As journalists struggle with resource limitations, PR professionals have been and will continue to be a valuable partner throughout 2019.
A recent ‘State of the Media’ report from Cision asked respondents how their relationship with PR professionals had changed over the year. 27% of journalists said that their relationship had become more valuable in 2018.
So with this in mind, it is clear that the press release is NOT dead and journalists still very much need us PR professionals to provide trustworthy, relevant and useful content. Given this piece of research, we thought it would be useful to share our top tips to optimise your press release and ensure it’s received as well as possible by journalists reading it.
Make sure the story is newsworthy
Before attempting to write a press release, take a moment to consider whether the story would be of interest to the journalist and most importantly the reader. Before drafting the release, ask yourself these questions:
1. Is there anything ‘new’ in this story?
2. Is there anything unusual or unexpected about the release?
3. Will anyone actually care? Harsh I know, but this is probably the most important point to think about. You may be excited to shout about the launch of your client’s new product, but are others as bothered? If you’re unsure then hold off on the press release until you have a better angle.
Snappy Headline
Remember journalists are incredibly short on time and are inundated with hundreds of emails from PR professionals every day, so it’s a good idea to make sure the headline stands out and attracts the journalist’s attention.
For more about how to get your press release noticed, please click here.
