Press releases are an important part of public relations. They are an official announcement about a company’s issues – whether that has to do with new product launches, changes in company policy, or even addressing a scandal. It’s important to put effort into these one-to-two page notices. Remember, often the people receiving these press releases are newspapers and reporters looking for a great story. If you want them to write about your company and not some other story, you have to sell them on the story. Convince the reporter that your product launch or new store is something worth writing about with these strategies:

1. Get attention with a compelling headline

Some reporters never get past the headline. This is your first chance to pull someone into your story. Afterall, they will have to write a headline too. Show them that this story is exciting by using active verbs and highlighting the most important aspect of your announcement. Side tip: the more like a quality newspaper article your press release is, the easier it is for the reporter! This will make them more inclined to choose your story. Using hard facts and statistics to convince them your story is legitimate and interesting helps too.

2. Include quotes

Make your press release personal. Including quotes in your press release to show that people are invested in your announcement and what’s happening in your company. It adds a human element and makes it more like a newspaper story. Again, this makes the job easier on media outlets.

3. Don’t be coy

Let’s be real – being mysterious and exclusive is only going to get you eye rolls from media professionals. They know all the tricks and ins and outs of media and PR. Get on their level and respect them by being straightforward and accessible. Make sure that contact information is included in the press release and let them know where they can easily access more information about the project or related news. Again – you’re selling a story, so providing as much information as possible about why your announcement is newsworthy is the way to get attention.

Good luck on all your future press releases – this is just a start to all that goes into a quality piece of writing that will make a reporter want to slap it into their newspaper or magazine pages.