Writing a press release as a small company can be even more strenuous then if you work at a huge corporation. You know your little story out of your independent soda company might have a smaller audience than, say, Coca-Cola, simply from the fact you’re not as powerful. They have a louder voice than you do so it’s difficult to get heard. 

Every Story Counts 

One rule about writing a press release is to make sure what you’re talking about is actually news. This should never be broken, as writing about nonsense and trying to pass it off as news over and over again is a sure way to get your releases banned from a lot of newsrooms. It’s simply a waste of time.

This isn’t to say you should hype up the press release like it’s the best story ever written. But if you act like the story is important, people will assume it is. To achieve this, try tying your story to larger trends in your community – are you moving to a cool new small business incubator? Or is your move part of a trend toward moving back into historic downtown areas? Your “little” story can be part of a much bigger picture.

Remember to Focus on Your Intended Audience 

Reading over other press releases is always a good idea to see how other people approach them. One thing you might notice is how similar the language is. They tend to be matter-of-fact and straightforward which is typically how press releases should be written. You don’t want to waste anyone’s time.

However, you should also consider who will be ultimately reading this press release. If you’re sending the release out to multiple organizations this could be even more important as the readership might be totally different.

For example, your local paper might expect a focus on the local aspects of the story – who it affects in the community, why people should care if they live there, etc. A nationwide magazine, though, wouldn’t care about the local angle, and would expect a national approach. The language will no doubt be different in each release, too.

In fact, rethinking your headline for each one is also a great idea. The headline is what’s going to catch the reporter or editor’s eye after you send it in, so if you rewrite it for each publication it’s more likely to get noticed. Just make sure the rest of the press release is sound and reflective of the headline.

Have you ever had a press release take off much farther than you ever imagined? 

This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (http://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download a free copy of Grammar Geek’s Guide to Writing Press Releases here: http://www.ereleases.com/offer/grammar.html