1. 33.How to Write and Distribute a Press Release in 4 Simple Steps:
Writing a press release for your company will be easier, faster and more effective when you follow these guidelines created by PR organizations.

2. Step 1: Identify your objectives and a target audience
Before you craft a press release, outline your goals and make sure you understand your audience.
Audience:
When you think about your audience, consider who they are (demographics), what they know about your company and products, and what language they understand. Make their interests your top consideration.

3. Goals:
Before you start writing, figure out what you want to communicate. Does your company want to promote an upcoming public event that it’s sponsoring?
Report on organizational changes, like a merger or a new CEO?
Launch a new product line? Report on the fabulous public reaction to a new brand or product?
Announce that it won an award? Once you have the main message in mind, then you can start with the details.

4. Step 2: Write the press release using the conventional format
Press releases generally follow a set format that simplifies the writing process. The must-have elements of an effective press release follow, along with some useful writing tips.
Press release format:
Headline: a brief, clear and catchy statement summarizing the news in a few words. The headline should encourage the reader to go on reading the whole release.

5. You have just a few seconds to grab reader’s attention with your stellar but truthful headline. As British author Andrew Grant once said, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”
Keep it short, concise, factual, objective, and interesting.
The headline should stand out. Make the font bolder and bigger, and capitalize it properly.
Use action verbs. Try not to use ‘a’ or ‘the’.

6. Only write the headline once you’re sure of the main point you want to communicate. Start it after your first draft of the press release.
Dateline: one line that indicates relevance. List the name of the company, where it is in the world, and the date.
Lead/introduction/first paragraph: the opening paragraph summarizes your story in no more than words. It answers the “five Ws” that journalists need to know: “Who? What? When? Where? Why?”

7. Be sure to address key points of your release in the first few sentences.
Don’t start with a quote.
Keep your lead relevant, interesting, and brief.
Body: 3 to 6 paragraphs providing the details of the story and all supporting data.
Make your text compelling by including specific figures that support your arguments. Skip the descriptive and creative narrative.

8. Keep it short. Longer doesn’t mean better, so include only the most valuable facts.
Include content-rich quotes from people working in your company. Provide their insights and opinions to give your press release life and credibility. Use the full name and title of the person you’re quoting.
Boilerplate: a brief paragraph about your company – what it does, who its clients are, where it’s located, how to get more information, links to its website and social media profiles, phone numbers and physical address.

9. Keep your boilerplate short: up to 100 words will be enough.
Create a boilerplate once and use it for all future press releases.
Encourage readers to visit your site or contact a real person for more information.
Source: the name of the company or organization that has written your press release.
Media contact information: details of someone who can answer questions about the press release, including their name, title, phone and .
End of content mark: three centered # symbols underneath the last line of the text indicate the end of the press release.

10. Step 3: Optimize your press release for SEO
A great press release will only work for you if readers can find it. Search engine optimization will help improve the online visibility of your press release, which will generate traffic to your company’s website. First, let’s look at keywords.
Identify several keywords or keyword phrases that will lead members of your target audience to your website.

11. Useful tips:
Use good keyword research tools like Google AdWords and Ubersuggest – they will save time and effort and help you find the most relevant keywords for your niche.
When you select your keywords, don’t forget about your competition. Find the words that represent the unique feature your company offers.
Bonus: Read the following articles to get a better idea of how to find best keywords:

12. 15 Keyword Strategy Tricks You Should Learn
Use the main keyword or keyword phrase in the headline and in the first paragraph of your press release.
Useful tip:
Put your keywords at the beginning of the title tag (the text that is displayed in a browser’s title bar, essential for search engines) – this way, they will be ranked higher than those placed at the end. Same with the first paragraph of a press release – if you place your keywords here, the text will get more weight from search engines.

13. Link your keywords to specific pages on your company website (but don’t overdo it). This signals to search engines that other articles on your website are of high relevance to these keywords.
Add some multimedia elements (images, YouTube videos etc.) to your press release but be sure to optimize them: provide clear file names that describe the image, and include a keyword (e.g., “New_Company_Service_Name.JPG” instead of just “image_596.jpg”).

14. Step 4: Distribute the press release.
Publish one version of the press release on a media page of your website (if you don’t have one, create one). This way the release serves as a “source” for other sites, and all online releases will naturally link back to it.
Send a press release to a chosen reputable newswire or a distributor.

15. Before choosing channels for distributing the press release, you must understand one simple thing: quality press release distribution always costs money. Of course, you may use cheap or free distribution services, but that’s no guarantee of success.
If you’re aware of the costs and ready to spend money on getting good results, consider using one of the following distribution services: PRWeb, Business Wire, Marketwired, PR Newswire, SBWire etc. All of them provide different options for distributing your press releases, so base your choice on your needs.

16. When is the Best Time to Send a Press Release?
There’s no right answer to this tricky question. In fact, there is no universal best time to send a press release to distribution sites or a news service. The best time may vary depending on the industry, the distribution service your company uses, your end goal etc. In any case, your release should be sent when it’s most relevant. If you send it too early, it may be put aside and simply forgotten. And there’s no need to tell you not to send it too late. Different media outlets have their own deadlines – check them in advance.