How to Write a Press Release to Share Company News

Businesses evolve. That’s how they stay relevant, stay in the game. And evolving means making tough decisions that ensure the survival of the company. The world needs to hear about those tough decisions, needs to know what bold step your company will be taking to fight another day. Firing a CEO or making a sweeping policy change across the company? You need to let the people know. And the only medium for that sort is a press release. So how do you write a press release to share company news? Let’s begin.

Press release to share company news

While there are a myriad of uses for this medium, informing the public of a decision within a company reserve press releases as their only means of communication. Taking an advert out in the TV to inform people that the CFO was just given the CEO portfolio seems wasteful and a bit redundant. So, press releases are the best medium to let the people know of any in-house decisions. But how do you write that? How do you use a press release to inform people that your information policy will be changing after December and they need to pay heed to it? Well, here are a few tips to get you started on writing a press release to share company news,

Information goes on top in the Press Release:

If you’re familiar with the inverted pyramid style of writing, it will come in handy when writing a press release to share company news. What it does is, instead of beating around the bush like most press releases do when informing of a decision, it gets right to the point at the start of the release. The inverted pyramid is also used by newspapers to convey news, so can you use it to convey your company’s news. The instance of firing your COO and replacing him with the CFO needs to go on the top. The details will follow, since a media outlet looking to publish your release may need to trim it down, they’ll do so from the bottom, where the irrelevant details lie.

Don’t make your information banal:

The first paragraph, which hosts your news or information, will benefit a lot from the way your present it. If it’s the same boring repetition of what facts are already in the headline, then you might as well trash the whole thing. Your first paragraph needs to stand out and state facts in a way that captures the reader’s attention.

Also Read: Do’s and Don’ts to Follow When Writing a Press Release

Pen a killer headline:

Tons of press releases sharing company news hit a journalists’ desk every day. How do they select what to publish? They aren’t people with a lot of free time to read each one of them and select it on merit. What they do is, they peek at the headline and weigh out whether publishing it would do them any good. What you need to know is that your headline makes the difference in a news outlet publishing it or dunking it into the bin. Make it good, and consider it published. Pen a crappy headline and expect it to be resting in the trash compactor.

Incorporate quotes where necessary:

Quotes are a good thing to include in a press release. They add a hint of authenticity and weight to the overall release itself. But there are a few rules to remember when including quotes. The first rule is to always include quotes of people relevant to the announcement or the situation. If you’re letting a board member go, you sure as hell won’t include what they have to say about the company.

However, if you write a press release to share company news of getting a new CMO on board, you’ll certainly include their remarks as quotes in your release. It adds a fresh take of a new face in the company and increases the weight of the press release, since media outlets won’t drop a press release if a big shot is named a new CEO of a company and he expresses his view in that release. That is prime news material.

Read More: Press Release Quotes: A Quick Rundown

Keep the press release to the point:

Delving into unnecessary details would be futile since most press releases are trimmed to fit a news draft. Therefore, instead of burdening the journalist with cutting off the details, do him and your release a favor and keep it short and to the point, so its paper-ready. This’ll ensure that no details get chopped up and will keep you in the journalists’ good graces.

Include dates and contact details:

The dates and contact details need to be prominent in a press release. Place the date on the top left corner and the contact details in bold, at the end so that reaching you via your release isn’t a task in itself.

Follow these points and you’ll write a press release to share company news that outdoes itself in no time on different press release distribution channels.