Your press release isn’t a news dump. It’s your shot at headlines and most miss. One wrong move, like leading with fluff or burying the hook, and your story dies in a journalist’s inbox.
The right move? Sharpen your message, time it right, and ditch the corporate drone-speak.
Whether you’re launching a product, announcing a merger, or bragging about your latest funding round, the difference between who cares and tell me more comes down to how you write it.
Let’s go through the pros and cons of writing press releases.
Press Release Tips: Craft a Clear Hook
Your press release lives or dies on its opening. That first sentence isn’t just an introduction; it’s the bait. If your hook doesn’t immediately answer, why should anyone care? Don’t expect readers to make it to paragraph two.
Start with the sharpest, most relevant point of your news. The best hooks focus on:
- Timeliness
- Impact
- Novelty
Is your company breaking into a new market? Launching something first-of-its-kind? Responding to a trend or crisis? That’s your lead.
Even if the news isn’t world-shaking, you can still make it pop by zooming in on how it affects people, businesses, or industries right now.
Keep your language bold yet grounded, something a journalist could lift and use as is. And avoid the trap of writing for your CEO’s ego.
You’re not showcasing your brand’s greatness; you’re pitching a story that should matter to someone who’s never heard of you. If your hook nails that, you’ve already won half the battle.
Don’t Bury the Lead
If your news is halfway down the page, you’ve already lost your audience when you’re crafting media releases. Journalists don’t read press releases like novels; they scan.
And if the lead is buried under paragraphs of background, vague statements, or brand fluff, your announcement will be skipped before it ever gets noticed.
The lead is the core of your news:
- What happened
- Who’s involved
- When it’s happening
- Why it matters
That belongs in the first paragraph, not buried beneath your company’s mission or a three-sentence quote about innovation.
Context and commentary can come later. Your goal is to deliver value instantly. Think of the first few lines as your audition. If they don’t grab attention, editors won’t stick around for the rest.
Lead with the headline-worthy piece, even if it feels counterintuitive to traditional storytelling. A good press release isn’t a slow build; it’s a spotlight.
Stick to Facts, Not Fluff
If your press release reads like it’s been dipped in glitter, you’ve got a problem. Words like groundbreaking, next-level, and game-changing are empty unless they’re backed by hard evidence. Journalists aren’t impressed by puffery; they’re looking for substance, something they can trust. Facts make your story real:
- Dates
- Metrics
- Dollar figures
- Milestones
- Partnerships
Give weight to your claims and help editors validate your news. For instance, saying that sales increased by 48% in Q2 lands a lot harder than saying business is booming.
Let the numbers tell the story and resist the urge to dress them up in vague hyperbole. Fluff wastes space and erodes your credibility.
Every sentence in your release should serve a purpose to inform, clarify, or move the reader closer to publishing your story. If a sentence can’t stand up to journalistic scrutiny or adds nothing concrete, it doesn’t belong.
Don’t Overload With Jargon: Writing Guide for PR
Industry speak might impress your team, but it alienates everyone else, especially the media. If your press release sounds like it was written exclusively for insiders, expect it to get tossed.
Journalists need to understand your news instantly, and most aren’t going to Google their way through a mess of acronyms and buzzwords.
Jargon slows things down. It clutters your message and forces readers to decode what should be plain. Terms like the following might fly in a boardroom, but they’ll stall a story in a newsroom:
- Synergistic alignment
- Omnichannel scalability
- AI-powered innovation stack
- Blockchain-driven ecosystem
- Robust end-to-end integration
- Deep-dive data intelligence
The goal isn’t to sound technical, it’s to sound clear. That doesn’t mean dumbing things down. It means stripping away the noise and explaining your news in language that’s sharp, specific, and accessible.
If a high school student or a general assignment reporter can’t get the gist in one read, simplify it. When in doubt, write like you’re talking to a smart person outside your industry because that’s exactly who’s reading.
Find the Right Distributor
Even the sharpest press release can fall flat if it lands in the wrong inbox. Choosing a distributor isn’t just a logistics step; it’s a strategic decision that determines whether your news gets picked up or buried. Blasting your release into the void with a generic service won’t suffice if you’re targeting:
- Specific industries
- Regions
- Verticals
Look for a distributor that offers more than mass delivery. The best partners give you access to curated journalist databases, niche trade publications, and personalized outreach options.
If they’re just pushing content to a faceless feed, your news will compete with thousands of others in the same noise pool. A strong distribution strategy includes targeting.
Your story about a new eco-friendly product shouldn’t go to reporters who cover finance. You want a team that knows how to segment and aim, whether that’s through:
- Trade media
- Local outlets
- High-authority platforms
- Niche industry blogs
- Topic-specific newsletters
- Regional business journals
- Influential podcasters in your space
Bonus if they also help you refine headlines or structure your release for readability.
Writing Press Releases: Now You Know
There’s so much to consider when it comes to writing press releases. Now that you know what to do and what not to do, it’ll be a lot easier to succeed.
Ready to stop guessing and start getting results? Whether you’re a startup chasing your first headline or a seasoned pro tired of generic PR, eReleases brings your news to the media that actually matters.
Our editorial team fine-tunes your message, our 1.7M+ media list ensures it’s seen, and our partnership with PR Newswire gives it national reach. Don’t settle for press releases that vanish into the void.
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