Deploying the Right Press Release Strategy

The Basics

When working with a PR professional, one of the first decisions is to devise a strong press release strategy. Whether you’re a startup or a late-stage company preparing to go public, everyone needs to align on the press release approach.

A company writes a press release as a formatted announcement to inform the media about major developments. These announcements cover topics such as fundraising, product releases or updates, personnel changes, and earnings (for public companies). Press releases serve companies well because they follow an industry-accepted format that includes the basics: the five W’s and a quote from a key figure. This format provides everything a reporter might need, or at least enough to describe the event competently.

Writing a Good Press Release

Like any good piece of content, writing an effective press release starts with understanding your audience. In this case, it’s the media. Reporters constantly search for stories, sources, or information they can use, so a press release should address those needs directly.

The Title:

The title of the release is critical – it’s the first thing a reporter reads and determines whether they open the email and can dictate the success of your press release strategy. The title should contain no passive language and get straight to the point. I impose a 75-character limit on my title as a way to ensure brevity. Additionally, your title shouldn’t just inform but should also entice the reporter to open the release. For instance:

Good: “A Rich Opinion Partners with Poor Opinion LLC”

Better: “New Partnership with Poor Opinion LLC Unlocks New Campaign”

The first example is a straight forward, informative title. The second, however, not only informs reporters of the partnership but creates more intrigue to illicit an email open.

Top-Body:

First off – I like to break press releases up in three parts, really. The first part is the top-body, or the first paragraph and top-line bullets.

Top-line bullets provide an excellent way to start a press release filled with data or to tell a story concisely. In corporate releases, companies often use this method to highlight key metrics and drive the narrative. It also works well for fundraising releases, business metrics, or product announcements. Bullets offer reporters your preferred story upfront and give context for the rest of the release.

The first line of the press release should succinctly and engagingly detail the announcement, setting the tone for the rest of the release. The rest of the first paragraph should explain why this announcement matters, its impact on stakeholders, and ultimately show the reporter why it’s newsworthy. This is where the reporter will likely decide if your release can be used in a story, either as the centerpiece or in relation to their work.

Quote:

Of all the elements in a press release, this is where I see the most unforced errors. First, don’t bury the quote at the bottom of the release. When you explain the announcement clearly and emphasize its importance, the quote can strengthen your case that the event is newsworthy.

The biggest mistake I see is releases offering a boring quote from the principal that fails to elicit any emotion or intrigue from the reporter or end-reader. I understand that public companies need to stay cautious and conservative with their messaging to avoid negatively impacting their stock price. However, non-public companies, especially startups, should provide an exciting and engaging quote, as they don’t face the same regulatory scrutiny or market pressure as public companies. Here’s an example:

Good: “We’re really excited to partner with Poor Opinion LLC,” said John Rich, A Rich Opinion’s Founder. “We believe we can add value and make their opinions less poor.”

Better: “Through this partnership, we’ll be able to make Poor Opinion LLC’s opinions less poor and simultaneously grab significant market share of all the opinions,” said John Rich, A Rich Opinion’s Founder.

The Bottom-Body:

The bottom third of a press release includes the contextual information a reporter needs to write a strong story. I encourage clients to provide more rather than less here, as there’s no penalty for offering additional details at this stage. If the reporter is interested, they’ll want more information; if not, they won’t read this section anyway. This part should include supporting details about the announcement (e.g., market implications, stakeholders involved, further explanation of the event). It should also include any context that builds understanding, and then boilerplate statements or pre-written company descriptions.

Is it Worth Putting This Into a Press Release?

I get this question a lot: Is this announcement worth drafting and sending out as a press release? That’s the wrong question (though the answer is almost always YES if you want media coverage). The right question is, what resources are we committing to this announcement? Are we willing to draft it and send it out on a news wire at an additional cost? Or do we prefer to draft it and post it on our website as content? If the goal is to gain even the slightest media attention, a press release is far more effective than an email pitch, especially when dealing with a reporter you have no relationship with. Reporters know what to expect when the information follows a press release format.

Press Release Strategy – Balancing Goals, Resources and Timelines

A press release strategy is really about resource allocation – how much time and money am I willing to put into this asset to get my desired outcome, and what is my timeline to achieve this desired outcome. Below is a graphical representation of how these variables interact.

Like any campaign or project, giving the maximum possible lead time is ideal—especially for media outreach. Reporters want to break stories, not just cover them. Allowing time for a reporter to share the press release with their trusted contacts achieves two things. First, it gauges whether your announcement deserves coverage—if many reporters decline to cover it under embargo or exclusively, that’s a clear market signal that your news may not be significant. Second, providing time allows a PR person to gather feedback and find the right publication to cover the news. Maybe it’s newsworthy for the local newspaper, but not for the WSJ.

If you have ambitious media goals, you’ll need to allocate resources and allow adequate time. In this context, resources include time spent writing the release and researching both internal and external information to provide the reporter with extensive context. Financial resources are also necessary. Without securing exclusive coverage, sending a release through the wire spreads your announcement across a syndicated network of websites. If your goals are smaller, you can devote fewer resources and time. This might result in a shorter release posted on your website, which your PR professional can use to reach out to strategic reporters, start a conversation, get on their radar, or build a relationship.

Press Release SEO

Even if the releases are shorter, posting consistent content on your site boosts your website’s ranking. It’s also important to show progress. Ehen a new visitor lands on your site and checks the content or news tab, they’ll see a steady stream of announcements. While the quality or density of those assets may not be overwhelming, the perception of frequent announcements and activity creates a sense of progress and development. Additionally, a good PR person can write a release that improves your website’s SEO score. This is an emerging trend not typically considered in a press release strategy. Consistently using keywords in the title and throughout the release will enhance ranking and drive more traffic to your site.

Conclusion:

This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, but creating too much content has never hurt a company. At a minimum, crafting a press release takes 30 to 60 minutes. Whether you’re developing an SEO strategy with those releases, sending them to strategic reporters to build relationships, or investing time and resources for maximum impact, doing more rather than less is always recommended.