How to write a press release

Be less delighted about everything

“Stiff Records is proud to announce first week sales figures of 594 for Johnny Borrell's 'Borrell 1' album. This makes 'Borrell 1' the 15,678th best selling album of the year. So far we've achieved 0.00015% sales of Adele's '21' so we feel like it's all to play for as we move into the all important week two. We might even break the Top 100.”

Johnny Borrell was Razorlight’s lead singer. Sales of his solo album were somewhat disappointing, but his record label, Stiff Records, saw the funny side.

Great press releases

To write a good press release you have to focus. It needs to hook people - it’s how you get journalists interested. You have to be succinct and interesting, highlight the most important things your product can do. - Tony Fadell

A press release is an announcement about new products and events made to the media and public. Jeff Bezos says, a press release should be newsworthy and relevant to the target audience.

Great press releases include:

• Strong headline. Clear, concise and attention grabbing. It reflects the main content.

• Newsworthy lead paragraph. Summarise the main points of the press release. Include impactful stakeholder quotes.

• Supporting details. In the body, provide more product details, including features and benefits. Explain how the product solves a customer problem.

• Call to action. Tell readers what you want them to do next, e.g. visit your website or try the product for free.

Press release template

Less important points don't add to the communication. They detract from the most important point. That's what the single-minded proposition is all about. - Dave Trott

Here is a press release template:

Contact: [Our Name] [Title] [Company] [Email]

[Company] Launches New Product to Solve Customer Problem

[City, County] – [Date] – [Company], a leading provider of [products or services], today announced the launch of its new product, [product name]. [Product name] is a [describe product] that is designed to solve [customer problem].

“We are excited to launch [product name] and to help our customers solve [customer problem],” said [Our Name], [Title] at [Company]. “[Product name] is the result of extensive customer research and feedback, and we believe it is the best product on the market for solving this problem.”

[Product name] offers a number of features and benefits that make it the ideal solution for [customer problem]. These features include:

• [Feature 1]

• [Feature 2]

• [Feature 3]

[Product name] is available now from [our website or other sales channels]. For more information, please visit [our website].

Getting the word out

No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world. - John Keating

Press releases should be made available via our website, e.g. here’s my Conxy game press release. A press release can be distributed to specific publications and/or more general list of media outlets. Once released, we should monitor results, e.g. track website traffic, social media engagement and media coverage. Future press releases can be adjusted, accordingly.

While press releases are published externally when you have something newsworthy to share, they have another important use. Before our product is ready, a draft press release can focus activities, shape the product and motivate people. They generate excitement in new products and foster feedback from potential customers.

Other resources

11 Great Press Release Examples by Content Grip

Great Communication in 3 Steps post by Phil Martin

Branding Our Apps post by Phil Martin

As with any effective communication, our press release should gain attention, convey a message and drive action.

Have fun.

Phil…