Writing Press Releases for Your Small Business

What’s the structure of a press release?

Press releases should follow a basic format, just like a short article. You need a headline, a summary paragraph that includes the 5 w’s (who, what, when, where and why) and a body to tell the story. Finish it off by including your contact information. It’s worthwhile to make your press release as close to a finished article as you can; some newspapers will run press releases as straight stories with little or no change. From a newspaper’s angle, this is slightly less than ethical, but from a business owner’s, it is very useful to have your message conveyed exactly as you want it. Even if they don’t run it as is, a news channel or newspaper might take your press release as a starting point for a story, and you’ll be the first choice to interview because they already know about your involvement.

So, you want to write your story as an inverted pyramid: the most important information should come first, then the slightly less important and so on. This way, if an editor wants to run your press release but is short on space, he can just chop off the end without losing anything important.

You should also try to stick to AP style if you can. There are a lot of online resources to clue you in on specific styles, like this one.

How do I make my press release interesting?

Every press release should tell a story. If you have an interesting story, that’s all you need.

A restaurant is celebrating its 25th anniversary. What can you do with this story? Find a couple that had their first date there and are celebrating their anniversary too. Talk about famous diners (and invite them back!). Give recipes for prize-winning dishes.

Good press releases should always have relevance to the community you’re trying to reach. Maybe your small business donates time or goods to a community cause. Maybe you’re having a special event. Either way, you want the media to make sure to interview you in the process.

Who should I send a press release to?

Local newspapers, community magazine, news channels. Basically, any media source in your community that might cover anything to do with your story. Most will have a website, so just look online for their news department. Try to send your press release to the most relevant editor. If you’re sponsoring a sports team, try the sports editor. If you run a restaurant, try the style or living section.