We’re in the lull before the storm when it comes to industry new product announcements.
Fewer press releases seem to be sent during the month of August as companies put the final touches on new products scheduled for a Fall release. Not to mention it’s a good time for employees to get in that family vacation before school resumes.
This will change very shortly as we enter what many refer to as the ‘Golden Quarter’ which is not really a quarter but that period from September 1 through December 31 when sales pick up with hunting season rolling right into the holiday shopping season.
So, it seemed like a good time to offer a refresher on press release writing. Here at the Outdoor Wire Digital Network we see more press releases on a daily basis than probably anyone else. We ran over 22,000 in 2023 and have already published over 13,000 thru July of this year. Many are quite well prepared and it’s no surprise that these are usually from major companies, or experienced media/PR agencies.
However, several releases range from mediocre, at best, to rather terrible, either from a lack of experience or, in some cases, pure laziness.
Here are a few tips for those you falling into that second category.
Tip #1: Copy off of others
The best way to write a press release is to find a good release written by another company and copy their general format and style.
I once had to write one of the dreaded ‘recall’ press releases, having never written one before. Thankfully at that time there was a major company that had put in some solid practice writing recall notices. I picked their latest and copied its structure.
You can do the same with new product, hiring, and award announcements. There is no real magic to writing a press release, once you know what to look for.
Tip #2: Stop with the all-caps
WRITING YOUR HEADLINES IN ALL-CAPS MAY MAKE YOU THINK YOU’RE PUTTING MORE EMPHASIS ON YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT BUT THE TRUTH IS YOU ARE MAKING IT HARDER TO READ. PLUS, YOU WILL MIS TYPOX BECUSE SPELLCHECK MISSES YOUR TYPOS.
For the love of God, please do us all a favor and Just Write Your Headlines With Initial Caps.
Tip #3: Speaking of headlines, include one
For some unknown reason people have gotten into the habit of not putting a headline in their actual press release. They will instead note in their email a ‘Preferred Headline: Company XYZ Announces…’
This sends the message that this is our preferred headline but if you have something better…
Please don’t temp me like that. I’d be more than happy to write the kind of headline I think you deserve. And you can assume you won’t appreciate my sense of whimsy when it comes to doing your job.
SIDE NOTE: When you do write you headline, shorter is better. We have had headlines as long as 23 words. Brevity matters in headline writing, so keep it short and sweet whenever possible.
Tip #4: Too many exclamation points
We have seen press releases, from companies that should know better, with too many exclamation points. As many as five in a release and frequently with two used in the same paragraph.
Here is the pro-tip on using the correct number of exclamation points in your release. Once you type in that first ! realize you have now gone too far. Don’t use an exclamation point if you can avoid it.
But, if you are going to use several in a release, just go full school girl mode and dot your ‘i’s with a heart as well. That will help convey both your company’s excitement and sincerity.
Tip #5: Eliminate ‘thrilled’ from your release
Company XYZ is thrilled to announce…
This, or a version on this sentence, is how nearly every press release seems to start. It’s so common that you wonder if the PR/marketing personnel writing them are all using the same prompt on ChatGPT.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines thrilled to mean ‘extremely pleased and excited.’
When I see it in the opening sentence of a press release I always wonder if when this new product was announced internally did the employees gathered for the announcement loose their collective minds like they were sitting in the audience of a Beatles concert. And, when management witnessed that wild reaction did they turn to the marketing team and have them change the release from ‘pleased’ to ‘excited' and then ultimately ‘thrilled.’
Honestly, thrilled is the wrong word to use. Think of it this way, if ‘thrilled’ works then so to does ‘positively giddy’ and I’m pretty sure you don’t want your release to read ‘Company XYZ is positively giddy to announce our best-selling widget is now available in stunning FDE.’
But if you do write your release using ‘positively giddy’ by all means please send it to us so we can publish it. I’d even go to bat for making that a ‘Top Story’ item.
Tip #6: Your product webpage is not a press release
We get press releases from a few companies that read as if all they did was scrape the copy from the product webpage and call it good. That is not a press release. It’s crap. And it’s lazy.
Yes, all the important info about the product is found on the product page on your website, at least it should be, but that doesn’t mean it’s all you need in a press release. You need to add an introductory statement that puts the product into context.
Again, this is where reading other properly written press releases comes in handy. Just read those and mimic their style.
Tip #7: Include the links
It amazes me that companies with a social media presence don’t include those direct links in their press releases. If you don’t have an Instagram, Facebook, X, or YouTube account then fine. But if you do have some or all of these then include them in your release, preferably at the bottom in the ‘For more information’ statement. Don’t assume that people will find their way to your social media on their own. Especially in the current era of the total shadow ban.
The worst part about this is that some of these releases with no direct social links are coming from PR firms. Which, of course, begs the question did you hire the right PR firm to begin with? Spoiler Alert: You did not.
Tip #8: Write more releases
Finally, write more press releases. I’m not talking about writing random press releases for practice. I mean you are likely not taking advantage of the opportunities you have to put out a press release about your company.
I routinely talk to new companies signing up for our wires and run through the many possibilities they have to talk about their company’s products. The new product announcements are obvious, but what about ‘back in stock’, ‘now shipping’, ‘now hiring’, ‘attending XYZ show’, ‘won XYZ award’, and more?
Even for a small company it’s not hard to find 30 to 40 press release opportunities during the year. I know because I have done exactly that. And those 30 to 40 press releases translate into awareness. It might not be immediate but at some point you’ll run into somebody at SHOT Show who says, “Yeah, I keep reading about your