If you know you need to be issuing press releases, but aren’t sure exactly how to do it, this class will provide the pragmatic steps you’re looking for. From researching a topic, to choosing words to describe your news, to sentence structure and paragraph length, these slides will cover it all in a fun and non-intimidating way. No longer fear the blank white page and have confidence when distributing your press release. Who Should Read This: Anyone who wants media coverage. Entrepreneurs, Small Business Owners, MidMarket Executives, Executive Assistants, Public Relations Professionals, Marketing Professionals, Social Media Professionals, and Interns. About the Presenter: Rebecca Bredholt is a Manager of Vocus Marketing Consultants, the parent company to PRWeb. Rebecca helps her clients to grow their marketing, public relations and social media efforts by designing campaigns and creating deliverables. Rebecca focuses on assisting clients make a successful transition from traditional marketing to digital marketing. As her client’s consultant, she works one-on-one with companies and communication professionals to guide them through every step of their online marketing, from strategy to set-up to execution. Please note that PRWeb was acquired in 2006, as Vocus’ online news release service. PRWeb is the leader in online news distribution and publicity. http://service.prweb.com/about/

1. How To Write
(incredibly awesome)
Press Releases
Rebecca Bredholt
Marketing Consultant Manager

2. Agenda
8:30-8:45am Introduction to News
8:45-9:00am Headline Worksheet
9:00-9:30am Introduction to Press Releases
9:30-9:45am PR Worksheet
9:45-10:00am Q & A
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3. What is News?
“If you really want to get the attention of a
serious journalist working at a serious publication
, talk realistically about impact.
My editor always asks, ‘So what, who cares?’
Tell people in that industry why they should care.”
— Andy Ashby, Memphis Business Journal
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4. What is News?
• Hard News
• Soft News
• Timely News
• Evergreen News
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5. Hard News
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6. Hard News
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7. Tweet with us: @Vocus #PRWeb

8. Soft News
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9. Timely News
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10. Evergreen News
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11. Headline Worksheet
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12. Introduction to Press Releases
• Newswires are meant to distribute hard news.
• Press releases are not long advertisements.
• Some content is better off as a blog.
• Your news competes with everything online.
• Most businesses have news & don’t realize it.
• Typos and spelling errors last forever online.
• PRWeb Editorial Guidelines are definitive.
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13. Tweet with us: @Vocus #PRWeb

14. Steps to Writing Press Releases
1. Have News
2. Do Your Homework
3. Write the Body Copy First
4. Write the Summary Next
5. Write the Headline Last
6. Edit/Proofread
7. Publish!
8. Begin the “real work”
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15. Headline
• Short (no more than 80 characters with spaces)
• Provides information; not a marketing pitch or advertisement
• Clarifies timely news
• In Title Case
• Gets a reader’s attention quickly
• Makes the reader want to learn more
• Third person objective voice
• Company name and/or keyword prominent
• Place specified, not just “local”
• *SEO Tip: Google may not index the release if the headline is longer than 22 words
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Necessary Components of a
PRWeb Press Release

16. Necessary Components of a
PRWeb Press Release
Summary
• One to two sentences long
• Contains the essence of the release, useful for skimming the copy
• Use to your advantage – make it enticing enough to compel readers
to read on (the summary and headline are visible in search engines)
• Keyword, or alternative, should appear
• *SEO Tip: For complete Google indexing, 152 characters
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17. Body
• Neat, tidy, error-free and not too long
• Divided into paragraphs of roughly 3-5 lines
• Often contains a quote after the first or second paragraph
• 300 – 800 words long, or roughly one single-spaced page in a
standard word processor
• Keeps to a single news event, offering supporting information in
reverse importance from the top down
• *SEO Tip: Be careful to avoid the appearance of keyword stuffing; more
important to have well written, compelling content
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Necessary Components of a
PRWeb Press Release

18. Everybody hates writing the first sentence
• Fact: “Rare personalized paintings from Jon Doe will be auctioned off
at the South County weekend fair.”
• Fact: “This is the only opportunity to purchase one of these paintings
before the National Museum hosts them indefinitely.”
• Fact: “The paintings are valued at more than $100,000 and the
bidding will start at $100.”
• Fact: “The fair will take place at the downtown convention center
and parking is free.”
• Fact: “The fair starts Friday at 9 p.m. and runs through Sunday at 1
p.m. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in cash at the gate.”
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Necessary Components of a
PRWeb Press Release

19. Boilerplate
• “About the Company”
• Keyword prominent
• By definition, “A unit of writing that can be used over and over
without change.”
• Establishes special credentials, awards, appearances, etc.
• Followed by a safe harbor statement, if it is a financial release
• *SEO tip: Good for SEO to have keyword included here.
Tweet with us: @Vocus #PRWeb
Necessary Components of a
PRWeb Press Release

20. Search Engine Optimization
• Optimizing a press release means making sure
your content contains the same words/phrases
that your target audience is going to use when
searching for said content.
• The best way to be optimized, is to be relevant
and write naturally.
• Bad tactics include cramming words/phrases in
an unnatural way into headlines and sentences.
Please read this article:
http://www.bloggingprweb.com/building-the-press-of-the-future
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21. Choosing your Release Options
• Date and time
• Regional focus
• Industry focus
• Media Lists
• Financial information
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22. Expert Tips
• Newsjack
• Publish early in the morning
• Pitch journalists offering an exclusive
quote to go with online release
• Tweet your own horn using a
popular/relevant hashtag
• Offer statistical context
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23. PR Worksheet
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24. Questions?
How To Write
(incredibly awesome)
Press Releases
Rebecca Bredholt
Marketing Consultant Manager

25. Resources
Synonyms
http://thesaurus.com/
National Events/Holidays
http://www.holidayinsights.com/everyday.htm
Grammar Guides
http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/affect-effect-
grammar.html
PRWeb Editorial Guidelines
http://service.prweb.com/learning/article/editorial-guidelines/
Help a Reporter Out
www.helpareporterout.com
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26. Questions to help you find your news
Has anything happened in national news, local news, or industry news
in the last 60 days that you could offer an opinion on, insight into or
context around?
Have you noticed one area of your business growing/shrinking more
than another? Is there anything happening in the current political or
economic environment that might be contributing to this?
Are there more competitors or fewer competitors in your industry today
than a year ago? Why/why not?
How have your customers’ needs changed in the last year? Why? How
has your product or service evolved to meet that changing need?
Are there any local or national political/government changes taking
place that could affect your business? If so, how to do you plan to
respond or adapt? What advice would you give others in your same
situation?
Tweet with us: @Vocus #PRWeb

27. Questions to help you find your news
Have you or your business made any charitable contributions
lately? Or anyone on your staff?
Have there been any weather events making headlines that your
product, service or expertise could speak to?
What are the top 5 or 10 mistakes that are common in your
industry? How can one avoid or fix these errors?
If you’ve implemented a social media campaign as a small
business, what lessons did you learn?
Tweet with us: @Vocus #PRWeb

28. Questions to help you find your news
If you have content on your website, which sections are the most
popular? Have those sections increased or decreased in visits over the
last month or quarter? Why do you think that is? Has a national or local
event happened that may have affected that page’s popularity during
that time? Ex: National Spa Week causes increased website traffic to
Spa Directory website.
If you’re an entrepreneur, what 5 pieces of advice would you offer other
entrepreneurs in your local area? In your industry? For your gender?
For your marital status? For your age in life?
What tips can you offer people looking for your product or service?
What qualifications in a service provider should they look for? What
product guarantees should be standard?
Tweet with us: @Vocus #PRWeb

29. Questions to help you find your news
Tweet with us: @Vocus #PRWeb
Has anything happened in national news, local news, or
industry news in the last 60 days that you could offer
an opinion on, insight into or context around?
Have you noticed one area of your business
growing/shrinking more than another? Is there
anything happening in the current political or
economic environment that might be contributing to
this?
Are there more competitors or fewer competitors in
your industry today than a year ago? Why/why not?
How have your customers’ needs changed in the last
year? Why? How has your product or service evolved
to meet that changing need?
Are there any local or national political/government
changes taking place that could affect your business? If
so, how to do you plan to respond or adapt? What
advice would you give others in your same situation?
Have you or your business made any charitable
contributions lately? Or anyone on your staff?
Have there been any weather events making headlines
that your product, service or expertise could speak to?
• What are the top 5 or 10 mistakes that are common in
your industry? How can one avoid or fix these errors?
• If you have content on your website, which sections are
the most popular? Have those sections increased or
decreased in visits over the last month or quarter? Why
do you think that is? Has a national or local event
happened that may have affected that page’s
popularity during that time? Ex: National Spa Week
causes increased website traffic to Spa Directory
website.
• If you’ve implemented a social media campaign as a
small business, what lessons did you learn?
• If you’re an entrepreneur, what 5 pieces of advice
would you offer other entrepreneurs in your local area?
In your industry? For your gender? For your marital
status? For your age in life?
• What tips can you offer people looking for your
product or service? What qualifications in a service
provider should they look for? What product
guarantees should be standard?

30. Thank You
How To Write
(incredibly awesome)
Press Releases
Rebecca Bredholt
Marketing Consultant Manager