engines makes it worth the sacrifice.
- Don’t forget to sprinkle your keyword throughout the rest of the text. It’s a challenge not to sound too repetitive, but you want to make it obvious what your story is about.
- Hyperlink to your site in the first paragraph. This usually works best if you place it after the first mention of your company or highlighted product. This inbound link to your site boosts your popularity with the search engines. (It also drives traffic to your site.)
- Your release should be more than one paragraph. Not only does this allow you to use your keyword more often, but it tells the search engine that you have a lot to say on the subject, making your information more valuable to their users. Most well received news releases are 300-800 words.
- Use keyword-rich links if you can afford it. PRWeb, for example, lets you use keywords to create your hyperlinks with a contribution of $200 or more. Otherwise, you just have to write out the URL.
Writing for Success
Whether online or off, a successful news release requires a certain style of writing:
- Be creative. News releases can be just about anything. Besides actual company news, you can write about issues facing your industry, new trends, product reviews, whatever.
- Don’t advertise. A news release should be objective, without any hype or bias. Don’t push your product. Although your ultimate goal is to sell, don’t let that come across in your writing. The most effective approach is to write about a problem and explain how your product or service is the solution. You’re essentially writing to inform, not to persuade.
- Focus on what sets you apart. Unique or controversial news releases receive more attention. Research what’s being said about a topic and say something different. If you’re writing about a product, highlight its distinctive benefits.
- Get personal. Mention specific people and real life examples. It authenticates your story. Besides, readers love human interest stories.
- Support your ideas. Include quotes to reinforce what you’re saying. But, make sure to get written permission before you do.
- Write in an inverse pyramid. Give the most important information first and elaborate later. The first paragraph should stand on its own. Restate your main point in the last paragraph.
- Use an active voice and strong verbs. It makes the story sound more immediate and more significant.
- Make every word count. Delete unnecessary words. The more succinct, the better.
- Write in the third person. Don’t use superlatives. Avoid exclamation points. You lose your credibility that way.
- Use short paragraphs and separate them by a space. This improves online readability and helps keep your readers’ attention.
- Your headline should be short, 80 characters or less. It should be no more than one line. If you need more room, use a subheading.
- Most distribution sites encourage a concise synopsis of your story. Keep it four sentences or less. This is a prime place to lose your readers. Summarize the key points to pique their interest, but don’t tell them the whole story; leave them wanting more.
- Use mixed case. Save the all caps for your marketing materials.
The Writing Process
Like any writing project, take the necessary steps to eliminate mistakes:
- Write it on a word processor first. It’s possible to write your news release directly into the distribution site’s form, but you risk not catching your errors.
- Don’t settle for your first draft. Rewrite it until it’s perfect. Edit it down to the least number of words and then make sure you’ve covered all the relevant information.
- Check your spelling and grammar. Even the smallest misspelling is a sure way to kill your credibility.
- Have someone else proof it. You need a fresh set of eyes to look for mistakes and make sure it makes sense.
- Print it out before you publish. It’s amazing what you’ll catch on paper that you might not catch on screen.
News Release Particulars
Last, but certainly not least, there are the finer details to writing a news release:
- The body of the news release should always start with the location and date of the story and end with three pound signs. At the bottom, include a boilerplate (a quick description of you or your company) and contact information.
- Make sure you include several means of contact. Include a name, phone number, email address and Web site.
- Use a general email address so if you’re not there to check it, someone else will.
- Double check everything, especially your phone number, email and Web site address.
- Be available after the release. Make sure someone always answers the phone during business hours. Check your email religiously.
- Attach files to your release. PRWeb allows you to attach graphics, documents, and even podcasts to your release. Take advantage of this ability to provide further information.
Conclusion
Welcome the death of the press release. Thanks to user-generated content sites, journalists no longer control the news. Now, anyone can publish an online news release and reach vast amounts of readers.
Submitting news is an excellent, cost-effective marketing tactic, if done right. Even though online news releases follow many of the conventions of traditional press releases, to be effective, writing them requires focusing on the idiosyncrasies of both online readers and search engines. By doing this, you can achieve high rankings in the news search engines and attract potential customers by the thousands.
For an example of a well-optimized release, view a Brook Group news release at PRWeb. If you need additional help writing your news release, contact us today!
