Advertising is not an easy thing, and in this area you really need to know a lot and understand well. The most difficult PR text is a press release. Its structure often needs to be established by the organization, but there are already accepted standards, thanks to which you can try to create the perfect text.
What is it?
So what exactly is a press release? This is a press release, usually containing news about the organization that issues it. The text may also set out a position on any issue that is transmitted for publication in the media. With the help of such an advertising document, any company can inform the media about situations that have developed, important events, their position, etc.
Preparation and writing
It is imperative to understand which events can be covered in a press release and which will be ignored. You should start writing the text if you are sure that it will really be interesting to someone. Uninformative and uninteresting press releases can not even be sent to journalists, because they do not even pay attention to them.
It is better if you follow some rules:
- information should be interesting, professionally oriented, the right audience;
- it must be relevant, topical, new and reference;
- It should be written simply and easily so that the reader perceives it well, but at the same time be socially significant;
- it is advisable to use the appeals of the leaders of the organization, the authoritative opinion of experts.
The text must be accurate, in which case it will not need to be redone, which means it can be published in the press. You need to work on every press release in order to gain credibility and earn the respect of the media.
The most common is the announcement of the event. He is often covered in press releases. It can be dedicated to some significant event or it will summarize the work done, or maybe it will tell about the achievements of the company.
Structure
So, the structure of the press release is perhaps known to almost all copywriters - the “inverted pyramid”. It is on this principle that the essence should be stated. In this case, at first we are talking about the most important thing, and then details are already told.
What the press release consists of:
- heading
- lead;
- main text;
- "a cap".
This is a classic text structure that has been adopted by many organizations.
Headline
Press releases in the press should stand out and be remembered. The reader begins with the title of the article; accordingly, it is extremely important that it carries an informational reason. The headline should attract attention and interest. It’s better not to use more than 15 words. Under it, it is sometimes necessary to indicate the date of the news and the section where it should be published.
Lead
This is the first paragraph of the text on which the entire text rests. He is needed for full disclosure of news. It is better to use important facts in it. At the same time, you should not load it with unnecessary information, so you have to fit in 40 words. Starting a text is confident, but writing is important - concisely.
Copywriters know that a lead should answer five important questions: “who?”, “What?”, “When?”, “Where?” And “why?”.
Main text
Further, in the structure of the press release, you need to tell all the details. Here, the reader may need details of what may await him. But this does not mean that you need to "pour water" and confuse everyone. It is necessary to adhere to brevity, but each time ask yourself the question “how?”. Only in this way will it be possible to write an informative text. It is better if the event does not stretch over dozens of paragraphs, and it is also recommended to use only 3-4 sentences in each paragraph.
"A cap"
This is also an important element in the structure of the text, which is also called help. Here it is necessary to tell a little about the organization:
- a couple of suggestions about the company, work, services or products, projects and everything that is related to the topic of the press release;
- full name of the company, its data (address, phone, etc.);
- You can write general information about the organization (by whom it was founded, when it appeared, occupation, etc.);
- at the end it is necessary to indicate the information about the author of the press release (his F. I. O., phone number).
Custom approach
But the structure of the press release may be somewhat different from the “inverted pyramid principle.” It is important to understand that journalists are busy people, so they don’t have much time to study your text. It is extremely important to interest them from the first words, to convince that this text really needs to be printed, that it will be interesting and relevant.
In this case, some copywriters invert the text pyramid again. Thus, at the beginning of the press release they have the main meaning and conclusion, and only after that - specifics with arguments. By the way, this presentation of information is used for mailing by e-mail and in selling texts.
Nuances
Of course, in writing the text a lot depends on the advertising copywriter. This must be a true professional and expert in his field. He must understand and be able to write the necessary information. That is why many people turn to PR agencies, because finding a freelancer who can work with press releases is not easy. Experience is crucial in this matter.
The task of the copywriter in this work is to write a document for the press. This should not be a news article, painted in detail and taking into account all genres of aspects. This is a message to reporters about the upcoming event.
Special view
A press release is often an announcement of events, messages about organizations and their plans, etc. But there is such a thing as a “communique”. This is a kind of press release that relates more to international relations and politics.
Typically, such a text contains information about the outcome of negotiations, agreements, key points of the whole state, the course of military operations, gatherings, summits, etc. A communiqué can be written at once from two parties. The text will indicate not only positive points, but also disagreements. But this does not mean that it is an international treaty.
Examples
It doesn’t matter whether it is a press release of events in the library or a text from the city administration, you still have the opportunity to write an interesting message.
Some copywriters believe that in order to write an interesting press release, you need to move away from all the canons that were adopted 20 years ago, and use the principle of selling texts as writing. Of course, in this case, the AIDA model will look a little different, but it will definitely help to catch the reader’s attention and arouse interest. By the way, many believe that in the press release as much as 90% of the success belongs to the cool headline.
The most interesting and memorable example of a press release is the appeal of Michael Jordan. What is it remembered for? In 1995, the athlete decided to announce his return to basketball. But he did it very unusual. His press release consisted of only two words: "I am back." At the moment, this is perhaps the shortest announcement of the event.
How to write?
Now more and more copywriters say that it is necessary to move away from the usual structures, and to interest not only the content, but also the form. But so far, not all press services are ready to change dramatically, so they often use the “inverted pyramid principle” when writing.
But even with such a structure, it is interesting to write a text. The main thing is to do it when there really is something to say. At the same time, writing is important simply and clearly, so that readers are interested. It’s not worth it to ornately describe events and use the “decorations” of the text. The main thing is that the reader understands what you wanted to convey to him.
Open events in every possible way: using text, illustrations, photos, videos, quotes, etc. Do not clutter up paragraphs with a large number of sentences, but remember that one paragraph is one thought.
It’s better not to abuse the adjectives, but take up the quotes well. There should be a lot of them, but it is better if these are the words of leaders or opinion leaders.