According to PR Newswire, 800 press releases are sent out via their service every day in the United States. WIth all of the noise, it’s hard to make your press release stand out. Here are 12 press release tips that will ensure your press release gets the most coverage.

Press Release Dos

  1. Create a click-worthy headline to capture your reader’s attention. Press release headlines should be short and include the most important information in the first 55-70 characters.
  2. Include 1-3 deep links high up in the release. Avoid using duplicate links and include homepage URLs in the boilerplate.
  3. Focus on formatting! Use bullets, lists and bold headings to break up the release and draw readers further down the page.
  4. Use a clear, bold CTA. This should be included after the first or second paragraph and should drive readers to the desired page. As an example, “Visit the Mindgruve blog to read our latest company news”
  5. According to PR Newswire, “including multimedia such as a photo, video, infographic or company logo has been proven to enhance SEO, pickup and engagement. Video is quickly becoming the preferred visual content type for online users, with 85% of US internet users viewing video online.”
  6. Consider social media when drafting your press release. Include testimonials and quotes that writers can easily copy and paste into a social share.

Press Release Don’ts

  1. Use complicated words or phrases to sound more professional. Instead, write conversationally.
  2. Forget subheads. Use subheads to include relevant keywords and provide more context on your announcement.
  3. Use the same URLs multiple times. Focus more on deep links to increase engagement and optimize your press release for SEO.
  4. Leave out your CTA. Without a clear CTA readers are less likely to take your desired action.
  5. Send your release at the most popular distribution time. Sending at the top of the hour or at the market open (9:30 am ET)/close (4pm ET) will increase competition. 
  6. Send without an image or video asset. 

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