Perfect Press Release Length to Improve Visibility

Writing a press release can be an ardent task, especially if you are new to writing them. They require a lot of effort and special attention. This is because journalists have a very limited amount of time, hence it is important to now the press release length. They do not spare more than a minute to go through a press release, and decide whether they are interested in the pitch or not. Therefore, writing a proper press release is absolutely crucial to ensure correct pitching. But don’t worry. With the passage of time, and after writing multiple press releases, you can easily understand how to write a press release that will grab everyone’s attention.

While there are many factors which influence the effectiveness of a press release, the most vital one is the length of a press release. Anyone who is stepping into the world of press releases often wonders what is the right press release length? What is the perfect press release length to improve visibility? Whether they should follow a specific standard of press release length or not. The purpose of this article is to understand how the perfect press release length plays an important role in gaining the attention of the right audience and how the right kind of material can be placed in the limited press release length.

Common Mistakes in Press Release

There are a few common mistakes that everyone makes when they start working on a press release. They are discussed as below:

1)Writing a Too Long Press Release

Mostly the press release marketing department assumes that by including everything in a press release, their chances are higher to attract the journalists. Due to this, they write extremely lengthy press releases which include each and every detail about the product. Some press releases even have details about the organization.

All this information is too much for any journalist. Due to this the relevancy decreases and does not hold any interest for the journalist. Elaborate descriptions are included in the press release which is not required in the pitch. This is why the length increases rapidly rendering it useless in the eyes of a journalist and making it a far cry from it being the perfect press release length.

Mostly, when too many details are added in a press release, everything is written in the form of paragraphs which does not appeal to the reader.

2) Writing a Too Short Press Release

In the opposite scenario, in order to keep it short and precise, people write very short press releases. Even though this may sound like a better idea but, unfortunately, it is not. A press release that is too short fails to include all the important information in a press release. It is considered incomplete and holds little to no interest for journalists. It also does not fall in the category of the perfect press release length.

3) Too Many Multimedia In Your Press Release

Oftentimes, when writing a press release, people assume that you do not have to set a limit on the number of multimedia i.e. images, infographics, videos, and etc. But they should be used carefully. The text should not be bombarded with relevant images which can make the content less appealing. No doubt pictures can say a thousand words and create a genuine appeal for the reader but too many of them will lose their worth amidst the text. They should be used moderately and in balance with the text. This will ensure that the length of press release stays manageable.

Also Read: Difference Between Press Release and Media Advisory

Tips to Follow for Writing a Press Release

When trying to understand and decide on the length of a press release, there are a few tips that need to be kept in mind. They are as follows:

1)Identify Important Details

Sit down with your marketing team and discuss why your organization needs to publish this press release. By understanding the basic purpose of the press release, you are able to understand what is the most important information in the press release. Just like every other marketing strategy, the 5 W’s need to be answered.

• What are you writing about?
• Why are you writing about it?
• When do you want to publish it?
• Who do you want it to read?
• Where do you see its benefit to the organization?

By having an answer to all these questions, a person can easily understand the purpose of writing the press release. Most of the content required for the press release can be extracted from the answer of these questions.

Simplify it Further

If you have answered all these questions properly, the content generated is precise and important. But even though it may seem as though every part of this content should be included in the press release, it is not so. Only the very significant news and information about the product/service being announced should be published. Think critically.

2) Proper Formatting

Formatting plays a vital role in the press release. The press release length can be greatly altered by different formats that are used. But at the same time, it increases the readability of the press release and looks aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, extracting information out of a properly formatted press release can also do wonders for the press release.

• Bullet points not only look nice but it also contains to the point information which is to be delivered.
• Short paragraphs also create a good look. They help with the retention of a reader’s attention. The chances of getting bored while reading such a press release reduce.

Through formatting a press release, skimming through the press release becomes easy. This allows the reader to take out maximum information in a minimum amount of time, which is the ultimate aim of writing a press release.

3) Proof-read

This cannot be emphasized enough. Once you have written a press release, proofread it. Then read it again and fix the things you think are not good enough. Once you are 90% satisfied with your work, find someone else to read the press release. Through proof-reading, things can be seen from a different perspective and hence the press release length can be altered accordingly.

Final Words

Writing an accurate length of the press release is no rocket science. It just requires some practice. With the passage of time, everyone can master it when done enough times. Press release length should be long enough to provide detail about the product/service that is being pitched to the customers. But the press release length should not be excessively short that it fails to deliver the message. Write about the most important things in the beginning.

Create a headline in such a way that it conveys half of the message in the press release. Do not leave the key points to be discussed in the latter part of the press release. Instead, mention it in the beginning. This is because a reader pays maximum attention to the content of a press release at the beginning and quickly loses their interest when going down. An estimate of 400 to 600 words is considered a reasonable length when working on a press release. Keep it concise, since it will help you retain the perfect press release length to improve visibility. 

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