If you want to increase awareness of your brand through the media, you are going to need to be able to nail a pretty good press release.

Whilst it may seem as though there is an art to crafting and pitching the perfect piece, there are a number of key components that everyone needs to consider when drafting a press release:

Make it Newsworthy
This may an obvious one, but make sure that your press release is actually newsworthy and would be something your audience is interested in

Something that you may consider newsworthy may not appeal in the same way to journalists and their readers.

Our advice? Take the time to review the type of content or news stories that your target media publications feature to ensure you don’t waste time or annoy any potential media contact with the wrong type of information. So many businesses get this initial step wrong and then wonder why they struggle to achieve coverage.

Create an attention-grabbing headline
Journalists receive hundreds of press releases each and every day, so it’s important that your headline catches their attention as they filter through their inbox. Your headline needs to capture your story in an exciting way, to grab attention and illustrate that your release is a newsworthy one!

Include the 5 W’s
Make sure you answer the 5 W’s (who, what, where, when and why) in your press release, to ensure you have included all vital information. For those new to the realm of press releases, following the 5 W’s will give you a clear structure whilst ensuring you stay on piste without being too self-promotional.

Keep it concise
A press release should ideally be around 400 words, written on 1 side of A4. Journalists do not have time to read a press release any longer than this and may lose interest in your story if the release is too long. If your press release is longer than 1 side of A4, there is too much information included and needs to be cut down to the vital facts. Keep your sentences short, factual and relevant.

Provide contact details
It is important to include contact details that can be used if additional information is needed for a journalist to report on your story. If you forget to include these details, journalists may overpass your release if they are unable to write a good story based on th content alone.

If you’re interested in knowing more about how Make More Noise can help you gain press coverage for you and your company, contact us today at hello@makemorenoise.co.uk or call us on 0121 312 1177.