A press release is a written announcement with the sole purpose of giving information to journalists and bloggers. Everyday thousands of companies fight to get their voice heard by announcing important news/events in their organizations. Beyond corporate organizations, small and medium business owners now use press releases to boost their exposure and connect with the media as well.
There are different types of press release and it is very important to understand the differences between each of them. Generally, press releases have the same structural rules, but the style or tone of writing can be different in a sense depending on the type of press release.
No matter the type of press release you want to write, you would need to craft a captivating title, write a powerful introduction including the 5Ws (Who, What, When, Why, and Where), the second paragraph extending your points or announcement, two quotes from a company executive, another paragraph to wrap up the announcement and a boilerplate.
Here are 9 Types of Press Releases
1. Product Launch Press Release
Businesses write product launch press releases to announce the launch of a new product into the market. When you create a new product in the market, you must have been able to create something unique to your competitors and try to solve people’s problems in a more efficient way; these points form the foundation of the newsworthiness of a product press release.
An effective product press release should focus on what makes your product different and what your target customers have to gain when compared to available solutions. A journalist would be interested in knowing how a new product displays its own innovation and the quality of solution it provides.
When you have been able to create a list of your unique selling points (USP), then you will craft your release around those features in a way that conforms with press release standards without making it appear like a sales copy. Although your ultimate goal is to increase sales, when writing the press release, the goal would be amplifying the core features that make your product unique and attention-worthy.
2. Event Press Release
An event press release is the type of press release written when the main focus is announcing an upcoming or recently held event. The type of press release written for a recently held event is called a Post-Event Press Release. A well-written event press release should clearly state When the event would take place and Where.
Conventionally, a press release must contain the 5 Ws, but only an event press release fully captures this. A product launch press release might miss the Where, since it is not an event so expect the launch will be held as an event. For most product launch press releases the where would be the product page, where the product can be found.
An event press release should capture the 5 Ws in the first paragraph of the press release, showing WHO (Who will be speaking at the event or the company holding the event), WHERE (The venue of the event and the web link it the event is taking place online), and WHAT (what the event is all about. What is the essence of the event?). The WHY (This can cover why the event is important showing the reason for people to care and try to attend the event, and last point, and WHEN (this is the time the event will be taking place and this covers the date, and time.
3. Business Launch Press Release
You should definitely blow the bells and whistles when you are about launching a new business. Launching a new business is no small feat and you definitely would want to get the word out about it. The next step now is how to write a winning business launch press release.
A well-written business launch press release should focus on what makes the business different and it can do things in a different way. Your press release should show why the business is news-worthy and what the local community stands to gain if your business is focused on serving a local area. The press release should try to amplify the quality and experience of your staff, your service delivery processes, your goals and how you plan to achieve it, and your launch offer or pricing.
The press release should include relevant images, like your office images or the founder’s image. You should have relevant links to the press release. This is very important for your website SEO as it kind of introduces the website to Google as a brand appearing on a news site. Include a link to a landing page as well, where you can capture emails or get to have people ask questions.
5. New Hire Press Release
A new hire press release basically announces your company just announced a new staff. A new hire press release is a common practice by organizations who try to project their company as a quality brand attracting the best talent across to its team. The newsworthiness of a new hire press release would depend on the brand power of a business and the reputation of the new hire.
If your new hire is replacing an executive in your company, you might want to include the name of the executive to be replaced in the press release. You should add a quote from the new hire to the press release. Most times, new hires would comment on how they are happy joining your company and how much they would love to be a part of the company’s success.
You should also get a quote from a top level executive in the company or the Human Resources Manager, stating why they feel the new hire would be a perfect for the position and how glad the company is to have his/her experience and capacity used to drive the company forward. Add the name of the new hire to the title of the press release and start off the introduction by let the world know why the staff was hired and what he/she hopefully brings on board.
6. Rebranding Press Release
A re-branding press release is usually done when a company changes its brand/corporate identity or a significant detail about the company’s brand. Change can be chaotic for any organisation if not properly managed as people are naturally inclined to settle for whatever is familiar. During any rebranding process, clear and timely communication is very crucial.
A press release is an effective way to send clear information in a timely manner to the press. Doing this will help the company control the conversation surrounding the transition without giving room to bloggers who often make information/news chaotic in the present social media age.
A rebranding press release should cover why the company is taking a bold step, what the new identity entails, and how the company will be better positioned to deliver on its corporate goals. When writing a rebranding press release, you will need to deploy the power of storytelling to create some buzz around the process and give the media something interesting to share with their audience.
It is very important to try to understand how people would perceive or think about the change. You will need to have an idea of what might be the fears of your customers, stakeholders, and staff about the new transition. Having this idea will help you know how to address those fears by issuing out consistent press releases so as not to give room for disinformation.
7. Expert Position Press Release
An expert position press release is not so popularly used like others, but it is an effective tool in personal or corporate branding. This is a type of press release used to establish a brand’s credibility or authority in a field. The focus is to present the person or company as an authoritative source of ideas in the industry and can be used as a reference on relevant industry topics.
An expert position press release takes a different form when compared to other types of press releases. It is written in a strong third-party tone and only cites the expert as a source of information or reference in the press release. This way the journalist would view the expert as an authority whose opinion can be trusted.
8. Partnership Press Release
A partnership press release is written when a company partner with another organization in furtherance of its corporate goals. Just like a rebranding press release, a partnership press release aims at announcing a crucial change in the company’s operations and this requires a lot of attention.
A partnership announcement press release must be thoroughly reviewed and approved before it’s sent to the media. This is done to avoid any form of miscommunication between the company and the public. A partnership press release should explain why the company is doing a partnership, the benefits attached, and how the company plans to move forward with the partnership process and the expected changes.
A quote can be added from the top management level of both companies. This helps in sharing why the partnership was initiated, the shared corporate value, and how it benefits both organizations and improves service delivery.
9. Award Press Release
An award press release is written to announce a company or an individual has been recognized for achieving a milestone or winning a competition. Award press release can be very useful in boosting personal brand, and it’s used by PR Agencies when trying to boost the image of their clients.
When a company wins an award, the next step would be to announce the recognition as it can help boost investor confidence and overall industry positioning. Customers love to associate with winning organizations and an award is definitely a good way to showcase such a feat.
The first paragraph should clearly state when the award was issued, where it was issued, and who issued the award. The credibility of the issuer definitely determines the credibility of the award and how people perceive its importance. If the award places your company as the best in your country, region, or state, this simply positions you as an industry leader within that geographical location and you will need to emphasize this right from the title.
Conclusion
Press releases are effective when written the right way and this can only happen when you understand the type of press release you are about to write. A well-written press release will appeal to the media and be relevant to your audience so the more reason to understand the best type of press release for your news and how to write it.
