Tuesday Tip: Start with your quote

How to write a press release

When writing a press release the best place to start the process is with your quote. It’s the only place in a press release where you can express your own personality and feelings and overtly push your own agenda, the actual reason you are bothering with all the hassle of getting media coverage. You want to keep it short, around 50-75 words, and make sure each sentence can be used in its entirety, saving the difficulties of missing contexts.

You should always pitch journalists with a press release, including a quote in ideally in your third paragraph. When you put out press releases, journalists take this as permission to get in touch and ask to interview the person the buck stops with, the business founder or leader. If you’ve already given them a quote up front this saves you time and gives them the chance to quote you in the words you chose when you had the time to think about them.

For more advice on how to write press releases, including a proven formula for creating them which I was taught as a journalist and have used to secure 1000s of pieces of media coverage for my clients, read my new book Exposure (published June 2022) Get Exposure