by itadmin | Jul 5, 2018 | Blog, press | 0 comments
You’re responsible for telling the public about a new event your company will hold. What’s your first move? To prepare a press release, of course. But writing a press release may be more difficult than it seems at first. What should a press release include, and how long should it be? If you’re wondering how to write a press release for an event, this is the right article for you.Quick Navigation
How To Write A Press Release For An Event:
Contextualize With Background Information
How To Write A Press Release For An Event: Wrap It Up
Keep It Short And Sweet
Your press releases should be less than 1000 words long. Ideally, your press releases are around 650 words.
Keeping your press releases brief ensures that you stay on topic and that your readers don’t get bored. Remember, a press release isn’t a full breakdown of the event itself; it’s a wrapper which people can read to see if they might be interested in delving deeper.
How To Write A Press Release For An Event:
Start With A Catchy Headline
All effective press releases start with a headline that grabs attention. Likewise, the reader should know exactly what they are getting when they see the headline.
Your press release headline can be a little bit longer than a normal headline, but you should still try to keep it brief. It’s more important to be accurate with your headline than to be brief, but don’t try to be comprehensive.
Your headline is the place where your reader decides whether they are interested in the press release or not. Because press releases are dry, they serve as your hook for the entire piece. Avoid terms which might confuse the reader in your headlines. A press release headline is not the place for questions or ambiguous statements, either.
Summarize
Start your press release with a paragraph describing the event from a high level. Be sure to mention the name of the event as well as the organizer of the event within the first two sentences of the press release. Because you’re writing a press release, avoid anecdotes or hooks. Your readers understand that they are consuming a press release and not a thriller.
Keep your summary to the point. Avoid getting into discussions of detail, analysis of relevance, or mentions of related events. If the event is part of a series, it’s acceptable to reference the title of the series. Your summary paragraph should include answers to the most critical journalistic questions: who, what, where, and when?
Who, What, Where, And When?
For events, your press release opening paragraph should cover:
- Who is hosting the event
- Why is the event being hosted
- Where is the event taking place
- When the event is taking place
- What is the subject of the event
It’s also a good idea to include how participants in the event can sign up to attend if the event is open to the public.
Even without mastering the other press release writing skills, answering these questions is critical when you’re learning how to write a press release for an event. It’s acceptable to refrain from answering all of these questions in your summary paragraph in detail. Make sure you get to them later, though.
Contextualize With Background Information
Once your reader understands the basics of the event itself, you need to put the event into context. Keep your background information limited to the bare minimum that readers will need to understand the event. Avoid tangents, anecdotes, lengthy and explanations. Quote people minimally or not at all.
Include information like:
- Info of the event’s industry
- About the company holding the event
- All info about the notable people associated with the event
- Recent news which is related to the event or the event’s topic
A paragraph or two of background information is all that is necessary. Don’t dive into providing additional background once you start discussing details.
Develop Details
With the event placed into the proper context, it’s time to talk about the event itself in depth.
This is the most important part of the press release. Here, your readers will be looking for the highlights, lowlights, and everything in between. By the end of the section, your reader should be able to describe the event to someone else.
What is there about the event that readers will want to know? Was anything new introduced for the first time at the event? What was the atmosphere like at the event?
Here is the place to loosen up with your language a little bit. It’s acceptable to be descriptive of the venue, the attire of the participants, and the common reactions to the proceedings of the event.
If necessary, you can editorialize your press release lightly in this section. Remember, press releases are supposed to be dry accounts which are issued from a formal entity, so be conservative if you decide to editorialize
Introducing Quotes
The detail development portion of the press release is an acceptable spot to introduce quotations from people discussing the event.
Quotes are not necessary for a press release, but they can add gravitas as well as provide a concise explanation about the event. Use only one or two quotes per press release, with a hard max of three. Too many quotes distract the reader from the event itself.
If you include a quotation, precede the quote with a sentence describing the person being quoted; explain who they are and why their opinion matters. Follow the quote with another sentence describing the person’s role, if necessary.
Try to avoid getting tunnel vision and discussing an individual person for too long, even if you quoted them. The exception to this rule is if the person is one of the core speakers at the event. If the event had a notable outcome — like a decision, product, or performance — be sure to describe it in detail. Strive to include at least three topics, with each topic discussing a separate aspect or sub-event.
A useful rule of thumb is to include at least two details per topic. Following these guidelines should result in roughly one or two paragraphs of material per topic.
How To Write A Press Release For An Event: Wrap It Up
Once all of your event’s subtopics are developed, wrap up the press release with a pitchy conclusion. If there is another event in the series, mention it to the readers.
Make a callback to the background which you provided in the prior sections and place the event into context one last time. Don’t introduce any new details. It may be tempting to end with a quotation from someone relevant to the event, but be careful.
Unless the quote is a perfect fit, it’ll muddle your style of language and raise questions about who the person is and why they are credible.
Moving On To The Next Event
Now that you know how to write a press release for an event, it’s time to get started. Practice writing a few press releases about past events without looking at the press releases, and see if your piece follows the same structure.
Remember, the most important thing about writing a press release and best side business ideas are brevity. There are a lot of tips you can find on how to write a press release for an event but just stick to the point, and use each detail purposefully. Press release is one way of building your brand, it will help you reach your target market and eventually hit your business sales goals.
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