Business owners and marketers are not journalists. They know what they want to promote or the story they want to tell in press releases and other news writing. The challenge is to write in a way that will engage readers. And that is why people study and earn degrees in journalism, a specialized type of writing that is like not other.
When used to spread a business brand, press releases and news articles can be powerful tools – they can boost trust and confidence in a target market.
But to get that press release or news article accepted by news outlets, it must have a couple of key ingredients: a strict structure and lots of creativity in the content.
The Press Release
Press releases must be short and quite concise, one page in length at the most. They must have:
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A “killer” title that will capture the attention of the reader immediately
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It must tell a story – something about a company that is newsworthy – like a new product or service, an award or recognition, sponsorship of a charitable event, etc.
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It must be written in an easy language and style
News Articles
News articles are a bit more in depth than press releases and will often be longer than a press release. But the elements and structures are closely alike.
The news article answers questions – who, what, where, when, why, and how. But what an accomplished journalist understands that, as s/he reviews the answers to these questions, some will be more important or compelling than others. And that journalist then knows that the more compelling answer will need to be the first part of the article, followed by the rest in order of interest or importance. They understand that readers’ attention spans are short and they must be captured early on.
They also understand that as their news stories are submitted to news outlets, they may be shortened, due to space available, and they know that the most critical information must be at the top.
New articles must be written “tightly.” Short sentences and active voice are best.
The Pitch
It’s not enough just to create a press release or news article. It now has to be “pitched” to the right news media outlets. And editors who make choices about which pieces to include are busy people.
They will scan a piece quickly and decide whether it meets the needs of their organization and whether it is written well. They don’t want to do much editing to a piece that has been submitted.
How We Turn Your News into Amazing Pieces
Smart Writing understands the unique nature of news writing.
For this reason, we have developed a department of expert journalists – men and women who have a history of success. Here is the process we follow with every client:
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When you ask for news writing, we will have discussions with you – we want to know all about your business, all about you and your team, your story, etc. We cannot assign the right journalist to your PR efforts without this information.
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The next step is to assign the perfect journalist. You and that journalist will work together developing the story that is to be told through a press release or news article. You will always be kept “in the loop,” receiving drafts of pieces for approval.
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Following the completion of the final draft, the piece will be distributed to the suitable news outlets. These will vary based upon the business niche and the story that is being told.
Fortunately, our team of journalists has great relationships with all of the major and minor online news outlets that have followers who are interested in what they publish. We can pick and choose the perfect outlets for your niche to reach those target markets that are suited for your brand.
We Focus on Long-Term Relationships
Our clients are not one-time customers. Our goal is to establish long-lasting relationships, in order to meet all of the writing needs they may have. We have a complete array of writing services that include website content, blog and social media posts, business plans, proposals, reports and presentations, ghostwriting of any type, creative writing, research and technical writing, marketing content, and more.
You may have need for specific types of writing at different times during your personal, professional, or business operations activities. We have teams to cover it all.
Get in touch with us today, and let’s have a discussion about what you need right now. We will listen; we will make recommendations; we will give you the perfect writer; and we will guarantee your 100% satisfaction with every piece of writing you receive from us.
