When you’re a small business owner, entrepreneur, or even trying to build your personal brand, you understand that you really need to be a jack-of-all-trades. Trying to do it all can include everything from being a photographer, to a stylist, to your receptionist and accountant. Most importantly, if you want the world to know about your business, and increase publicity that can lead to more customers, then you need to learn how to be a PR specialist as well, sharing your story with the world through a well put-together press release.

If you’re an entrepreneur, here’s a secret: before beginning to write your next press release, you should have a keen focus on who your target is. Armed with that information, imagine what your consumers read in terms of publications.

Research them down, see if they’re relevant for your brand and if they run a special section that would host your info. Narrow the list and start writing the press release according to their specific needs for submissions. Choose a catchy title and write to them attaching the complete document. If they like what they see case, the journalists will reach out to ask for more or they might even just publish it accordingly!

At the House PR, we have tested multiple approaches to find the best results from producing a press release, from making something old sound like new, to selling products through telling great stories and we’re sharing with you what traits we’ve seen work best.

No matter the business you’re doing your next press release for is, here’s our proven experience in what worked:

• Target – Think about the publications that connect with your potential customer or market, and target them accordingly. If you write a press release meant to reach business magazines, you should know by heart their specific focus and the structure of their releases. For example, if you write about a recently launched business, you should pitch for their “Start-up” section.
• Honesty – Put soul in everything you say, and you’ll make every story you share with the press come alive. If your words are honest, people can really feel it. Just like when you’re telling a story, written language no is different; if you know what to say, words come out fluently and there is no artificial touch in your press release.
• Respect – Aim to break the formal link between you and a journalist, even if you don’t know the person. Make the introduction and correspondence comfortable, this is how they’ll begin to establish trust with you. However, never lose track of the fact that you aim to build a professional relationship, so you should never take things for granted. Thank for any given space in any publication; make sure you show respect for someone else’s work.
• Precision – Be concise. Do not mess around with long stories and do not write literature if there is no need for that. A short message/announcement might be a lot more impactful than a 2-3-page press release and you can ensure that readers have taken in the message you’re hoping to get across.
• Engagement – Feeling is very important in any written material. Create the feeling that there are things happening behind your brand and there are a lot of them waiting to be announced. Leave the impression that the readers should keep an eye on you for more.
• (Hi)Story – Think like you’re a new to the market and you have to “sell” your brand, to convince the audience that you’re the best. Every time you write a press release, even if it’s just adding a new product to your roster, don’t forget to include a short story about the brand.
• Power – If you feel inspired, definitely jot down the title for your release and write out the material. However, at the end of the creative process you should check it again to see if it summarizes the information and if it is powerful enough to catch an eye. Strong headers can be the difference between someone reading your release, or simply glazing over it.

For more impactful results, you should talk to a PR specialist.

Join our PR chat on Facebook at facebook.com/yessupply to get your PR questions answered by Valeria herself! To participate, follow the House PR and Yes Supply Co. on Facebook. and ask your PR related questions in the comments box of this image:

On Saturday October 17th at 11:59 PM EST we’ll announce one active participant in the chat who will receive a free PR consultation from Valeria to help them kick-start their own press release!

Good luck!

—

Guest post by Valeria Tudor, the founder of The House PR Agency, a creative project breaking out from classical agency patterns. It is a place where the expertise from the UK blends with the local communication practices. As a communicator, Valeria has a distinct background; she worked during the past years for clients in various fields, from agriculture to beauty. She believes that one can grow businesses and people in a beautiful distinct manner, this is why she also encourages the launch of a fresh mindset in the industry she is involved in, bringing a new approach to PR. 

–

Image of desktop from instagram.com/wovenandwed