Press releases can be very effective in generating the right sort of publicity for your organization. The trick is in pitching them properly – targeting the right readership, and using the right language.
However, here are three things you should avoid:
1. Avoid technical language. OK so your company has just launched its latest widget, and you are keen to regale everyone with the details of all the super-technical elves buzzing under the hood. Don’t. Readers don’t much care for all that. Keep things simple. Instead tell your readers how your new product will improve their lives.
2. Avoid over-quoting. Quotes are a regular staple of press releases. It is almost impossible to come across a press release without a quote from some company bigwig or three. And, in many cases, the quotes sound rather implausible. “Our new product will leverage our existing strengths to improve our customer offering, leading to increased user experience on a global scale”. Who actually talks like that in real life? Such quotes actually create distance between you and the reader. Use quotes sparingly, and only authentic ones at that.
3. Avoid selling. It’s tempting, for sure. Here is a press release that is going out to hundreds, if not thousands, of readers. It’s very hard to resist the temptation to sell something. For example, by adding a line with a quick advertisement for one of your products, as well as a link to the purchase page. What could be the harm? Well, your business might not be “harmed” directly, but it generally pays to keep things “neat”. Press releases are meant for making announcements. They are not the ideal medium for making sales pitches. Readers do not expect to find a sales pitch in a press release, and it can leave them feeling “duped”. In any case, a well written press release should bring you amazing publicity. A compelling press release should make your readers curious, and they will seek you out, anyway. There is no need to try to sell.
Press releases can do a brilliant job of drawing the right sort of attention to your company. Getting them right is a delicate skill. Handled properly, they can work wonders for your publicity. However, keep things simple, authentic, and neat.