This post is the 5th in our series about press releases.

Previous: 
Get Free Media Coverage with Well-Written Press Releases
Creating a Header for Your Press Release
Creating a Targeted Headline for Your Press Release
Writing the Body of Your Press Release

Up to this point, you've worked very hard:   creating a targeted headline, making your heading informative and eye-catching, and writing just the right amount of text to give readers enough information about your company to make them want to check you out, but not so much information that they are overwhelmed.  Good job!

Now, it's time to finish up and get those presses rolling!  Remember that your entire goal in working this hard is to get someone to publish your news.  You stand the best chance of having this happen if the reporter doesn't have to do anything other than copy and paste your text under his byline.  Of course, the reporter wants to look like he has an excellent command of the English language, so he will not publish your press release if the grammar, spelling, and other details of the release are not perfect.  He'll simply move on to another press release where the writer made it easy on him.

The first thing you should do is re-read your press release.  Make sure your headline lives up to its promise.  For example, if your headline is "Local Company Launches New Line of Reversible Underpants", make sure the text of your article tells the reader where you are located, and that the location is local to where you are sending the press release.  Also, make sure the text talks about reversible underpants, not about the fact that the traditional underpants makers are trying to take over the world by making only single-use undergarments.

You may find yourself using different headlines for different media outlets.  For example, if you are located in Peoria, you might refer to yourself as a "local company" in the Peoria press, as an "Illinois company" in the state-wide press, and as a "US-based company" in the nationwide press.

If your headline does not match your text, you will need to write a new headline, which is why it is often convenient to write the headline after you write the text.  On the other hand, if you write the headline first, it may help you keep the text focused and on point.  Try it both ways and see which works best for you.

Next, re-read your press release backwards.  That's right, backwards.  If you use this classic proofreading tip, you will check the spelling of each word because you will not be worrying about whether or not the sentences make sense - you already know they won't because you are reading backwards.  Check to make sure you have used the correct form of words like "too", "two", and "to".  Don't rely on spell-check because it will not catch that type of error.

After making sure all of the words are spelled correctly, re-read your press release again from the top, making sure that each sentence is concise and relevant to your topic.  Don't allow yourself to be drawn off on a tangent.  Each sentence should be evaluated against the headline to make sure it in some way expands upon the theme you are trying to convey. 

Have someone who is not affiliated with your company read the press release to make sure you are not using jargon that the general public may not understand.  For example, if one of the key quality measures of your new program is a 12-point service guarantee that everyone in the company refers to simply as "12", make sure you spell out the whole name in the press release.

Lastly, re-read your release to make sure you are issuing it to announce newsworthy information.  The general public, and thus the news media, is not interested in what you did yesterday.  People want to know what you will be doing tomorrow.  When you are getting ready to launch a new product or service, make sure to schedule some time to write the press releases before the product or service goes live.  Similarly, press releases about a promotion or new hire should be sent out the same day the job action is announced to your staff.

If you cannot get the press release out ahead of time, it pays to be vague as to when the event took place.  Use words like "recently" or do not use any temporal words at all.  You might say something like:

AllColors Nail Polish is pleased to announce its fall line of shades including Turning Over a New Leaf, Shimmering Autumn, and Let's Make Like a Tree and Leaf. 

This statement only says you are announcing a new line.  It doesn't say that the product has already been in stores for the past three months, nor that it's the same fall line you had last year.  Pay close attention when you read stories in the business section of your local newspaper.  You will see that this trick is used quite often.

After you are positive that the press release is totally correct in spelling, format, word usage, and relevance, you are ready to send it to as many people as you possibly can.  Submitting your press release is covered in the last post in this series:  Submitting Your Press Release

For more information about press releases or for help marketing your business, contact me at bphilley@probizassoc.com.