A press release is a short article (300 to 800 words) in which you share information about a company, service, marketing campaign or product with the news media with the aim of being published in the media. By sharing press releases with the general public you can introduce them to or convince them of the quality of your company. There are generally a number of conditions for news editors to publish your press release. Learn more about this in our PR Academy.

Writing a press release may feel a bit overwhelming, but don't worry: It's easier than you think. If you follow a few simple PR steps and tips, the press release for your company is written in no time.

• You can divide the press release into different blocks. Start with a catchy "headline" (the title of your press release). This headline is intended to grab the reader's (and therefore the journalist's) attention. Make sure the headline isn't too commercial. This can deter news media and make them decide to ignore your press release.
• A very important first paragraph follows the headline. Here you briefly answer the questions "who?", "What?", "Where?", "Why?" and when?". By answering all these questions, you expose all the crucial information of your message in a paragraph. This way the reader knows immediately where he / she stands
• The following paragraphs give you the space to provide some extra information and to dig deeper into the above answered questions. Here you can also use quotes to give your press release a personal touch.
• A good tip for writing each new paragraph is to keep in mind that your press release must be rollable. This means that every last paragraph should be able to be deleted while keeping the core of your story intact. This was especially important when there was limited space in newspapers or magazines, for example. There is generally more space in the online media landscape

Want to know more? Check out our comprehensive article on writing a press release.

You wrote a perfect press release, great! But how do you ensure that your message actually gets into the media. There are a number of different options for this. How you can send a press release is in the following ways

• You draw up a press list with the Pressloud software. You email the press release, with relevant image, to journalists. After emailing, you then wait a week. Have you not heard anything after a week? Send a short and polite email, asking if he / she has already found time to view this message.
• Another option to send a press release is to create your own press list. For example, you can search for relevant media via Google News. Then you have to collect all the data of all journalists from those media. And then you send the press release to all journalists.

Want to know more? Check out our comprehensive article on sending a press release.

If you send a message on Friday afternoon, journalists will no longer have time to discuss your message with their colleagues. If you send the message on Monday or Tuesday, the chances are that you will hear something the same week. Ideally, if you send a message on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning, the journalists can take your story with them in the editorial meeting.

Want to know more? Check out our comprehensive article on sending a press release.

There are plenty of examples of good press releases. We have nine examples of successful press releases in a handy blog. A good example of a press release is the press release with which Presscloud was launched. You can find that via this link .

An embargo is an agreement between journalists and PR people about when a message may be published. Note: not every medium adheres to embargoes anymore. You do not impose an embargo, it is a request. You have no right whatsoever if a journalist does not comply with the embargo.

So that the media have time to prepare for the news. If you share a message under embargo until, for example, Tuesday 06.00, the media have plenty of time to make a nice item or report for that Tuesday's newspaper. Another useful feature of an embargo is that news looks more topical and dynamic: apparently the news "happens" on the Tuesday of the embargo. Make no mistake: an embargo is a castle in the air that gives a news story more value.

On average, a press release has between 300 and 600 words. That is about 1 to 1.5 A4's. Ultimately, the length of a press release is less important than the content of the press release. Always make sure that a press release is newsworthy, objective and that all important information is in the headline and first paragraph of the message.

A good press release meets the following requirements:

• It's objective
• The title grabs attention
• All relevant information can be found in the introduction to the message
• There are quotes or quotations in the message
• You ensure that the message can be copied one on one

Want to know more? Check out our comprehensive article on writing a press release.

How do you write a good press release? A good press release grabs the attention of journalists, is objective and ensures that your company stands out. First, write an objective press release so that it is not seen as advertising. Editors receive hundreds of press releases every day. That means it is a challenge to make sure your press release stands out. So make sure the headline of the press release stands out. A good press release consists of the following parts:

• A cup
• A subhead
• The lead / introduction
• A body text
• A boilerplate
• The sender's contact information

Want to know more? Check out our comprehensive article on sending a press release.

A good title of a press release grabs the attention of a journalist. Journalists receive hundreds of press releases in their mailboxes every day. That's why it's important to make sure the press release gets the attention it deserves. That only works with an appealing title. A good title is also objective and not commercial. If the title looks too much like an advertisement, it is probably a bad title for a press release.

You write a press release if you want to share any of the following:

• Foreign success (expansion abroad)
• New customers and partners (new business)
• Growth figures (annual figures)
• New product launch
• Funding (financing)
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• New colleagues
• Research among 1,000 Dutch people
• Research among a specific target group
• Other investigations
• Observations
• Opinions / polemics
• If you want to pick up on a hype
• If you want to pick up on a news moment
• If you want to share tips on how someone solves a particular problem
• If you want to share inspiring content