It doesn’t take long to write a press release when you have the right information and know how to share it. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take your time to carefully consider and craft a release that will generate interest and reflect positively on your company or brand.
To make the press release writing process simple and efficient, the following information may be helpful.
The Average Writing Time For A Press Release
Press release writing time is going to vary from writer to writer. Experience, skill, and access to relevant information will factor into the writing process.
Professional press release writers who have the key facts at hand and are versed in the standards for this type of content can usually write a press release in a few hours. This time will account for the initial draft and the time required for proofreading and any revision to ensure quality.
Press releases can take longer to write if a writer doesn’t have access to relevant and organized facts that explain the development. Even the most skilled and experienced professional writers will be slowed down when they have to sort through disorganized details or pad-out content to compensate for a lack of essential facts.
Press release writing time can also be drawn out if the writer is unfamiliar with press release standards, including their structure and tone. Reviewing some example press releases and working from a press release template that relates to your specific topic can simplify and speed up the writing process, especially if you are not yet familiar with this type of content.
Take Time To Gather And Organize Facts
Impactful press releases present essential facts in a compelling way. Once you have those facts defined and organized, you can focus on the quality of the press release instead of spending time struggling with the details of what you should write.
All press releases are going to answer key questions like any other journalistic content. The release should explain what the development is, when and where it occurred, how it happened, who made it happen and who will be affected, and why it matters.
Spend some time creating an outline for your press release. This outline can be as simple as a bulleted list that answers the who, what, where, when, why, and how behind your piece of news.
In addition to collecting and organizing the essential facts, make sure you gather at least one quote from someone directly involved with the development on which you’re reporting or who’s qualified to express why it’s meaningful. You’ll want to include the quote and credit the speaker within the body of the press release to improve its credibility and give it a more current, newsworthy feel.
Depending on the complexity of the development, you may need to spend more time organizing the facts than writing the release itself. Devoting more time to research than writing isn’t unusual and often amounts to a higher-quality result.
In addition to the improved quality of the release, the time and energy you’ll need to spend writing and revising will be greatly reduced.
How Long Should A Press Release Be?
The length of a press release will vary by the quantity and complexity of information needed to explain the development and its meaning.
A word count of 300 to 500 is a commonly shared guideline for the main body of a press release, not including the headline, summary, and boilerplate. The majority of topics that merit a press release can be thoroughly covered within this limit without losing or grating on the reader’s attention.
This word count is typically spread across an introductory paragraph that hooks the reader with the most compelling information, followed by several body paragraphs that share the details behind the development, and finally, a brief conclusion that tells the reader what they can and should do to learn more.
The 300-500 word count range is a guideline, not a rule; the facts of your development may merit a longer release. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that some press release distributors and publishers may have their own word count criteria, which can include minimum word counts and limits.
Press releases that exceed a maximum word count may be truncated or rejected by some publishers. If your piece of news requires a deep dive or exploration of multiple angles, you may want to compose an article or blog post. Once that long-form content is complete, you can compose and issue a press release that functions as an overview and directs interested readers to engage with the full story wherever it’s featured.
Apart from the press release itself, a headline between eight and 12 words, a summary consisting of two or three sentences, and a boilerplate or brief bio of about 50 words are also standard additions to most press releases.
