Write better release openers Are you still using the fact pack — cramming who, what, when, where, why and how into the first paragraph of your news release? Are you still married to the dated “XYZ Company today announced …” approach? These conventional formulas to release leads are formulaic, old-fashioned and — let’s face it — dull. Both approaches slow the story down, … [Read more...] about Lead on
PR writing
Put people first
Optimize for readers & Google Press releases are a key tool for making your website findable. Because your headline gets a header (<h1>) tag on the portal, it can deliver huge SEO benefits. To take advantage of this opportunity, use a keyword in your headline. Here's how: Choose a keyword. That's one keyword. You can hurt your ranking in search results — … [Read more...] about Put people first
Writing in the wrong direction
PR pros give young professionals a failing grade Public relations supervisors give entry-level PR pros a failing grade in writing. In response, the supervisors plan to lower their expectations. That's according to a 2010 study (PDF) by researchers at Michigan State University and Calgary's Mount Royal University. In the study, more than 950 members of the Public … [Read more...] about Writing in the wrong direction
Boil down your boilerplate
Keep it short Most press release boilerplates — those "short" “About us” paragraphs at the end of a new release that describe your organization — are too long. I’ve seen boilerplates that are as long as 400 words. People: That’s too long for the average news release, let alone the boilerplate. Instead, keep your boilerplate to 100 words or less. Even better: Keep it under … [Read more...] about Boil down your boilerplate
Boil it down
Explain ‘About us’ in your boilerplate Boilerplates: Can’t live without ’em, can’t get a decent one through approvals. A boilerplate is the short “About us” paragraph at the end of your releases that describes your organization. It's the boilerplate’s ubiquitousness that makes it important. Your boilerplate gets used over and over again. Depending on the scope and … [Read more...] about Boil it down