|
Press Release Marketing - Introduction |
|
Thursday, 27 September 2007 |
Writing a press release for your local newspaper is a great way to get your business known in your local community. It’s great, cheap marketing. But to make a real difference to your business marketing, press releases must pack a punch. Here at 1stopmarketing we can help you to ensure that your press release marketing does exactly that.
The message is king. Choose the right topic for a press release and you’re on to a winner; choose the wrong one and your business marketing is dead in the water. Remember that a press release is not an advert. It should be a news story. Use it to tell your prospective clients about a new product or service, and award you’ve received, a charity service you’ve performed, an open house event etc. Make it newsworthy.
Your press release should be brief and concise. There’s no room for flowery descriptions and complicated sentences in a press release.
How you structure your press releases matters a lot, so let us help you at 1stopmarketing. The first thing readers (or ignorers) will see is the headline, but this should be the last thing you write. Make sure it gives an idea of what the press release is about, but make it grab attention.
The lead (first paragraph) takes care of itself for you once you know it needs to have all the 5 W’s: What
Where
Why
When
Who
It should also contain a ‘hook’.
A ‘hook’ is a reason for people to keep reading your press release and keep being exposed to your marketing message. Make it interesting and snappy and make it attract attention.
The next few paragraphs of your press release – the ‘body’ – are where you’ll really grab your clients. Expand on what you told your reader in the first paragraph. Think what you want people to know about your business and tell them.
You’re then ready to close up your press release. Hopefully, the preceding paragraphs in your press release will have intrigued and interested the reader enough to want to know more, or to give your business a try. Make sure you tell people how they can do that. Put clear contact details in the last paragraph.
Different publications have different rules for how they want press releases submitted, so check you’ve got this right before you send your press release to them. Also, always thank an editor for publishing your press release. You want to build up a long-term, good relationship with them so that they will be willing to publish future pres releases for you. You’re going to have a lot to write about when you get all this marketing correct and your business flourishes with the help of 1stopmarketing. You give us the story and we’ll make sure you get a great, attention-grabbing press release.
|
