Important Qualities of a Good Press Release
A Press release is a written or recorded communication intended to announce a particular event, performance or other newsworthy items. It is intended for distribution to the media.
Before the media releases a PR, it has to go through the scrutiny of editors or journalists who will determine if the item is interesting or worthy of people’s attention. It should follow specific rules and it should contain specific qualities to earn a spot in PR sites and other media.
Here are some of the most important qualities of a good press release:
1. It is newsworthy
A newsworthy press release is one that catches reader interest. It is the main concern of people in the media. Your PR should be newsworthy in order to be published.
2. It has a compelling headline
A PR title which can’t lead media personnel to the body has a low possibility of getting published. A press release must have a compelling headline that arouses the curiosity of editors. It can help to bring them to the body which contains the information.
3. It has a compelling lead sentence
Just like the title, the lead sentence can spell the difference between an interesting PR and a lousy one. Attention grabbing lead sentences help to make your PR convince your reader that there’s more to follow. It should keep them reading.
4. It is written in the Third Person
Press releases are made to look like they are written by a person who is not a member of the company or organization. They should be written in the third person.
5. It is concise
Press releases should be brief. They should be concise, factual, straight to the point, and they should not be more than a page long. Media people’s attention spans are short and they can not afford to spend much time reading long PRs.
6. It is free from typos, spelling and grammatical errors
Press releases submissions that contain typos, spelling mistakes and grammatical errors cannot escape from the scrutiny and negative impression of media people who are professionals themselves. Don’t let these amateurish mistakes show in your PR submissions. Have someone proofread your work before you hit that submit button.
7. It contains your contact information
You should include your contact information in your PR submissions. This will make it easy for editors to contact you in case they need to clarify something or additional statements from you.
8. It doesn’t have a sales pitch
Press releases are announcements or editorials and they are not meant to sell of advertise. As a writer, you should see to it that your PRs don’t contain sales pitches as these are rejected by editors.