A well crafted press release can be one of the quickest ways to attract attention for your business. The reasons why most people don’t use press releases generally falls into two camps, PR either, universal press release they don’t know how to write one (we’ll address that here in this article) Second, PR they’ve tried press releases in the past and press release received less than positive results so they gave up.
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Press releases, especially online releases can get your business in front of millions of eyes in a matter of minutes. But before I get into specifics of crafting the release I want to assure you that if you follow the steps I’m going to outline below you’ll have the foundation of a winning press release that gets you noticed every time.
Here are my 3 keys to creating an attention grabbing press release.
Key #1. An attention grabbing press release starts with an attention grabbing headline. Your headline is the most important part of your release. Why? Because it’s the first piece of text your reader sees and… most importantly if chosen properly it will insure that the reader will continue reading. My suggestion, open your release with a powerful headline that stops the reader dead in his tracks.
Think about the results you want your reader to receive, PR what problem will you solve? For example, PR what questions have your customers been asking that your press release could address? Use that question as the title of your press release. I’ll use a fictional portrait photographer and universal press release I’ll name her Jennifer, Jennifer specializes in business portraiture. A problem she could address for universal PR the reader of this release in the the form of a question could be, “Is The Lack of a Professional Portrait Hurting Your Business Opportunities?” This question could be headline for the release.
On to Key number #2.
Key #2. Have the body copy of your press release flow naturally from your headline. So, if my headline is: “Is The Lack of a Professional Portrait Hurting Your Business Opportunities?” The next logical text would flow from that headline. For Jennifer she could bullet point each individual missed opportunity her reader will experience if they continue to avoid having their business portrait taken. Okay, so once you have your list of bullet points it’s time to move on to key #3.
Key #3. Know in advance what you want the reader to do before you write the press release In the case of Jennifer our photographer specializing in business portraits she wants to schedule more free consultations with the goal of booking more sessions. So after the body copy of the release Jennifer must close with a compelling offer that will make readers pick up the phone or go to her website to schedule their free consultation.
Jennifer’s sample closing: “If you dread having your portrait taken and your fear is now affecting your business opportunities I’d love to help. Contact me for a complimentary 15 minute: My Best Face Forward Makeover phone consultation”. This is where Jennifer can list her website or other contact information. The key is to motivate the reader to take action, press release in addition, Jennifer can sweeten the deal by offering the reader a special report or bonus CD/DVD or universal PR anything else that the reader would benefit from.
The bottom line, don’t miss out on an opportunity to attract more prospects because you’re afraid to write a release. Go ahead and craft one and “test drive” it with a few friends or former clients. Refine it and get it out there. You having nothing to lose and new clients to gain.