Start-Ups, Learn How To Draft Your First Press Release

So you’ve decided it’s time to announce the launch of your start-up with a press release. Great!

The first press release you send out is important because it’s your debut to the world of media coverage. What an opportunity to tell why your product is important and worthy of media attention!

Writing The Press Release

Keep it simple and short (KISS). The biggest mistake most start-ups make is try to fit their entire entrepreneurship journey in that first release. Well, if that’s your approach, you’d soon discover that journalists have very little time to go through your entire history. Keep your release to one page(if possible).

So what should your press release look like?

Structure Of The Press Release

Date/Place of Issue: Remember to include this as it helps journalists decide whether it’s a new release or not.

Headline: The headline is your first invitation to the media. An example could be “Company A has launched a new product for treating cancer.”

Sub-head: You might want to include a bit more information about the product e.g. “the treatment is the first of its kind in Europe, and has been approved by the EU.”

First Paragraph: This is where you elaborate on your points. Answer the who, what, where, when, why, and how.  Answering these 6 questions, will fill up a paragraph.

Second Paragraph: Here is where you can waffle on a little bit. Go into more details about your company’s offer. Some people would also add a quote here. That really doesn’t matter.It should be a personal stylistic choice.

Third Paragraph: A number of people would rather bring the quote here. This is usually a quote from the Founder, CEO etc. the quote should add some favour to the story not just repeat what’s been said in earlier paragraphs.

Fourth Paragraph:  Some people prefer to include a 4th paragraph. We’d say yes if it doesn’t make the release longer than necessary. Ideally, all the information should fit onto one paragraph. If you decide to add a 4th paragraph, make sure it’s not where you bury the most important information. You can talk about future plans or other products in the pipeline.

Boilerplate: This is very important as it gives background information about your company – It’s purpose and history. The shorter the sweeter. Refer people to your website or any online presence here.

 

If you need help with your press release, our team of experts are on hand to help.

 

 

Menu