Social media and content marketing are all the rage in the marketing world today. While those methods will provide traffic to your online business, they aren't the only way to get your company noticed.
While press releases are an old marketing method, they are still a great way to get in front of an audience. Reports show that 78% of content marketers still rely on press releases to get their news out into the world. The question is, how can you stand out from the crowd when there's so much competition out there.
If you're struggling with press release writing, there are a few common mistakes you can learn about to make your press releases better.
Let's take a look at what those public relations content release mistakes are.
1. Poor Headlines
If you want someone to read your press release, you need to convince them that it's worth reading. There are many distractions on the internet, so you don't have much time to do this. That's why a lousy press release headline is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.
Of course, a press release headline won't have the same format as a blog article. You're trying to convey something news-worthy. You need to make sure you're direct and fill your headline with information.
At the same time, you'll need to use action words to give your headline a more conversational tone. Action verbs will also make your headline more interesting and entice readers to click-through and read your content.
2. Ignoring Your Audience
The primary goal of a press release is to bring attention to something newsworthy about your organization. That makes it tempting to focus your press release content on yourself and what your company does. Doing this completely misses the point.
Your press release content should make your news story relevant to your audience. What value does a reader have by reading and taking action on your story? Craft your press release to target an audience that will get value from your company.
Don't just put out a press release to get a link and hope for the best, either. Make it your goal to provide value to your readers. Doing this PR proficiently will build trust for your brand and bring people back to your website.
3. Bad Formatting
Press releases used to be simple. They were just a few lines of text that were blasted out on press release websites. Now that people consume internet media differently, that approach doesn't work as well.
Format your press release for consumption on modern websites and devices. Make good use of text formatting and include images and videos to add more to your content.
If you aren't sure what format your press release should be, look for a press release template to provide guidance. A template offers a plug-and-play approach to sending your press release out into the world.
4. Leaving Out Important Information
Regular consumers aren't the only people paying attention to your press releases. You're also writing your press release to reach out to journalists to let them know what's going on with your business. The goal is to have them write about your news so you can gain traction on news sites.
The problem comes when you don't have enough information in your press release to give journalists everything they need to know. If you make their work harder, you're going to reduce the chances of being published on a news site.
Be sure to include all relevant information in your press release about your topic. Nobody should need to reach out to you to get the rest of the story.
5. No Call to Action
While your press releases goal is to be informative, you don't want someone to finish reading your content and do nothing. Your news should be something important about your company that you want people to act on. The question is, do your readers know what you want them to do?
Including a call to action provides instructions for your readers. It points them to your website to get more information and take action on the thing you want them to.
Don't hide your call to action in your press release, either. It should be simple and obvious to your readers. Ideally, make this section stand out at the end of your content where your reader has all the information they need to decide to take action.
6. Not Writing in Third-Person View
Your goal with a press release isn't to sell the reader on a product or service. It's to inform them about news concerning your company. If you're using a 1st or 2nd voice in your press release, your content will appear spammy to your readers.
Make sure you avoid using "I", "you", and other similar words when writing a press release. The goal of your content is to inform your readers. Anything else will sound like an advertisement and decrease your company's credibility.
If you want an example of 3rd person writing, check out any newspaper. The goal with news articles is similar to your press release: to inform people about news relevant to them.
7. Not Making Your Press Release Sharable
News websites aren't your only target for press releases. Many people today rely on social media to get their news. If you make it difficult to post your content on social media, your story will not get as many shares.
Make sure you include quick links to share your press releases on social media. One easy way to do this is social share buttons. All your reader has to do is click a button to post your content to their feeds.
Another option is to add shareable multimedia to your posts. Social media relies a lot on visuals to attract attention. If your content is visually appealing on social sites, you're going to get more clicks through to your website.
Press Release Writing Isn't Easy
You can't expect to write a press release the same way you write a typical article for your website. Your goal with press release writing is to craft a story that informs readers about company news and entice them to visit your website. Make sure you do it correctly so that you get the most from press release services.
If you found value in this post on proficient press release writing, read more of our Bootstrap Business Blog. Our latest PR posts cover more business writing topics that will help you improve public relations.
