Press releases are a valuable tool that can be used in a variety of mediums – on your website, in a blog, repurposed into a video and more. Because it’s applicable in so many places, it’s important to review the etiquette that make news releases effective, and the blunders that make them a fail. Let’s start with the latter. Your press release should not include:

An advertisement. A press release shouldn’t be “Look at me, buy me buy me!” It’s a medium to distribute your news to interested parties, whether it’s the media, your customers, prospects or stakeholders. Selling your product too hard and ignoring the real purpose of a press release (news!) is one of the number one ways to get blacklisted. You should be selling a story that creates a connection and makes people interested in your brand instead – that’s how a press release can lead to sales.

Writing in all caps. There are other ways to grab reader attention instead of writing in caps lock. Writing in all uppercase is an easy way to deter readers from your release because it comes across as yelling. Only caps lock words that are necessary, such as CEO – not a sentence or a phrase that doesn’t need it.

Excessive jargon. News releases are important because they give news access to a variety of audiences. That being said, you should be writing for all of your potential audiences, not just one. Using overly-technical language may cause readers to abandon your release simply because they don’t understand it. Make sure to write acronyms out and use simplified terms for words that are industry specific to increase readership.

What are some press release additions that you’d rather not see? Tune into our blog on Wednesday for Three Things to Include in Your Press Release That You May Have Forgotten.

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Filed under: Content by Stacey Acevero