A press release is a brief informational message for the media.

It always contains news: an event, launch, research, official position, or company response to a newsworthy event.

It is not an advertising text, a social media post, or an attempt to ‘talk about the brand’s values.’. Press releases have different rules. A good release is based on three pillars, which we will discuss below.

Novelty

If the news could have been sent a year ago, it is not news. The editor must understand why this information is important right now.

How this looks in practice:

  • product launch (opening of an aerial yoga school, a new medical centre, a store competing with those who have left the market due to sanctions, etc.);
  • research, surveys (first clinical trials of a new flu vaccine);
  • a partnership that has not been reported anywhere else (Rubitech and Gazprombank have partnered in the development of innovation and high technology in the financial sector).

Relevance

The release should be on the agenda or answer questions that are being discussed right now. For example, a comment on changes in compulsory motor third-party liability insurance rates, an explanation of new tax rules, the launch of a new online product that solves a problem for the audience (for example, a legal intensive course on new legislative norms for experts working in a banned social network has been launched).

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Specifics

Numbers, facts, percentages, short formulations without fluff. The release should be based on official statistics, real data, and comments from practising experts. For example: not ‘the market is growing,’ but ‘according to the Central Bank, the number of corporate loans increased by 12% over the quarter’; not ‘we have improved our service,’ but ‘we have reduced the processing time for applications from 40 to 18 minutes, as confirmed by the results of measurements over three weeks.’

The same applies to expert inserts. If you are writing about a legal case, add a short comment from a lawyer; if you are talking about an industry trend, send a link to the research. Materials with this kind of texture are easier for journalists to work with: the text can be inserted into an article with almost no editing.

If the text lacks all of this, it becomes a regular marketing landing page, and editors will scroll past it in a second.

Common mistakes in writing press releases

These mistakes are found in all types of releases, from analytical to product-related. Some are so common that they have become classics of the genre.

Mistake #1. ‘Water’ and lack of usefulness

Here is an example of a phrase that kills a release in the second second: ‘We are pleased to announce that our company is actively developing…’. Journalists are very happy for you, of course, but there is no news here.

The most common comment from journalists is: ‘Too promotional’ or ‘No public significance’. If the release talks about how the company has improved something for itself but does not explain why it is important to readers, it will 100% end up in the bin.

Mistake #2. No newsworthy reason

This is another problem. Here, it is not about ‘usefulness’ but about the fact that there is simply no event in the release. Editors do not publish statements such as ‘We have improved customer service.’ This is internal information, but not news. However, ‘The company has tested an algorithm that has reduced response time by 30%’ is material that may be useful to industry and business media.

Mistake #3. No quote

Journalists often insert the words of an expert who really understands the subject into the text without a single edit. But a quote should be lively, short and to the point.

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