A press release is a 400- to 600-word article that aims to generate positive media coverage about your company. Lakeland public relations companies use press releases to announce a new product or service, report about the company’s earnings, clear up issues and scandals, and even introduce a new president or CEO.

But writing a press release is much harder than it sounds, which is why companies hire PR companies to make sure that the press release is up to industry standards and can be distributed to as many media outlets as possible.

There are three main parts of a press release and these are all important to attract the attention of customers/clients and create a positive wave of influence among media outlets.

The goal is for media outlets to believe your company and its products and services are so important that they need to attend a press conference, seminar, or exhibit that you are hosting.

A compelling headline

A press release has to have a headline that will garner the attention of journalists and specific individuals targeted in the PR. From the headline alone, the reader should have an idea that the PR is something important; something that he can’t pass on.

It should use the right action words. A headline should also be packed with information without giving too much. It should tease the reader to click on the link or open the email. This is the first line that your audience will see about the PR. It should hook the readers.

A powerful lead paragraph

Most people will only browse the lead (the first) paragraph of a news article. That’s why you need to make that lead paragraph as attention-grabbing as possible.

The reason why many press releases fail in its objective is that PR writers treat a press release like a thesis where the first few paragraphs are an introduction to the topic.

This is wrong. The lead paragraph should hook the readers and let them know what’s in store for them in the body and conclusion. It should be informative but not too much that it will reveal all the details of the topic.

An informative body

All the details about the subject matter will fall in the body of the press release. Every date, every quote, every statistic will be included in the body.

If a reader was so attracted by the headline and lead paragraph that he decided to read through the whole press release, he must be rewarded with as many details as possible about the topic.