should be newsworthy, sometimes the definition of “newsworthy” can be stretched a bit. For example, a press release can be sent out when your company wins an award or contest.
EXAMPLE #1:Apple Launches Online Store in China
EXAMPLE #2:Newell Rubbermaid Reinvents Mechanical Pencils with First Sharpie Liquid Pencil
EXAMPLE #3:Windows Phone 7 Goes on Sale in the United States; Is There Hope for People in Need of Better Phone Behavior?
2. Launch Release
A launch press release relates to the release of a new company, product, website, initiative or something similar. The format of this press release is similar to a general news release, but with more of an emphasis on timeliness. A launch release should help create a sense of urgency about the upcoming news.
A launch press release doesn’t even have to be about something tangible. Instead, you can launch an idea. Recently, the Democratic party launched a new economic platform called a 'Better Deal.' While this isn’t a physical object you can hold in your hand, many media outlets still devoted a lot of (virtual) ink to discussing the concept.
3. Event Press Release
Most press releases are written with members of the media as the initial audience. An event press release is a little different. This type of press release needs to clearly explain the details of an event. The goal is to have the event specifics printed in the media so the general public can learn about them.
You don’t want the specific “what, where and when” information about an event to be buried within the story. Usually, the best format for an event press release is either a list, outline or bullet points to make the details easily digestible.
4. Product Press Release
Releasing a new product? Let the world know with a product press release. This has a similar format to a launch press release. The main difference is that a product press release contains product specs.
Here’s a press release for the iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition. The top of the press release focuses on the AIDS charity associated with the phone. But the press release ends with a fairly detailed description of the phone’s size, features and color options.
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5. Executive, Staff And Employee Press Release
Large companies typically announce new hires, especially those in high levels of management, in a press release. A press release of this genre often includes fairly extensive biographical information about the new hire. At least one photo of the person should be included, too.
6. Expert Position Press Release
This is a type of press release used to establish an individual’s or brand’s credibility in a particular field. The idea is to position the person or company as a go-to source of information to be contacted by the media at some point in the future. An expert position press release provides a general introduction as well as some type of third-party verification of expertise.
Using Press Releases Effectively
Product Launch Press Release Template Download
No matter which type of press release is sent to the media, certain rules will always apply. You want to create an engaging headline and provide plenty of accurate, well-written information. Members of the media always prefer professional press releases that can be easily pasted into a news story. Remember: The less rewriting required, the better.
A press release is the quickest and easiest way to get free publicity. If well written, a press release can result in multiple published articles about your firm and its products. And that can mean new prospects contacting you asking you to sell to them. Talk about low-hanging fruit!
What's more, press releases are cost effective. If the release results in an article that (for instance) appears to recommend your firm or your product, that article is more likely to drive prospects to contact you than a comparable paid advertisement.
However, most press releases never accomplish that. Most press releases are just spray and pray. Nobody reads them, least of all the reporters and editors for whom they're intended. Worst case, a badly-written press release simply makes your firm look clueless and stupid.
For example, a while back I received a press release containing the following sentence: 'Release 6.0 doubles the level of functionality available, providing organizations of all sizes with a fast-to-deploy, highly robust, and easy-to-use solution to better acquire, retain, and serve customers.'
Translation: 'The new release does more stuff.' Why the extra verbiage? As I explained in the post 'Why Marketers Speak Biz Blab', the BS words are simply a way to try to make something unimportant seem important. And, let's face it, a 6.0 release of a product probably isn't all that important.
As a reporter, my immediate response to that press release was that it's not important because it expended an entire sentence saying absolutely nothing. And I assumed (probably rightly) that the company's marketing team was a bunch of idiots.
With that in mind, here are five rules to make sure that your press release actually drives prospects to contact you:
- RULE #1: Use the press release as a sales tool. The idea is to communicate a message to customers and prospects, through the vehicle of a print or online article, hopefully adding the authority and credibility of the publication, website and/or reporter to the message.
- RULE #2: Have a newsworthy story. To get your message communicated through the publication, you need to convince the reporter/editor that your message (or the story surrounding it) is newsworthy. So it's got to have appeal to the entire readership of the publication.
- RULE #3: Write it like a reporter would write it. If your press release looks and feels like a real article, reporters will often just file it as a story with minimal editing. Therefore, it's up to you to make sure that your press release looks and feels like a real article. No biz blab!
- RULE #4: Provide some good quotes. Even if your CEO is a complete idiot, don't make him sound like one by providing a quote that's a series of business clichés. Have him say something memorable and personal, if possible.
- RULE #5: Contact your top outlets personally. In addition to sending a press release, personally contact the reporters that you really want to cover the story. Send them something personal. You might even want to rewrite the press release to fit their beat.
If all that sounds too difficult, you may want to spend the extra money to get a reporter to write the press release. Any good reporter will make the release look like a story, which means it's more likely to be picked up and republished. Luckily there are plenty out-of-work reporters out there right now.
What follows are three examples, pretty much picked randomly, which show how it's done. The first two have a little biz-blab in them, but are still reasonably effective. The third one (from Microsoft) is an excellent example of how to write a press release that will intrigue reporters and editors.
EXAMPLE #1:Apple Launches Online Store in China
CUPERTINO, California-October 26, 2010-Apple® today introduced the Apple Store® in China (apple.com.cn), the easiest way to shop online for Apple products including the revolutionary iPhone® 4 and the magical iPadTM. Apple's online store in China features free shipping, free personalized engraving on any iPod® or iPad, and the ability to custom configure any Mac® with just a few clicks. The online Apple Store also offers a wide selection of third-party products and is the only place online to buy the iPod nano® (PRODUCT) RED.
'We are thrilled to open our newest online store in China,' said Tim Cook, Apple's COO. 'With personalized engraving, configure-to-order options and free shipping on everything, the Apple Store is a great destination for our customers in China.'
Just in time for the holiday shopping season, signature gift wrap is available with the purchase of most Apple products including iPod, iPad and iPhone. The online Apple Store also lets eligible students and faculty members take advantage of special education pricing on Apple products.
Also starting today, customers in China can access Apple's legendary App Storeâ„ in Simplified Chinese, with localized featured apps and charts of the most popular paid and free apps in China. The App Store offers iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users access to the world's largest catalog of apps with over 300,000 apps in 20 categories including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.
My comment: Pretty good for a high tech press release. However, I've boldfaced the nonsense words which attempt to create excitement but which actually fall flat. What would have made this release stronger would be some reason for the reader to care. For example, if they'd positioned this as something fitting into a larger trend about buying high tech in China, they would have gotten far more coverage.
EXAMPLE #2:Newell Rubbermaid Reinvents Mechanical Pencils with First Sharpie Liquid Pencil
Liquid graphite technology eliminates the frustration of broken or dull pencil leads
ATLANTA, Aug. 5, 2010 -- Newell Rubbermaid (NYSE: NWL) today announced the latest innovation from Sharpie(R), the largest writing brand in North America. Sharpie Liquid Pencil revolutionizes the classic, tried and true writing instrument - the pencil - with cutting-edge liquid graphite technology that writes smooth like a pen but erases like a pencil, eliminating the frustration of broken or dulling pencil leads.
'The Sharpie Liquid Pencil is a game changer in the back-to-school shopping aisle,' said Sally Grimes, Vice President of Marketing for Newell Rubbermaid's Markers, Highlighters, Art & Organization global business unit. 'It solves the No. 1 consumer dissatisfaction with mechanical pencils - breaking leads - while also giving users the added confidence of stronger, darker lines that stand the test of time, plus the ability to erase and edit as they go.'
Sharpie Liquid Pencil features a line width comparable to a No. 2 traditional or mechanical pencil but there is no lead to break, never a need to sharpen and it won't smudge or smear. The unique pressurized liquid graphite was especially designed to write on paper and is erasable for up to three days, after which it becomes more permanent. Suggested retail price is $1.99 for a single pack and $3.99 for the double pack, each with eraser refills. Both are available wherever office products are sold beginning in September.
The Sharpie Liquid Pencil joins the Sharpie Pen as the brand further expands from permanent markers into near-neighbor categories. The Sharpie Pen doesn't bleed through paper and is perfect for everyday writing.
My comment: Again, not too bad, but it still has some biz-blab, which I've boldfaced. Eliminate the biz-blab and you've got a fairly interesting little story. BTW, note how well this press release dovetails with the branding philosophy propounded by Newell Rubbermaid's head of global sales in the post 'Interview with a Sales Superstar.'
EXAMPLE #3:Windows Phone 7 Goes on Sale in the United States; Is There Hope for People in Need of Better Phone Behavior?
New study shows 72 percent of U.S. adults surveyed identified bad mobile phone behavior as one of their top pet peeves, but only 18 percent admit to engaging in it.
REDMOND, Wash. - Nov. 8, 2010 - As Windows Phone 7 goes on sale in AT&T and T-Mobile USA stores across the United States, Microsoft Corp. has commissioned and released the findings of a recent Harris Interactive® survey showing the surprising ways mobile phones have become a part of the fabric of Americans' lifestyles - a point illustrated by the fact that 55 percent of all phone owners surveyed age 18-35 have used their phone in a bathroom. To commemorate the U.S. launch of Windows Phone 7, Microsoft is challenging consumers to get a grip on their mobile phone habits.
Although consumers love their phones, there is growing annoyance with the distracted behaviors people exhibit while their heads are buried in their phones. Most U.S. adults indicate they have witnessed examples of bad mobile phone behavior, yet relatively few have admitted to engaging in such behavior themselves. Key findings from the study show the following from the surveyed adults:
Seventy-two percent identified bad mobile phone behavior as one of their top 10 pet peeves, but only 18 percent of mobile phone owners admit they are guilty of displaying such behavior.
Nineteen percent of phone owners between the ages of 18 and 24 have dropped their phone in a toilet.
Forty-nine percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 24 have tripped or walked into something while walking and texting or e-mailing on their mobile phone.
Sixty-nine percent of mobile phone users between the ages of 18 and 34 have used their phone while in bed.
The new Windows Phones offer a different kind of phone experience designed to get users in, out and back to life. With Windows Phone, Microsoft set out to design a mobile experience that would bring the things people care about most right to the start screen. In doing so, Windows Phone combines basic everyday tasks - tasks associated with e-mail or activities related to taking and sharing pictures - so people can do more in fewer steps.
My comment: This is more like it. The release (which came with a bunch of print-ready and web-ready photos of the launch) is packaged as a story about how people use phones and then positions a Microsoft product as part of the solution. It's very close to what a reporter would write because it's a real story, not just 'we've got something new to sell' information. Also note the absence of biz blab. (I'll bet that a reporter wrote this release.)
That's about it for press releases, at least for now. If you like, I can do some rewrites in a future post.
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A press release plays an important role in marketing a new product. What is lame v3.99.3 for windows.exe. Product development news releases are indicators of a company's direction and prospects and provides valuable information for investors and customers. The release should be written in an informative, confident tone and are designed to give journalists a story angle that will result in positive media coverage.
1.Write an outline of the information you plan to include in your press release, answering all of the 'who, what, where, when and why' questions. Come up with a media angle. In a content-rich world, journalists are looking for ideas on design, development and manufacturing and indications of market changes and trends. Consider what is new about the product, its potential impact on the public, product innovation and whether it will solve a problem of some kind.
2.Format a template to facilitate your writing. The headline goes at the top. Then include a dateline followed by the lead paragraph and the body of the article, product specifications, a company blurb and contact information at the end.
3.Write the document on company letterhead. At the top of the release, write an eye-catching headline that reflects the topic of the news release. Under that, you should write a subhead that completes the thought of the headline. Use key words that will lead your customers to the information. Key words are phrases that are two to four words long that will lead reporters and customers to you through an Internet search.
4.Write the body of the press release. Start with a dateline, which includes the city and state where your company is located, followed by the date of the press release. In the body of the press release, start with a paragraph that summarizes the news, and answers the basic who, what, where, why and when questions. You are writing for the media, so avoid sales language --- your purpose here is to inform, not sell. Continue in subsequent paragraphs to include more detailed information that supports the lead paragraph, including product descriptions.
5.Include boilerplate information about your company, such as details of its industry and its history.
6.Indicate contact information for media follow-up --- name, e-mail, phone number --- and include a URL that features photographs of the product at the end of the press release.
7.Proof your copy carefully before you post the release.
References (1)
About the Author
Elaine Riot has been writing professionally since 2001. Her work has been published online; in quarterly business, arts and education publications; and in B2B and consumer magazines. A natural wordsmith, Riot writes effective copy for a diverse clientele, including the University of Washington, Vulcan, Inc. and Amazon.com. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin.
Photo Credits
- press image by Petro Feketa from Fotolia.com
Choose Citation Style
Riot, Elaine. 'How to Write a Press Release for a Product.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/write-press-release-product-17238.html. Accessed 03 July 2019.
Riot, Elaine. (n.d.). How to Write a Press Release for a Product. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/write-press-release-product-17238.html
Riot, Elaine. 'How to Write a Press Release for a Product' accessed July 03, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/write-press-release-product-17238.html
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