10 Biggest Mistakes When Writing A Press Release

by LYNN JULIAN Jewelry Designer, Songwriter, Musician

What information to include when writing a press release can get confusing. There is so much information available on the Internet for any given company or brand. Learning what makes a press release successful starts with reviewing and implementing the successful strategies of large corporations.

1. PR Is Too Long

The first mistake to avoid is making a press release too longer. As a general rule, the longer the press release, the less interest it holds and the less likely it is to get published. So be sure to keep your PR (press release) to 5 paragraphs or less.

2. PR Lacks Focus

A perfect press release can say everything important in only 300 to 500 words. A longer PR lacks focus on one specific subject or topic about the business. IE. If writing a press release to promote a specific product, don’t divert the focus by discussing additional products or services.

3. PR Links Come Too Soon

In this age of the Internet, it’s all about driving traffic to your website. This leads to the common mistake of putting the company’s URL in the 1st paragraph of the press release. This is a BIG NO NO when you try to submit your PR on the Internet. Keep the links to a maximum of 3-5, and never put a URL link in the first paragraph of a press release.

4. PR Marketed To The Wrong Target Audience

Every press release should target their audience AND the press they are courting to publish it. Always target your PR to the correct audience and press. For example, never submit a press release for a clothing company to an car magazine.

5. PR Released Too Late To Be Newsworthy

Timing is everything when it comes to the press release. All PR should be written and distributed immediately after the current event it’s promoting to assure it’s relevance. Why? Distributing a press release months after winning the reward it’s announcing would “old news,” and, therefore, of little interest.

6. PR Released Too Late For Publication

Timing is everything when it comes to the press release. All PR should be written and distributed or at least 4 weeks before the upcoming event it’s announcing to assure it’s relevance Why? Releasing PR 4 weeks or more in advance gives newspapers the “lead time” they need to contact the PR person, verify the information, do an interview and publish an article.

7. PR Missing Contact Information

Every press release must include contact information for editors and publishers to follow up on the PR story. The contact person is a key representative of the business, and should be readily available if additional information or an interview is requested by a publisher. If the PR’s primary contact is unavailable near a publisher’s deadline, the business will lose out on the free publicity garnered by having their press release published.

8. PR Does Not Contain Any Quotes

Good press releases contain great quotes. Quotes can come from any “expert,” key members of the business being promoted or satisfied customers. The key to remember is that everyone featured in a press release must be named and information provided on how they represent the business.

9. PR Does Not Open With Most Important Facts

Every press release should open with the most important details and end with the least important ones. The technical name for this style of writing is called an “inverted pyramid.” As a general rule, the last paragraph of a PR contains a short company biography with a URL link.

10. PR Has Poor Distribution

Even a perfectly written press release may never be read or published...if it never gets properly distributed. Don’t simply post PR on your website and think publishers and press will “find it.” Always use a press release distribution company to properly publish your press releases. There are 100+ free press release publication websites on the Internet. There are even companies that will submit your PR to ALL of them for a small fee. Don’t skimp on distribution!