What is a press release and should I use one?

A press release is a short, compelling news story written by a public relations professional and sent to targeted members of the media. The goal of a press release is to pique the interest of a journalist or publication. The press release should contain all the essential information (who? what? where? when? how? and most importantly why?) for the journalist to easily produce his own story.

The Small Business Encyclopedia defines press releases -- also known as news releases -- as "brief, printed statements that outline the major facts of a news story in journalistic style" [source: Answers.com]. A press release should read like a news story, written in third-person, citing quotes and sources and containing standard press release information.

The standard press release begins with contact information, mostly likely the name, phone number and e-mail address of the person who wrote the release. Then comes the headline, arguably the most important four or five words in the whole press release. The headline will be what the journalist reads first. If it's not intriguing, newsworthy and unique, he'll read no further.

Is your news "newsworthy?" The purpose of a press release is to inform the world of your news item. ...

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A well-written release can dramatically increase your sales, expose your company to the masses, and greatly enhance the image of your business or products. A professionally written press release can make the difference between a successful press release and an utter failure.

Your release must have a general interest to the target audience and a strong news angle. In addition, your release needs to be written in journalistic rather than marketing style. It should be objectively written and needs to inform people, not just sell them something.

The focus of your story should not be on the subject of the product itself but on the creator of the product. A human-interest story or a hint of controversy helps create interest.

Press releases are used by companies, organizations, people and others to announce events to the public. They are usually more biased toward the author's objectives. Company press releases are created by a company. They provide the company's viewpoint or stance on an issue.

There is a wide range for the use of press releases. The main purpose is to announce something of value to news media outlets. The objective is for the news outlets to promote the information through outlet channels.

The topics above are just some examples of topics for press releases. The uses for press releases are unlimited and they yield valuable information regarding a company or person.