The key objective of online press release (PR) is to create awareness of the company among the audience. Promoting newsworthy stories about a product, brand or company to a large number of viewers exhibits a strong image of the company..
A number of tools can be used to increase company’s visibility through PR. One of the important medium is websites. It can be used to post value-added content and to support broader off-site PR campaigns. When visitors like something on the website, they invariably share it with friends, family, and acquaintances. Similarly, an online press release can be shared on the company’s site in the form of multi-media content such as videos, links to videos and posts on social media, etc.
Here are some common guidelines for writing an online press release:
- Newsworthy content: Good content for an online press release is necessary to build impression among the readers. The press release may contain new information on a product or service, success stories of the company, announcement of events, anniversaries, milestone, and changes in business such as expansion or change in location. It is important to select important and relevant content as general interest articles can dilute the impact of the press release.
- Objective tone: Unless used in a quotation from company spokesperson, the press release should be free of first person and second person point of view, i.e., "You", "I", "We" etc. Using first person and second person point of view in press releases can result in it being considered as an advertisement rather than a news release.
- Standard length: The length of a standard press release is between 300 and 800 words. The press releases that are too short or too long may not be appealing to the audience and may not be indexed in the search engine.
- Compelling language: To develop interest among the readers, the press release should be written in clear and compelling language. Also, using varied sentence length will keep the press release interesting and well-placed.
- Contact details: A press release should always provide details on how to contact the organization to get additional information about the company and its products and services. This should include a web address, contact number, e-mail address and links to the company's pages on various social media platforms.
After writing the press release, it is important to distribute it effectively over the internet. In-house media, such as the company website, company blog, and e-mail, are effective ways to disseminate a press release. However, to maximize penetration and exposure, it is essential to submit releases to one or more online press release or news distribution services.
