Press releases can be a very effective marketing tool. They can be a great form of content marketing. Press releases can help you get thousands of pounds worth of free publicity in some cases.

But to be effective your press releases need to be well written.

Here are a five top writing tips that will improve any press release:

Make it timely if you can

This isn’t always easy to do, but press releases which are timely in some way – perhaps they are linked to the time of year or other news that is current at the moment – tend to be more effective.

When you write your release write about what is happening now, not what happened some time ago.

Base your press release on a single, strong USP

It’s generally impossible to include every feature and benefit of your product or service in a press release. So pick a single strong point – known as a unique selling proposition – to major on in your press release. Something unusual is good.

Tip. Incorporate this USP into your headline if you can.

Keep it factual …. and add facts and figures

Facts and figures add credibility to your press release. Research around your subject to find some relevant facts and figures, or compile your own. Again, all the better if they are timely or unusual ones.

Tip. Get the balance just right. Too many facts and figures can be off putting to readers unless your release is intended for a technical publication.

Incorporate some quotes

Quotes add both credibility and personality to a press release. If you don’t have any relevant quotes relating to your product or service then ask somebody who knows the subject to give you some. It’s also OK to include your own quotes in a press release in most cases.

Make it read like news

This is obvious, but so easy to forget. Press releases aren’t advertisements dressed up as news …. they should be news dressed up as interesting news! So, when you’ve finished your first draft read it through and make sure it feels like news.

Tip. To get ideas on what a ‘newsy’ style is take a look through your favourite magazines, newspapers and websites.

I hope you found that useful. For more help and advice with writing your press releases drop me an email at mark@markhempshell.com