Press Release Toolkit (Templates, Checklists, Media Kit)

A press release is an announcement of news. Your news might be an event you’re hosting, research that you’ve gathered, a new product or service, an award or just about any other announcement that your audience will care about. The goal in a press release is to pitch your story idea to the media in the hopes that it will capture their attention and they’ll “pick it up” and cover the “story.” Getting newspaper, magazine, radio, or television coverage can have a dramatic impact on your business and a press release helps you reach a broad audience, which also contains your target market.

Publicity is free. Unlike an advertisement, which you have to pay for, publicity costs you nothing. The press release needs to be written and there will be some time spent building relationships with the media and pitching your story idea. You may distribute your press release to get it into the hands of as many people as possible, but many of those distribution tactics are free as well.

Publicity builds brands and reputations. When a journalist mentions your company, and shares your solutions with their readers, you gain exposure to a new audience. This audience becomes aware of who you are and how you can help them.

Credibility gets a boost. Like word of mouth marketing, publicity also gives you a big boost in credibility. Consumers tend to trust and value the unbiased information that a journalist or reporter shares. If a journalist writes an article and quotes you in it, you have some earned credibility. You’ve become a resource of information for that journalist and for the consumers who read the article. You’re an expert.

One of the most common misconceptions people have about press releases is that they’re difficult to write. There is a format to adhere to and your audience is different. You’re not writing to your customer, you’re writing for the media. The goal of a press release is to grab media attention with an interesting story so they bring that story idea to their audience.