A press release is a short and compelling news story drawn by professionals in the public relations docket of a firm and delivered to specific media houses. Its main aim is to get the interest of a publication or a journalist.
It contains such information as is essential to the story in the topic as the who, the where, the when, the now, and most critical of all, the why, so that the journalist can fashion the story in the best way possible. It reads like a story on the news and should be written in the third person. It should also have citations to quotations, the sources used, and the standard information contained in a press release.
Who writes a press release?
Writing a press release also depends on factors such as what you want it to help you accomplish, the timing that the release is supposed to take place, the types of follow-up questions that the release is most likely to trigger, and what your business partners are free to let you get known to the media.
Drafting a press release is a matter that can prove to be very hard and delicate, which might create a lot of pressure on the public relations department. Demand is placed by the subjects who have been quoted in the release to draw them as intelligent and professional. It also demands the maintenance of the image of the business partners included in the release. Conventionally, the public relations department coordinates with all involved parties to ensure that the release is a success. However, not all companies have public relations professionals who have undergone the necessary training, and among those who have the training, not all of them are excellent writers.
What to include in the press release?
Since a press release is meant to give the media the chance to get a peek at what goes on within your firm, the individual tasked with its formulation must grasp what they are doing. Some of the solutions to overcoming this overbearing burden are hiring professional journalists to do the job for you. A few strokes on the internet will bring you across individuals with excellent journalistic backgrounds but whose current job placements are not as rewarding as expected. These are ready to offer their expertise to get some more money into their pockets, and you have a strong bargaining hand at it.
Can you outsource the writing?
Getting in touch with technical writers is also another viable option. These are specialized in drafting press releases, materials for communication within offices, and materials for marketing purposes. You may also solve your issue by locating individuals on your staff who have a good hand in crafting words to do their best bidding. You might also be shocked to find great writers among individuals whose job titles are as far away from public relations as you can get.
Hiring the services of press release writers is another great option. These provide a guarantee that the release they draw up for you will be accurate, well-written, and enticing since they hire the services of technical writers and professional journalists. However, getting the services of such professionals should be carefully done, considering several factors such as its history and reputation and the field of releases they specialize in. The disadvantage is that you will incur extra costs since most of the agencies involved tend to prefer working on retainers.
For those not well off enough to afford the services of PR agencies, you can get the services of freelance writers available on job boards like HireWriters at a fairer price. Some of the qualities you should look for when picking the writer should include their experience in writing, specifically press releases, and most importantly those that are relevant to your field of operation. To avoid taking the word of someone you met over the internet as a confirmation of their experience, you should get a couple of press releases that they have written for other parties and go through them to ensure their work is of the quality you require and they have specificity in your area of specialization.
It would help if you also considered the professional conduct of the writer you hire since you do not need an individual incapable of meeting deadlines or being unresponsive to your emails on time. Despite there being a tincture of leeway since many freelance writers have other clients to tend to, you should be wary of those who make a habit of taking long to respond to your emails.
After you land yourself the writer who fully satisfies your needs, you should make sure you have ironed out some factors with them in advance to avoid hiccups in the future. They might include issues such as the due date and the deliverables, the specific needs that you require the release to have, such as the word count, the source of information that the writer is supposed to rely on in drafting the release, and whether it is necessary or not that the writer does their independent research.
It would help if you also got into an agreement on what the final price will be once their work is found to be satisfactory and the terms of payment, including the means of payment to be used and when the payments are to be made. You can follow legal contracts in getting into these agreements. However, most people prefer agreeing over the set terms via email since it maintains a digital record of all parties agreed upon without hiring a lawyer.
The amount you end up paying will vary depending on the writer’s level of experience and whether or not distribution is necessary. The distribution factor is vital for the prices will vary on whether you expect the writer you hire to distribute their final output to the relevant journalists, which will cost more and include a process that is a little bit lengthy, or if you are going to do the distribution by yourself, which requires just some simple arrangements.
Where to publish the press release?
When your press release is ready, you can submit it to ereleases.com, which is the best press release platform.
eReleases is one of the best press release platforms out there. With this service, you can be sure to get the maximum exposure for your press release!
There are also a lot more press release platforms out there, you can try different services and see what’s working the best for you.