How to Write a Press Release That Gets Picked Up by Journalists

You have written the news and are in the race to secure the acceptance of being featured on top media outlets, but the competition is very intense. Every business of your niche is working hard and sending hundreds of emails to the editors/ journalists with the hope of getting featured.

Research displays that despite several attempts and spending a lot of money, the number of rejections is still high. Affecting the businesses’ capabilities of earning premium media visibility and credibility in their industry. However, only the one that stands out, seeking more attention and promising more engagement, wins the game.

So, the question is: Where are you going wrong? What is the mistake? Most of the failed cases are seen due to insufficient PR knowledge, inaccuracy in news release writing, making mistakes, and undervaluing a proper PR distribution strategy.

In this article, we will discuss how to write a press release that gets picked up by journalists in detail.

1. Why Most Press Releases Fail to Get Noticed?

It is seen that the majority of the press releases never make it beyond the editorial inbox. And the reason is very simple, it is not because the news isn’t relevant, but because it doesn’t read like a real news but your brand’s promotional content.

Common issues include:

While writing a release, make sure your business does not promote your brand, but give a story that matters. Journalists are not looking to promote your brand but to find information that steals the attention of the audience. Therefore, always be sure to use a story-driven angle to increase your chances of getting pickedup by popular PR sites like Bloomberg, Business Insider, AP News, Benzinga, Marketwatch, etc.

2. Think Like a Journalist, Not a Brand

If you are really looking to get your press release picked up by journalists, then start thinking the way they do.

So before you start writing a release, ask the following question:

Journalists work under tight deadlines, and they have very limited space to fill the news. They’re not behind fluff or things that do not matter to the audience, instead, they hunt for substance.

So always ensure to write stories around what the reader would care about, rather than writing what you want to announce.

3. The Secret Behind a Newsworthy Angle

Here’s the truth most PR articles skip: journalists don’t care about your product — they only care about its impact.

This is one of the crucial reasons behind a ‘missed press’ release. Businesses often misunderstand the difference between a newsworthy story and business updates. Announcing news about your business, whether hiring or launching a new website, has little to do with the target audience. Therefore, businesses must try to find a hooking idea that talks about any latest trends, market demand, a solution to a problem, etc.

For instance, instead of “Company X launches new app,” position it as “New app helps small retailers recover post-pandemic losses.” The latter immediately connects to a wider issue, making it inherently more interesting to the media.

The story, when communicated and ties a customer’s emotion or need, creates an urge of acceptance in their life, leading to engagement and conversions. These kinds of stories are never overlooked and have a high chance of getting picked up by journalists.

4. Crafting Headlines That Earn an Open (Not an Eye Roll)

Headlines in a news release are the most significant aspect of the entire PR. Your headline is your first impression. It captures the viewer’s attention in just a few seconds and creates more chances of an open rate. These few words need to be more convincing and should be written with complete clarity. Remember in News writing, clarity always beats creativity. Therefore, ensure to focus on value and specificity.

This captures the editor’s attention towards your news, and you land yourself holding higher chances of being featured efficiently and easily. For instance, instead of writing “Z Company Announces its Partnership”, write “Z Company and D. Corp Partner to Cut Carbon Emissions by 20%”. Here in this example, one sounds vague while the other is impactful, drawing attention and showing relevance.

Great headlines are:

5. The First 100 Words: Where Journalists Decide Your Fate

After you have crafted a good, catchy headline, the next important aspect of the news is its opening paragraph, which helps journalists to decide whether your release gets read or skipped.

Journalists often skim your news to understand the 5Ws & determine if it’s worth covering.

Your opening must include the answer to these 5Ws:

Avoid overloading or fluffing context in this section, as it is here where you prove: “This is news, and not a marketing advertisement.”

6. Formatting Tricks & The Art of Writing Like a Reporter

It is way more different to write like a journalist rather than writing for marketing purposes. The goal here is to keep up with the clarity, and not persuasion. Even if the story is good, but is hard to read, it fails. Formatting directly affects whether a journalist will engage with your story or not.

So, if you are not using a professional press release writing structure, then the chances of your selection are zero. Poor structure directly damages the credibility of the organization, leading to difficulty in reading, and adds workload on the journalist. It wastes their time and energy to find the core message, as they are simply harder to read and easier to discard.

Always try to use press release examples or templates to understand the format, and write it with precision to detail in regard to the title, summary, boilerplate, and more. Keep it crisp and organized.

When your release reads like something a journalist could copy and paste directly into their article, then understand that you have nailed it.

7. Building Authority Through Quotes and Data

Quotes and data are very important, they add value to your release and build positive credibility for the brand. You can include a quote from a company leader or CEO that adds context, insight, or opinion.

The quotes must be meaningful and should not be generic statements. For a press release example, instead of writing: “We are very excited about this launch,” reframe it like “Our goal with this launch is to simplify how small businesses manage compliance without additional costs.”

This kind of information or data makes the release stronger and feels more like real news that cares about people and not promoting their own brand.

9. SEO Isn’t Just for Google, It’s for Editors Too

Press releases are super increasingly found via Google search engines and also within editorial databases.

So, when journalists research about the stories, they often look for keywords that are related to trends or their niche. Therefore, by incorporating relevant keywords naturally into your press release content, you can enhance your brand’s discoverability.

Example: Instead of writing “our new technology,” specify “AI-based content management tool for new businesses and startups.” This helps to clarify the context of your news for both the search engines and the editors of the respective media.

10. The Distribution Strategy Journalists Actually Respond To

Even a perfectly written release needs a smart distribution plan. Mass emailing does not work anymore. Instead

Additionally, using trusted PR distribution partners that maintain real editorial relationships can significantly improve placement, likeReleasePR as they provide free PR writing services along with their premium distribution packages, starting at an affordable price. Since editors and journalists tend to prioritize verified and well-formatted releases, this might be helpful. It also prevents businesses from spending high amounts on publishing on sites.

Final Touch for your next release:

Remember that a well-structured release feels more effortless to read and is exactly what the journalists look for to publish on the PR news platforms.

Conclusion

There is no rocket science in writing a press release that gets chosen by the journalists, but it’s not even a hope and guesswork either. Small brands and startups often mistake it as a one-time communication rather than a PR strategy that can bring impactful results and generate ROi for the businesses.

Therefore, always make sure to use the professional writing advice and tips as listed above, or take help from strategic PR companies who can assist in writing and distribution of your release to enhance your business visibility and credibility over time. ReleasePR is one such example that offers free editorial backing and affordable distribution to premium PR sites like Business Insider, AP News, Benzinga, Yahoo Finance, etc. Helping you to gain high popularity instantly, improve reputation, visibility, website ranking, SEO results, and most importantly, the trust and loyalty of customers, which makes all the difference.

Your story is important. Therefore, make sure it’s told the right way.

The post How to Write a Press Release That Gets Picked Up by Journalists appeared first on Social Media Explorer.