As Harvard Business Review notes,
"effective marketing is the difference between runaway successes and costly flops", so to answer this we need to go above and beyond the overly simplified instructional articles for how to write a press release freely available online (e.g.
https://www.semrush.com/blog/press-release/).
Press release writers need a combination of writing, communication, and strategic skills to effectively convey news or announcements to the public. Here are the key skills they should possess, along with examples, and how AI can assist in enhancing their work:
Skills of Press Release Writers:
Writing and Copywriting:
Clarity and Conciseness: Ability to convey information succinctly and clearly. Example: Writing a 400-word release that captures all essential details without being verbose.
Engaging Headlines: Crafting headlines that grab attention. Example: "Revolutionary AI Software Redefines Data Analysis for Small Businesses."
Storytelling: Weaving facts into a narrative that resonates with readers. Example: A press release for a new product launch that tells the story of its development, highlighting the problem it solves.
Journalistic Skills:
The Five Ws: Ensuring the press release answers who, what, when, where, and why. Example: Detailing a new CEO appointment with all relevant information about the transition.
Objectivity: Maintaining a neutral tone, even when promoting a product or event. Example: Announcing a corporate merger with balanced information on both companies.
SEO and Digital Understanding:
Keyword Optimization: Using relevant keywords to enhance discoverability online. Example: Including terms like "sustainable energy" in a release about a new solar panel technology.
Link Building: Incorporating links to drive traffic back to the company's website or specific landing pages.
Research and Fact-Checking:
Accuracy: Ensuring all facts, figures, and quotes are correct. Example: Verifying financial statistics before announcing quarterly results.
Contextual Knowledge: Understanding the industry or topic enough to provide insightful commentary or background information.
Networking and Media Relations:
Contact Database: Building and maintaining relationships with journalists and media outlets. Example: Knowing which tech journalists cover AI innovations for targeted distribution.
Tailoring Content: Customizing press releases for different media types or audiences.
Strategic Thinking:
Target Audience: Understanding who the audience is and what will compel them to read or act on the release.
Marketing Goals: Aligning the press release with broader marketing or PR objectives. Example: Using a product launch press release to also highlight the company's commitment to sustainability.
Design and Formatting:
Visual Appeal: Knowing how to format a press release for maximum readability, including use of bullet points, subheadings, and images. Example: A release with a compelling infographic that illustrates growth statistics.
How AI Can Help in Press Release Writing:
Content Generation:
AI Tools: Platforms like Prowly, Grammarly with AI assistance, or Hypotenuse AI can generate drafts or suggest content based on input. They can overcome writer's block by providing fresh ideas or angles.
Example: Using Prowly's AI to draft three different story angles for a new software release, allowing the writer to choose or combine the best elements.
SEO Optimization:
AI for Keywords: Tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs can assist in keyword research to ensure the press release is optimized for search engines.
Editing and Proofreading:
AI Proofreading: AI can check for grammar, spelling, and style issues. Tools like Grammarly or Hemingway App can suggest improvements in readability and tone.
Personalization and Targeting:
AI for Media Lists: Tools like Meltwater or Cision use AI to help tailor press releases to specific journalists or media outlets based on previous coverage or interests.
Headline and Title Suggestions:
AI Creativity: AI can generate multiple headline options.
Copy.ai can assist in creating catchy, SEO-friendly headlines.
Data Analysis:
Performance Tracking: AI can analyze the performance of past press releases to inform future strategies, looking at open rates, engagement, or conversion metrics.
Automation:
Distribution Automation: AI can automate the distribution process, ensuring the press release reaches the right contacts at the optimal time.
Sentiment Analysis:
Feedback Analysis: AI tools can analyze media or public reactions to previous press releases to gauge effectiveness and sentiment, helping to refine future communications.
Multilingual Capabilities:
Translation and Localization: AI can assist in translating press releases into multiple languages for global distribution, ensuring cultural relevance and accuracy.
While AI can significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of press release writing, it's important for human writers to oversee the process to ensure the content aligns with the brand's voice, meets strategic objectives, and maintains the necessary nuance and creativity. AI tools are best used as assistants, helping to streamline processes, generate ideas, and optimize content, but human judgment remains crucial for the final product.
In the post-Covid world where most people are saturated with copious amounts of irrelevant information, a press release needs to first have an engaging headline to secure and coordinate press appearances for writers, editors, and journalists that will amplify editorial direction and priorities. That requires outstanding interpersonal, oral and written communication skills as Grammarly alludes to:
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/press-release/ and a writer who is also a critical thinker paying close attention to detail, capable of distilling key ideas and concepts to pitch editorial and trade stories.
A good press release should present information in a fascinating light with original flair covering essential details and leading the reader into the pitch. To write and edit persuasive materials including talking points, op-eds, media alerts, detailed press releases that cover the Five W's (Who, What, Where, When and Why), and messaging documents on deadline; the writer needs to have a journalistic background to be adept and creative at sourcing, capable of generating scoops and high-impact enterprise stories rooted in fact and adhering to the highest ethical standards. She or he should be proficient with Adobe Creative Cloud required & Microsoft Office 365 suite engaging diverse audiences via email marketing, digital and social media.
Exceptional researching skills tied to SEM and SEO activity are key to good press releases; Experience with creating and editing website copy, demonstrated event coordination skills and experience and organizational skills, with the ability to successfully manage multiple projects with competing timelines, prioritize tasks and meet deadlines in a demanding environment, with a focus on accuracy and attention to detail.
