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Tuesday, March 8, 2016

How to Write a Press Release Introduction

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

"It was a dark and stormy night."

A great piece of fiction only needs one line to set the tone of a story. Similarly, press releases need a great introduction to engage readers.

Because anyone can publish anything online, your audience must quickly decide whether or not your content is credible, meaningful, and relevant to them.

Our downloadable guide to crafting press releases that drive earned media shows how to plan a compelling press release strategy. Once you develop this strategy, you need to employ the same considerations in executing a compelling final product.

If you've persuaded your audience to read past your headline (which should include a trigger, keyword, adjective, and promise), the introduction is where you must seal the deal to keep them reading.

When writing a press release to promote your company’s news or marketing content, follow these tips to create a strong introduction that will hook the reader and give you the edge on discoverability.

1. Get to the point. The introduction, or lead paragraph, is your chance to tell the 10-second version of your story. You'll have the remainder of your news release to expand on the salient points.

2. Don’t force the writing process. When do you write your introduction? Before you write the story or after? If you're struggling with your introduction, try writing your introduction last. Tell the story and then tie it together with your introduction. Otherwise, if you have an irresistible idea for your intro, write it and lay out the rest of the release in order.

3. Focus on the why. Tried and true practices of answering the five Ws (who, what, where, when, and why) in a news release are still solid practice. Lead with the why. You have a very short window to get the reader's attention. Why does this story matter to them? Start with the why, then move on to the how and the what (where and when).

4. Know your audience's informational needs. Do they need background? Are they more interested in context? Or would they prefer an emotionally moving story? Remember, you made your audience a promise in your headline. Deliver on that promise and they'll keep reading.

5. Set the scene for your call to action. Include a call to action in the first 300 words of your press release (which carries on far beyond your lead, but is still an important element). The call to action tells the reader what you want them to do next: go here, download, share, click. Once you identify what that next step will be, make sure your introduction establishes an immediate and related connection between your press release's purpose and audience. That way, readers will be motivated to take the next step when they reach your call to action.

With everyone battling for attention, earned media is more difficult to get.

However, if your press release is easy to read, clearly states the why, and gives readers a reason to keep reading, you will get greater visibility for your brand and for your message. For journalists and other influencers, you're giving them a clean story in a format that's easy to repurpose.

Download Five Keys to Crafting Press Releases that Drive Earned Media for more press release writing and distribution tips.

Author Catherine Spicer is a manager of customer content services with more than 20 years' experience counseling brands on their content. She also authors Beyond PR's long-running Grammar Hammer series. Follow Cathy on Twitter @cathyspicer and tweet her your #grammargripes.

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Monday, March 7, 2016

[New Post] Influencer Insights: Media Moves and Intel for the Week of March 7

Influencer Insights: Media Moves and Intel for the Week of March 7

Nida Asheer

To keep up with today's media landscape, public relations professionals need to know not only who is going where, but also how to communicate more effectively with those journalists, bloggers, and influencers making moves.

This week's highlights include a new deputy style director at People, a new editorial projects director at Architectural Digest, and a review of four Tumblr blogs you should be reading.

Want even more media moves? Check out the latest issue of PR Newswire Media Moves on our Knowledge Center and follow @PRNMedia for daily updates.

1. The Wall Street Journal: Chris Kirkham (@c_kirkham) has joined @WSJ as a reporter covering real estate and home builders. Kirkham most recently specialized as a business reporter at the Los Angeles Times focusing on the California economy as well as at The Huffington Post in New York for more than three years. He also served as a staff writer at The Times-Picayune reporting on environmental issues, politics, and corruption. He will now be based in Los Angeles.

2. Architectural Digest: Vicky Lowry takes over as editorial projects director at @ArchDigest. She was most recently features director at Hearst magazines: Elle Decor, House Beautiful, and Veranda for four years. Prior to this role, Lowry served as executive editor at Elle Decor and Martha Stewart Living.

3. Business Insider: Josh Barro (@jbarro) is returning to @BusinessInsider as a senior editor and columnist. Barro was formerly a politics editor at the business publication before leaving to join The New York Times’ The Upshot as a correspondent in 2014. Although his exit from The New York Times may come as a surprise, Barro feels he can accomplish more as an opinion writer. He will also remain a contributor on MSNBC and continue to host his show “Left, Right & Center” on KCRW.

4. People Magazine: Sharon Clott Kanter (@sharonclott) has been named deputy style director at @People. Kanter has been with the magazine for nearly eight years and has had over a decade of experience in the fashion and style industry. Previous roles include senior editor at InStyle and fashion news editor for InStyle.com, editor/producer at MTV Style, and assistant fashion editor at New York Magazine.

5. The Village Voice: Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri) has been named a film critic at @villagevoice. He previously held the same position at Vulture as well as New York Magazine where he worked for fifteen years. Ebiri has also written for Bloomberg Businessweek, Rolling Stone Magazine, and Nashville Scene, and was Merrill Lynch’s vice president for content development and delivery for more than five years.

Influencer Intel of the Week: When planning your blogger outreach strategy, don’t forget about Tumblr blogs. In this issue of blog profiles, PR Newswire for Journalists highlights four influencers making a mark on Tumblr.

To reach the right journalists and influencers, you need up-to-date, accurate and in-depth intel. Request a demo of PR Newswire's Agility workflow platform to learn more about the strength of our media database, targeting, and monitoring tools.

Author Nida Asheer is a member of PR Newswire's audience research team, which makes thousands of updates weekly to the media database underpinning our Agility workflow platform. In her audience researcher role, she keeps an eye on the latest media moves and news throughout the Southwest region.