Ready, Aim, Fire!

Writing a press release can be very daunting. There are various components and they seem straight forward, but when looked at all together it seems like a big task to accomplish. Well at least for me it is. 

Let's explore why we write a press release. We are looking to inform or persuade an audience. You might have a product launch, some good news or even bad news to share. This press release is something the public sees! The general public or costumers are usually the audience of this type of business writing. Basically anyone could be reading your press release. Is it just me or is that a little bit scary? We shouldn't get ahead of ourselves, as I am clearly doing right now. We have our 5 Ws and now we need to understand who exactly our target audience is to write a press release that appeals to them. 

Targeting the Audience 

Let me put it into context. My press release is to promote the Peel Leadership Centre. We will be honouring 20 graduates from the Collaborative Leadership in Community (CLiC) Program with a celebration. We hope to have individuals from the non-profit, public and private sector attend the event. There will be individuals who will read this press release and consider applying for the program next year. We also really want the community to come out to this FREE event and see what the Peel Leadership Centre and the CLiC Program is all about. Overall, this press release will be inviting our audience to celebrate the achievement of these 20 individuals, as well as get PLC some exposure.

This press release has the potential to bring in greater interest about PLC and CLiC, helping us grow our program. However, whenever you feel overwhelmed just keep focused and work through the components as mentioned in the first blog post. Now, I know who my target audience is and I can frame my press release to attract those individuals. 

We have the foundation with the 5 Ws and the next logical step is to figure out who we are targeting. I have my target audience, but for you it might be targetting youth entering university or the everyday worker. It is also important to note that you are not only writing for your audience, but also the editor who is reading and publishing your press release[1]. You want to maintain simple language and an informal tone; be friendly but professional. You want to make it newsworthy.

Keep your eye on the bull's eye (your audience) and you won't miss your target. Ready, Aim, Fire!

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[1] Ocular Concepts: Vision Driven Marketing Solutions. (2012, September 13).  Press Release Marketing: How to Reach Your Prospective Clients with News Articles. [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.ocularconcepts.us/blc/blog/press-release-marketing-how-to-reach-your-prospective-clients-with-news-articles/

Where to start? Back to the Basic, the 5Ws

Ok so we have to write a press release, but where do we begin? If you found yourself in a position like myself this task can be very overwhelming. So let’s break it down. Based on the Business Communications textbook we can break down the process of Press Release writing into several components.

The Components of a Press Release!

• You need an attention-grabbing headline or lead.
• What are you writing about? what are your 5Ws and 1H?
• Who are we talking to? Who is your target audience?
• Location! Location! Location! You need to figure out your outline and how your content will be placed and flow in your press release
• It not only has to sound catchy, but it needs to visually catch your readers eyes
• If you want your reader to take you seriously you need to walk the walk and talk the talk. Your press release needs to look and sound credible[1]

In addition to this I will also add a few interesting and helpful techniques and important “to do” during this blog series.

 

Where to start? What are you writing about?

So let’s get started. I am going to mix it up a little bit; to write a press release we need to know what we are writing about before we can get to any of the other components. We are going to start at the 5Ws (Who, What, Where, When, Why and their friend How), this will help you plan out what our message is that we are conveying to our audience. I know what you are thinking; we did this in our elementary school days. It is a very simple task to do, but many writers overlook this important component of a press release. I believe it is an essential place to start for a press release, it is a foundation you can build off of.

The YouTube video “Writing Process Animation”[2] for a blog was very helpful in planning out how to write a blog. Some of these techniques can be helpful and applied to your press release, but what I would like to emphasize is his reference at 8:05 minutes into the video. The introduction and conclusion come last.

We need to know the facts to influence a strong introduction and conclusion and in this case the important facts are the 5 Ws that a reader can pull out of your press release. The 5 Ws will allow you to target the key pieces of information you want your reader to know as well as help build the body of your press release.

There it is! Start with your 5Ws and their friend H. This will act as a skeleton as you form your purpose of your message. We will get into that in the next post.

For now what are your 5Ws and 1H for your press release?

- Who

- What

- When

- Where

- Why

- How

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[1] Guffey, M. E., Rhodes, K., & Rogen, P. (2011). Business Communication : Process and Product. (6^th ed.). Toronto: Nelson.

[2] Jonathan. (2011. June 2). Writing Process Animation [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=V1pnpL8295E

Extra! Extra! Read All About it!

It is time to get the news out, whether it may be a new product launch, a new CEO gracing the company’s presence or recognizing awards given or received; companies are always looking to get news out to the media. That is exactly what task I was presented with last year.

Let me give you a little background about me:

I work for a small Non-Profit called the Peel Leadership Centre (PLC) as a Program Coordinator. Now when I mean small, I mean small. It is just my manager and I running this newly registered non-profit. We have been around for years, but now we are building our brand, creating a name for ourselves and developing ourselves as an entity.  In order to make that happen we need to get our news out there to be published and gain some good publicity.

Why am I writing about persuasive press releases?

I was given the task to write a press release for PLC's first major event. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was up for the challenge. I sourced out mentors to help me develop a decent press release, but I knew I needed to develop my skills in the communication department to really contribute to vital communications, like a press release, for my organization. It is actually the reason why I decided to take Business Communications at Sheridan College. Naturally, when I saw the topic of Press Releases and a persuasive one at that, I knew it was a sign that not only did I pick the right course for me, but I can really put in the work to develop a first class press release for this year’s event. Funny how things work out.

Definitely keep checking in as we explore this journey of press releases and how we can get your news published.

Have you ever been presented with writing a communications you have had no experience with? How did you tackle this new task?