Sift through articles, press releases, news updates, and case studies from companies, individuals, and brands highlighting emerging products and services from a variety of industries.

How to read an online press release as advertisement

One method of effectively advertising a product, event, or service is through a press release. A press release is a statement or letter that is written in third person by a public relations person and is targeted to the media. The article is then delivered to news editors and reporters with an intention to persuade these journalists to write or report about the product or service. A press release may be sent solely via snail mail, e-mail or fax or it may also come together with a pitch letter or may be included in a complete press kit. It is imperative that the press release catch the interest of the press people and at the same time provide enough information about the product and engage the fascination of the consumers, who are, after all, the press release’s main target. It’s all about creating a good marketing buzz.

The press release was initially used as a means of communication between the person in charge of public relations and the media, so there was no way for direct consumers to access any press release information ahead of time. Today, just about anyone can check online news sites including Google News and Yahoo News, for tons of press releases on a variety of topics. For this reason, aside from being able to communicate to the media, online press releases become an effective means of directly sending the message to consumers.

A press release may come in different forms, namely: product press release, event release, general news release, and social media press release. Regardless of its form, a good press release is structured on the following basic elements:

Headline - This is a very important element as this is used to capture the attention of readers. The headline needs to be very interesting and catchy by advertising the product or service captivatingly, by asking an intriguing question, or by a statement that is compelling. The importance of a good headline cannot be overstated lest the reader fail to notice the article even if it has exceptionally good overall press release content. A subhead can also be used to further expand the idea of the press release in support of its headline.

Dateline - This is where the release date is placed as well as the name of the city from where the press release came from. A date instruction may also be placed such as “For Immediate Release,” “For Release Before (date placed),” or “For Release After (date placed).”

Introduction - This consists of a lead paragraph, which serves as the abstract of the story. It contains answers to the questions who, what, when, where, why, and how of the press release. With this the interest of the reader is maintained or prolonged, making him/her want to read more until the end of the press release article.

Body - This contains the central part of the press release, which serves to support and expound the content found in the headline and summary/introduction. Pertinent details that would further explain claims made are placed here. Quotes and statistics may also be added to establish the given facts.
About Us/Boilerplate - Found at the bottom of the page, this is where information about the company is provided. A very brief description about the company and what the company does, in a sentence or two, would suffice.

End of Press Release - A press release typically marks its end by placing the pound symbol three times (“###”) at the bottom center part. Typing the word “-end-” also serves the same purpose.
Contact Information – This contains contact information about the person in charge of public relations, including name, mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address. This is also an important part of the release since the media or reader may want to get in touch for inquiries and the like.