Press Release Expert Dan Janal

Many people mistakenly think a press release can only contain news, such as announcing a new product, hiring a new CEO, announcing earnings results or winning an award. True, those are the bread and butter of press releases, but press releases can contain so many more interesting topics that can help you get free publicity.

Here are five topics for press releases that you should consider writing.

1.     Press releases don’t have to be based on news. They just need to be interesting. That’s why you see successful companies use feature articles and information articles as press releases. That’s because newspapers and magazines write feature articles and how-to articles. These press releases help reporters who write those kinds of stories.

2.     Press releases can be based on opinion. If you want to take issue with a government policy, a research report or a new book’s thesis, you can do so in a press release. These press releases help position you as a thought leader who is unafraid to buck conventional thinking.

3.     Press releases can be short. If you can tell the story in 100 words, then do so. A simple job promotion or an event can be told by answering the who, what, when, why, where and how that should be the cornerstone of any press release.

4.     Press releases can be long. In the old days, newspapers had a limited size. On the Internet, space is not an issue. You can tell your story in as much detail as you like. Of course, people have limited attention spans, so you might want to take that into account. On the other hand, people who have a vested interest in your issue will want to read as much info as they can get their hands on.

5.     You can put footnotes into a press release! This is great for the scientific press releases that need to conform to their industry’s need to document each source. Just put a superscript in the text and the corresponding footnote at the end of the press release. Reporters and readers will know what to do with it. If possible, add a link to the original source material if it is online.

For more ideas on writing great press releases, go to PressReleaseSender.com