Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?

A good crafted and targeted press release matters, a bad one is a waste of time though.

Who - is it going to be aimed at?
What - is its purpose?
Where - will you send it?
Why - are you writing it?
When - er... someone? :-)

Ask these questions. Focus on them. If you find you want to send your press releases to different segments of your markets, tailor specific ones to each. Writing to a technical audience, for example, may not do much for the less technically inclined segment of your market.

Different market segments may have different uses for a product - consider this. Cater for these segments too. Tailoring press releases to each key segment can be helpful.

Keep those fantastically wonderful superlatives out of your press release when writing about the dynamic, revolutionary, paradigm-shifting and cutting-edge products provided by your market-leading company. No one believes you. Everyone else says exactly the same thing and no one else believes them either! Write about the benefits - cater for your customers' cry of "what's in it for me?"

As for optimising press releases, don't do what so many seem to do these days and try and stuff it with the product name or whatever! So many public relations companies - organisations charging clients lots of money for their allegedly professional services - are now stuffing press releases with keywords, with some aiming for a name drop in every sentence!

Many who use your press release will rewrite it to fit in with their own needs - house style, for example - so optimisation can be innefective. Many others though, will simply use it as it is. I do this most of the time - but invariably I rewrite headline and standfirst (the opening, introductory paragraph).

Keep the press release focused on the story you're trying to sell.

BTW: Changing headline and standfirst is a good way to breakaway and stand alone from all the other sites that may also be using the same press release - it generally works in Google News. By the same token, using a picture along side any press releases you decide to carry on your site is another good way of getting prioritised in Google News.

As for length, 500 words max is a good guideline. But don't do as one company I know does and send out stuff containing around 100 words - there is no story!

There's lots more besides, but hope some of this helps.

Syzygy

[edited by: Syzygy at 12:29 pm (utc) on Aug. 11, 2006]