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Top 10 Press Release Writing Tips For Mompreneurs: Part 2

by Britt Michaelian

… Continued from Part 1 of Guest Post

by Tara Geissinger and Christine O’Kelly

of Online PR News...

#6 Write in a Third Person Narrative

Press releases are written in the third person, much like a traditional news story. When they are written in the first person, they instantly sound like ads rather than news announcements and can turn journalists off.  Basically, the reader shouldn’t be addressed as “you” or “your” and your company shouldn’t be “we” or “I” in the release (unless it is part of a direct quote.) Our job is to objectively tell WHAT the news is and try to make it as easy as possible for journalists to take your news and use it in their story.

#7 Sprinkle with Quote Love

While the PR itself needs to maintain an objective tone, quotes are one of the best ways to spice up the release with your own words! This is the place to talk about what makes you different and better, than your competition. The news release hit all the basics, now tell us why you shine!

#8 ‘About’ Section

Including an ‘about’ section is an excellent opportunity to leave the reader with some good, solid information about your company. This is not the section to necessarily talk about your news. This is where you talk about your company in general and what makes it stand out. This is also a great place to add one of those two URL links we recommend.

#9 Leveraging Multimedia In Press Releases

There is a new breed of press release on the market today — the multimedia press release. Journalists and readers alike love reading these because all of the information is right there — video, photos, attached supporting materials, and more. Whenever possible it is best to provide as much supporting material as you can to spice up your press release. Not only will it look visually attractive, but it will also be a slam-dunk for journalists looking for a complete story when on deadline. Natural health expert Larry Cook has done an excellent job of creating a great multi-media press release to announce the launch of his new YouTube video.

#10 Choosing a Press Release Distribution Outlet

Look for a distribution site that offers SEO press releases. This means that the website has been tailored to meet specific SEO goals — like optimized title tags, meta descriptions, releases include anchor text links, inclusion in Google News, pages that never expire, and social media buttons. To enhance the readability and conversion of your press release, choose a press release site that allows you to embed images, videos, files, and other rich multimedia content that will work to draw readers into your message.

Press release writing can be a lot of fun and the finished product is something you can really feel proud to show off. Once published, be sure to Tweet about it and promote it on Facebook and your other favorite social media networks.

If you have any questions whatsoever along your press release marketing journey, feel free to post them here in the comments section for us to answer!

About the Authors

Tara Geissinger and Christine O’Kelly are the cofounders of the multimedia press release distribution site Online PR News. They are mompreneurs that are passionate about helping others learn how to leverage press releases to gain visibility online.

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  • Gigi

    You make such a good point in #6! So many people make the mistake of referring to themselves or their company as 'we'. As a journalist, that is a red-flag that the person has cut corners to do everything themselves when they should have relied on a professional.

  • brittmichaelian

    Yes! I love every one of the tips you guys gave in these two posts! I have always wanted to know how to maximize the multimedia press release and you have great suggestions and references for that. I agree with Gigi in that #6 is so important and one that many business owners may not have been aware of. And finally, thank you so much for sharing your fantastic PR wisdom with my readers! Great work!

  • OnlinePRNews

    You are so very welcome. And thank YOU for the opportunity! I hope that people will be able to use these posts as a reference as time goes by as well. :-)

  • OnlinePRNews

    Gigi,

    I had never thought about it before, but you are certainly right! I am sure journalists can get a 'vibe' based on the writing and overall quality of the release. I think there is still opportunity to get creative with your PRs — just as long as you are still operating within the generally accepted guidelines.

  • http://www.playplanit.com Laurel

    This is really valuable information – thank you so much for putting this out there!