Many small businesses are unaware of the benefits of writing a press release. Something as simple as adding your listing to the Farmgear agricultural directory can potentially be newsworthy. Depending on the size of your organisation this could be locally, nationally or even globally.
Similarly, advertising on Farmgear, supporting our local good causes, offering prizes for our community competitions and becoming one of Farmgear’s ‘Spotlight Organisations’ is all news. If you think something is worth telling family and friends, or just posting on Facebook, then there is likely a story there. Which means writing a press release could well be worth your time.
Larger organisations may already have dedicated employees to carry out this task. However, many smaller businesses may feel they do not have the time, skills or even something of interest to even write about.
This article is intended to help you through the process of writing a press release, so that you can benefit from good old fashioned press coverage. Of course, not every press release will be published, but one that is not submitted will literally have no chance at all. Keep submitting them to build a good relationship with your local newspaper, radio and even small parish magazines.
Writing a press release is not as daunting as you might think. It involves presenting your news in a concise, engaging, and professional manner. In a way that the press would be happy to receive it. Particularly if it will make a nice positive ‘filler piece’ for them.
To hopefully help you further we have included a link to a very simple template that you may download to aid you in getting into the habit of writing press releases.
What to Include When Writing a Press Release
Headline
- Create a gripping headline: your headline should be clear, concise, and attention-grabbing. It should summarise the main point of your press release in just a few words.
- An example: “Farm Charity Becomes Spotlight Organisation for March on Farmgear”.
Sub Headline
- Add a sub headline for more detail: this is optional but can help provide additional context to your main headline.
- An example: “Farm Charity received an influx of donations following the article on Farmgear.”
Dateline
- Include the dateline: this is the location and date that shows when and where the news is coming from.
- Publication date: mention whether the article is for immediate release, or if for on a future date, give the date.
- An example: “Stokesley, North Yorkshire, TS9 5GB, June 15th, 2024”.
Introduction
- Your first paragraph: this paragraph should be strong enough to raise immediate interest in the reader. Summarise the key points of the release such as who was involved, what happened, when was it, where was it, why it is of importance, and how did it occur.
- An example: “Farm Business, a leading provider of agricultural solutions, today launched its new product ‘The XYZ Widget’ on the Farmgear directory. CEO Name commented that it was good because the XYZ widget would help all farmers do such and such.”
Body Text
- Expand on the details: here you need to provide more information in the next two to three paragraphs.
- Include relevant details: quotes from key people, and any additional content that supports your announcement.
- Have a ‘call to action’: something you want the readers to do. For example, visit your website, call the business, book events for you tickets etc.
- Give full URLs to any internet resources you want the article to link to
Supply Any Relevant Images
- Images for print: these must be large enough to print and at least 300dpi.
- Image for the internet: these must be clear and good quality, but no more than 72dpi.
- Remember to give written permission for the use of any images you submit with the press release. And that retain the copyright.
- We have written an article called ‘Preparing Images for Printed Materials’ to give you some further guidance.
- And another article called ‘Preparing Images for Your Listings’ which gives guidance on creating digital images to send.
Organisation Information
- Provide a ‘boilerplate’: This is a brief paragraph about your organisation, giving background information and context.
- An example: “Fred’s Farm has been supplying organic, fresh eggs since 2010. Fred’s Farm has consistently aimed to improve animal welfare, productivity and sustainability.”
Contact Information
- Include contact information: Make sure to provide the contact details of someone for journalists to get in touch with to for more information. Or to arrange a personal visit to your premises.
- An example:
For further information please contact:
Fred Bloggs
Owner: Fred’s Farm
Email: fred.bloggs@website.co.uk
Phone: 01234 567890 or 07123 456789
Website: website.co.uk
Supply Relevant Images
- Images for print: these must be large enough to print and at least 300dpi.
- Image for the internet: these must be clear and good quality, but no more than 72dpi.
- Remember to give written permission for the use of any images you submit with the press release. And that retain the copyright.
- We have written an article called ‘Preparing Images for Printed Materials’ to give you some further guidance.
- And another article called ‘Preparing Images for Your Listings’ which gives guidance on creating digital images to send.
By following these steps, you can create a professional and effective press release that will help you attract media attention and communicate your news to a broader audience. Being published in the media is also an excellent way of maximising your advertising budget.
Monitoring Your Press Release
Ideally, once published you will need to analyse the results of the article. For example:
- Did your ‘call to action’ work?
- Did you see a rise in website visitors?
- Did more people visit your Facebook page?
- Did you get the telephone enquiries you had hoped for?
- Did you qualify more leads?
- Did your sales increase?
- Did you receive an influx of donations?
- Basically, did what you hope to happen actually happen?
Monitoring these results is something you should with any form of advertising. Thus, ensuring that both your time and money is well spent. Further reading here gives information on where you may want to send your press release. However, your local media is often the best place to start. Local media is monitored by the national press and they will pick up the odd interesting story.
When writing a press release you’ll need to strike a balance between being professional and factual, and telling the story enthusiastically to friends and family.
