Improve your press release writing skills: master six keys to effectively communicate your message to the outside world

On February 21, 2019, I got up before dawn because I had to catch the first high-speed train south early in the morning, heading to the Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology in Yongkang to teach a “Press Release Writing Skills” course for the Tainan City Government’s Public Manpower Development Center.

Although the journey is a bit long, I feel very excited. Of course, it is not because of the hourly fee, but because I heard that nearly 60 friends from the public sector are interested in learning press release writing, which makes me feel that it is very meaningful to go south to help everyone take this course.

In this full-day course, I started with the basics of media communication, then led everyone to understand the [structure] of a press release (https://www.contenthacker.today/2017/10/how-to-write-a-press-release.html), then shared the operating techniques of [media public relations] (https://www.contenthacker.today/2018/08/public-relations-invitation-writing-tips.html), and finally led the students to practice writing.

Keys to Writing News

In class, I mentioned several important keys to conveying messages to the students, including:

• Concise and powerful, allowing readers to absorb information effortlessly.
• The content must have a unique viewpoint or clear interests.
• Can meet readers’ needs or assist with problem solving.
• The writing style is smooth and the logic should be clear.
• Can be combined with current affairs trends and can be easily forwarded, shared or rendered.
• Target appropriate media or news release channels.

News value

Although I have mentioned that the writing of press releases is not much different from other literary genres, and readers must be put in the most important position; but after all, press releases are different from ordinary product copywriting or advertising copywriting. The media usually gives priority to whether it is newsworthy?

Let me explain to you using the “[2019 Yuejin Lantern Festival] (https://www.facebook.com/yuejinlanternfestival/)” event held by the Tainan City Government as an example. Suppose we want to write a press release for this lantern festival event. In addition to detailing the event time, location and other information, what other key points must we pay attention to? For example: need to disclose relevant features, selling points and value proposition, or what incentives it brings to the consumer public?

On the same day, some students also mentioned that the theme of the “2019 Yuejin Hong Kong Light Festival” event is “Breathing with the Light”, which also let me know that salt water is not just bee cannons, but also has charming scenery. And through the “2019 Yuejin Hong Kong Lantern Festival” event, visitors can experience art installations under the moonlight and even enjoy Tainan delicacies. It’s really a great deal!

Matching issues

Of course, when we write press releases, we can also match them with current events or festive issues. For example, during the practical training, one group of members wrote that although many media have recently reported on the Golden Galaxy Lantern Festival in Kaohsiung City, the Yuejin Harbor Lantern Festival in Tainan City is actually no less impressive! They cleverly used the technique of “taking advantage of the situation” to operate publicity, which I think is quite good.

In addition, in addition to introducing the precautions for writing press releases, I also explained the key points of media public relations and cited many cases for your reference.

Keep practicing

In fact, the principles of press release writing are not complicated. If you are willing to read books or take classes, you can quickly understand the related concepts. However, you may also find that although you have figured out the logic and concepts, you are still likely to encounter bottlenecks when actually writing.

Therefore, I not only encourage the students who came to class that day to practice more, but I also want to encourage you who are reading this article to take the time to read more newspapers and magazines, or observe other people’s articles. More importantly, please write more!

As the saying goes, “Practice doesn’t lie.” I think as long as you master the correct method and continue to practice deliberately, you will definitely improve whether you are writing a press release or an ordinary article!

Well, let’s work together!

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