Five Press Release Best Practices for 2020 and Beyond

It’s 2020, and the press release isn’t going anywhere. Here are five effective press release best practices to get the most out of your company’s publicity efforts.

1. Not all headlines are created equal. If writing them has become reflexive, take a step back and consider if more notable language could draw interest and if a non-expert could easily understand the sequence of words. From a compliance standpoint, you must include certain information in an 8-K filing with potential to be framed affirmatively in a press release. Consider if there are opportunities to present facts in a positive light.
2. While it’s clear what the company wants the public to know, consider what matters to your audience. Assignment desk editors review how relevant your story is to the general public whereas investors focus on the financial ramifications. In all cases, avoid jargon and overuse of acronyms that may trip up the reader. Have you struck a balance between detail and readability?
3. A combination of photos, short videos and infographics will continue to make your story more engaging. But in 2020, provide options that make it easier and more appealing for traditional gatekeepers as well as social media mavens to share your news. Provide options for HD visuals in both landscape and square proportions. Did you know that ACCESSWIRE offers unlimited visuals with your press release distribution?
4. Let your leadership’s voice bring greater dimension to the narrative. By using their words, you can tie the company’s news back to its strategy in support of the mission. Performance is often a key subject to spotlight. But the first rule of public relations is that people come first. So, whether it is on camera with a reporter or a quote in a release, consider this a chance to convey your company’s commitment to its values. Increasingly, this matters to consumers and investors alike.
5. Increase your ROI by identifying key nuggets within your press release that appeal to specific audiences and rework the copy into short-form factoids and questions. Pair this with complementary visuals and stagger-schedule them across your social channels following the release of your news. Link back to the release from multiple angles using hashtags to enhance discoverability and extract every drop of value. You put in the work; now, take it as far as possible!

Whether you are operating to comply with disclosure requirements or want to make a splash for big news, your press release remains an essential way to get the word out. Through specialized targeting on the front end and analytics after the fact, it is essential to demonstrate the effectiveness of your efforts in the age of data-driven decisions. ACCESSWIRE helps thousands of clients make this happen.