Usually, when we hear about press releases, our mind goes immediately to a large company that is making an official announcement. Large players disclosing important information regarding their business practices: mergers, the appointment of a new CEO, etc. That’s what we think about when we hear about a press release.
Due to that first association, an entrepreneur might think that a small startup has no need for such documents. Your public relations handle is fairly manageable through social media and there’s no need for fancy guidelines. While some of those arguments might be true, press releases are necessary even if you are taking a DIY approach to your business’ public relations.
Press releases, if done properly, are powerful displays of corporate image. This is something you should do especially if your startup is fairly new. Setting the right tone for your marketing strategy and your public relations could get you great media and public recognition. So, without further ado, we’ve compiled a brief list of key elements that will help you write an effective press release:
1) Make A Plan
Before you start writing, make a brief list of the message you want to broadcast. A press release is not a friendly post on a billboard, but an informative text aimed to made public a piece of information regarding your business. It should be as precise and clear as possible.
You should also set a guideline for your startup: under what circumstances should press releases be published? Every time you expand? At the end of every fiscal quarter? This is important because
2) Use Them Properly
A press release cannot substitute a marketing campaign. That’s not their goal. Marketing aims to sell a product. Public relations are more related to the way you communicate with the media and your target audiences. Even if you put together a press release to inform the public about the creation of a new product, the content should be written in a way that it just provides information about it, without making a sales pitch.
3) Make Them Relevant
The information released should be interesting to your audience’s interest and presented in a way that will be appealing to them.
