How to Write a Press Release & Get Free Publicity 1-2-3
How to Find Your Newsworthy Idea
Your press release needs to be newsworthy to be effective in promoting your business or event.
However, with the right angle, even ordinary events can bring lots of attention to your business.
Although you can do this yourself, a professional writer can come in handy if you find yourself getting
frustrated (see step 2).
Here are some ideas that you can focus on. Simply develop the simple idea, and then send it to your
professional writer, who will write the press release for you, putting that special angle on your
story.
- Business grand opening
- Unveiling of a new product or service
- New uses for products and services
- Announcement of an upcoming contest or event you are holding
- Charity work you are doing or donations your company has made
- Company move, expansion or changes
- Results of a poll or survey that you've done
- Make an analysis or prediction
- Take part in a controversy
- Make a public appearance
- Pricing changes
- Customer success stories
- Testimonials received from customers
- You get the idea...
How to Write a Press Release, Tips & Examples
When you write a press release, you want to grab the reader's attention with a catchy headline. Make sure
you don't sound like you are trying to sell something - but rather you are providing important information to
your reader.
Keep your press release at about 1 page and send samples when applicable. Focus on benefits to the reader,
use bold headlines and break large paragraphs into smaller ones for easier reading.
Date Instructions:
"For Immediate Release";
"For Release Before [date]" or
"For Release After [date]"
Headline:
Use an attention-getting headline with 85 characters or less.
Contact Information
Include as much information as possible here. Make it easy for the media to contact you.
Summary:
Before you get into the body of the release, write a sentence or two to summarize your press release.
Content:
This is where your story goes. The first paragraph should answer all the important questions - Who, What,
Where, When, Why & How?
Signify the end of your press release with ###
Get The Word Out: Submit Your Press Release
Contacting Journalists:
Journalists are busy. The best way to get through to them is to get their attention - stand out from
the crowd. You can do this by picking up the phone and calling them directly, sending a personal email, writing
a letter to the editor or speaking at public events. You can also submit articles to publications to be used as
content - reporters are always looking for good content which makes their job easier.
Newspaper, Magazine and Radio Media Sources:
Reach Millions of Potential Customers
PRWeb is an award-winning online press release submission service. Even if you are a small business, you
can get big-time visibility using this press release distribution service. Submit your press release, and PRWeb
does the rest. They even have free how-to webinars including How to Write a News Release
See Also: 
Free Press Release
Distribution
Another option is to use 1888PressRelease.com to submit your press release for free. Although you get much more
exposure with a paid submission, this free service is worth the time. They also offer cheap paid upgrades so
you can increase your exposure depending on how much you want to spend. If you're new to press release writing,
you'll like the sample press releases on their site and press release writing tips they provide for free. See
Also: PRLog
Press Release Submission
Software
Instead of paying a company to submit your news to the right sources - you can now do it yourself with
software you can use at home. This is ideal if you plan to send out more than one news story about your
business. If you want to flood your website with targeted traffic, reach top search engine rankings and
gain dozens or more backlinks, this is a really simple way to achieve all 3 at once. Higher Search Engine Rankings in 7
Days with Press Equalizer
Did you know that there is more than just one public relations strategy you can use to gain more
customers?
Write articles. You don't have to be a professional writer, but you can get free press and
draw in customers by sharing helpful or interesting information in your area of expertise. Articles can be
short, and you can submit them easily online to multiple article directories for free.
Use business cards. Often overlooked as a marketing tool, business cards can act as mini
ads and be very effective at getting free publicity. Besides including them in all your correspondence - share
them with other local business owners who offer similar products or services to yours - but don't
directly complete with you. "Teaming up" with other local businesses enables you to refer clients to each other
without having to pay for advertising.
Use social media. Twitter and Facebook can get you a lot of free publicity when used
correctly. The key is to combine useful content for your readers in addition to promotional efforts.
Start speaking. Many local organizations or community groups like to have speakers at their
meetings or events. This can be a great way to get free publicity for your business and at the same time
establish yourself as an expert in your field.
