When it comes to press releases – as is true with any online marketing strategy – intent matters. If you’re writing press releases solely for the links . . . well, I won’t say that you are absolutely destined to fail, but you’re starting yourself off with some roadblocks to success. On the other hand, if you understand why, where and how to properly implement your releases, you not only get links, but the links you get are high-value and organic, not to mention more likely to create genuine leads.
Why write a press release?
The answer to this one is pretty simple: you write a press release because something newsworthy has happened or will be happening in your company.
Where the confusion comes in is with how you classify something as newsworthy. Rather than dancing around the topic, I’m just going to say it outright: your sale is not newsworthy.
I know, I know, you want people to know about this fantastic discount or coupon you are offering, but there’s a word for the method we use to make consumers aware of sales promotions: advertising.
So, then, what does constitute a valid press release? Here are a few examples of the types of events in your company that could be considered newsworthy:
- You hire a new employee in a high-profile position
- Your company experiences an anniversary or milestone
- Your company or an employee receives a reward
- An employee receives an important promotion
- Your company releases a new product or service
- Your company’s website receives a remodel
- Your company’s physical location receives a remodel
- You’ve produced a case study or other research-based materials
What do these examples have in common? They are all events about which you can tell a story. The narrative is what makes the writing compelling and newsworthy. If there’s no narrative to tell, there’s no press release there. Keep looking.
Where to Distribute Press Releases
We maintain a list of free press release distribution outlets on our website, so that’s a great place to start. A number of the listings there also have value-added services you can purchase, which may be useful for specific types of releases or higher visibility.
There’s not much more I can add to the list linked above. It’s updated and thorough, and contains links to distribution services we use successfully for our clients on a regular basis. One thing you should be aware of, however, is that links gained in this manner may not be permanent. It all depends on the sources that pick up your release, which is why it’s helpful to cast a wide net.
Don’t discount the temporary links, though. Getting a link from a respected news site, even if that link only exists for a couple of months, raises your visibility and increases your chances of further linking.
How to Write a Press Release
Journalism professors teach the inverted pyramid, and that structure is what news outlets will expect from your press release. It’s not just the story that needs to be newsworthy; it’s the writing, 
as well.
Purdue’s Online Writing Lab has a wonderfully concise description of the inverted pyramid that you should absolutely read and absorb before writing your first release. Beyond that, though, there are matters of style specific to those of us who write for online marketing. Primary among those is formality.
In marketing, we play fast and loose with punctuation and grammar sometimes, and when we blog regularly we can get in the habit of writing very casually. Starting a sentence with “and” sometimes or not worrying too much about where we place our commas is fine most of the time, but not when writing press releases.
You need to write in a formal, journalistic manner, which means both observing strict Associated Press guidelines and avoiding the “salesy” marketing language we use in other formats. Press releases are not intended to be persuasive writing, but fact-based reporting.
Press Release Examples
A new hire is an excellent reason for a press release. We recently wrote one for one of our clients, an OB/GYN clinic that brought a new doctor on staff. We distributed this release to area print media outlets for local exposure. The format is very straightforward, and should be easy to follow when making your own similar announcements:
Gainesville’s All About Women Welcomes Jean C. Cook, MD
Two attorneys with another client of ours, a law firm in Colorado, received an award last year. Their release was distributed through online channels from the list I linked to above, and was picked up by some very high profile outlets, including Yahoo Finance:
Babcock Law Firm Attorneys Added to 2012 Rising Stars List for Colorado
Should You or Shouldn’t You
Should you utilize press releases to announce newsworthy happenings in your company? Absolutely. Should you write a press release every week because . . . links? No you should not.
Make it newsworthy, write it well, and send it out to the proper outlets. Press releases are not a magic bullet, but they can be a very productive part of a well-rounded online marketing strategy.