Press releases are official statements of the companies that are delivered to the journalists and members of new media. These official statements contain information regarding their products or services or structures that journalists make news from and publish for the general people. Even with technology and the internet, you might question the relevancy of press releases but these help you to get the story out in front of the media who will write about it to let the masses know. But, when you submit your press release it does not always get the ideal and desired media coverage. The obvious reasons are that you are making some small but impactful mistakes.

Press releases should be informative and newsworthy with a tone that is easily understandable by the journalists. Making mistakes in the content can make the press releases a piece of self-promotion. These can result in the journalists not taking your content seriously which disrupts the whole intention of creating a press release.

So, keep reading to know what these mistakes are and how you can avoid them:

Poor Timing

It is a common mistake that companies and individuals make while submitting press releases. Timing is everything in case of publishing any information, and in this case, distributing press releases. It is indeed exciting to distribute the content as soon as it is ready, but distributing it too early can turn away potential customers before the product launch. In the other case, if you distribute too late, the journalists will lose interest in covering the story. Either way, you will not get the desired media coverage. So to avoid this problem and distribute your press release at the right time, make a marketing timeline and align your press release distribution date with other campaign dates.

Making it packed up with too much information

Press releases should be informative but putting too much information in the content can harm its potential to get the proper attention from the media. The ideal length of press releases is one or a maximum of two pages. Anything more than that does not get the media coverage. Journalists are extremely busy people so remember this the next time you send them press releases. They will not be interested in reading anything too lengthy and always look for concise and 'bite-size' information that is quick to understand. Submitting too many pages means fewer people are likely to read the content.

Not including links

Not including links is another very common mistake while submitting a press release. Due to the set structure, press releases are short and concise, which might not add every little detail you intended to. Adding links in that position will add more value to your content from journalists and target audiences. It may not hold any value for the Search Engine Optimization or traffic building for your website but for the readers, it gives out options for additional information and builds more interest. So make sure the links are relevant to your content and place them in the right spot so the readers do not ignore them.

Not including quotes and reviews

The content you publish is to improve credibility and authority with a press release, but most of the time, many companies do not include any quotes or reviews in the content. Adding quotes that humanize the content will make the journalists and the readers more interested in the press release. Remember the quotes should be from your industry, could be any expert or the CEO of the company. Adding reviews of the product also puts more credibility and trust in the content so the final result is that sales will be increased. Adding credibility also attracts the journalists so the coverage will be more. So, from now on, do not forget to include reviews and quotes to add humanization to your press release.

The headline is not catchy enough!

Journalists get hundreds of emails every day and have an extremely busy and hectic lifestyle. In that case, if you want your content to grab their attention, the headline for your press release should be exciting and catchy. Many companies make the mistake of not adding an interesting headline in their press releases or they add something irrelevant. Journalists and people of the media will only spend a few seconds before deciding whether they will look more into it or not. So if the headline does not exactly say what the press release is about, they will move into the next thing in their inboxes.

Not being direct in the first line

The first line of a press release also holds the same importance as the headline. If the first sentence is not attention-grabbing, the journalists will not continue reading any further. This is why make sure the opening of your press releases plays a similar role as the opening of a news story.

Not adding data and statistics

The next mistake that companies often make while writing a press release is they do not add any data or statistics to the content. Remember the target audience, in this case, is not the general mass but journalists who deal with news and practicality every minute of the day. When you add statistical data to the content, you give the journalists real-time proof that adds more credibility to your brand image and product.

Not making it shareable
Many companies submit their press releases to media houses without any shareable link. Social media nowadays is the biggest platform that can reach a huge mass at the same time. So the media outlets and journalists share the press releases on their social media handles in order to reach a whole bunch of people with easy access. When you submit the press releases without them being shareable, you keep yourself away from the easy and huge reach so make sure not to make this mistake from now on.

Any bad press release can shrink the marketing campaigns and disintegrate the possible awareness of your brand. These mistakes appear small but hold great importance and effectiveness on the impact and desired media coverage.