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Don't use your brand tone of voice for press releases

There's a very particular way to write press releases. Abandoning it, and doing your own thing, makes it less likely you'll get the coverage you want.

While no journalist is obligated to give you coverage (that would be called advertising!), a good copywriter will know how to put together a press release which has the best chance of success:

  • It needs to be formatted and presented in a particular way
  • It needs to be written using a certain style - as well as an absence of your brand's house style!
  • It needs to be structured in a cascading format and contain a set of essential components
  • Including certain items will increase your chances of coverage
  • The better you write, the less the journalist has to write for themselves - so you're more likely to get your story covered and there's less risk that the journalist might introduce a mistake
  • Understanding what journalists are looking for — or how to slant your story towards a topical or contentious angle — will also increase your chances of press coverage.

A smart copywriter will not only write you a great press release, but will also tailor it to different titles or sectors for maximum appeal.

 

 

Don't use your tone of voice for press releases

 

Imagine how many press releases cross a journalist's desk in a day. It's a LOT, so you've only got a couple of seconds to grab their attention before they bin your press release.

 

At a fundamental level, journalists aren't interested in you: they're interested in their readers, and stories those readers will want to read. So while they might want your story, they don't care about your brand tone of voice. They don't want chi-chi writing, or punny headlines... or if they do, they can do all that themselves.

 

What they do want is the facts. What's your story about, and why should they be interested?

 

And that's why you've got to convey that information quickly, succinctly and clearly. Don't bother trying to be clever: it will probably backfire! If the headline doesn't make sense instantly, it'll be in the bin a second later.

 

So if you're looking for someone who can write you a good press release...

 

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