How to write an effective press release

Last Updated on November 27, 2015 by admin

Most holiday homes will now have a blog or latest news section full of lovingly crafted content; things to do, places to visit and great local food to enjoy. This is an effective way of increasing engagement with your site, and also maximising your chances of your holiday letting property ranking highly in Google.

So what more can you be doing?

Gaining media coverage for your holiday home could be the next step, but being able to write a press release likely to be picked up by local and even national news outlets may be a process you’re less familiar with. Here are a few tips to get you started…

It needs to be news!

Before we put pen to paper or begin tapping on our keyboards, the first port of call is to make sure what we’re writing is interesting and newsworthy.

Think to yourself; would someone outside of my business be interested in the story? If the answer is no, then wait for something more newsworthy.  If the answer is yes, we can move on to the release…

How long should a press release be?

Take a look at your local newspaper, how long are the stories? Your press release should be around 300/400 words tops. Anything over this will likely be cut so don’t waste time writing swathes of copy.

If you find yourself running out of words after just a paragraph or two, think back to our first point; is it newsworthy?

Headline

So the writing begins; we want our headline to be just a few words that encapsulate the story…

“Holiday Cottage wins Gold at National Awards”

No need for witty puns; keep it simple and to the point.

The Stand Alone

Wondering what a ‘stand alone’ is? It’s the first couple of sentences you’ll write in your press release, and the idea is that if they were taken in isolation, they would give the reader an idea of what the entire press release is about.

For example;

“With storms set to hit the UK this weekend, holiday home insurance specialists Boshers are highlighting the importance of property owners making regular checks on their homes.”

You’ve explained what the story is about, so it’s now time to write the main body of your release…

Main body

This is where you explain the story in depth. Avoid including too much promotional detail about your holiday home, as it’s likely to end up on the editing floor.

Remember, it’ll be appearing in a newspaper so will need to be written in the third person; this may take some getting used to, particularly when you create a quote for yourself (these should be included in your press release).

If you need to get quotes from anyone else (for example the awards company or local tourism authority) ensure they’re happy with their quote before distributing your release.

Notes to editors

Once you’ve written your press release, there’s just one section to go; the notes to editors.  Think of this as a short summary about you, and how to get in touch.  A short paragraph about your holiday home followed by your telephone number and email address if they need to contact you will suffice here.

If you’re attaching images with people in them also include their names so they’re easily identifiable.

Images

Include the highest quality images you have and give them no more than three to choose from.  Always send them in their original file format, and unlike the web, don’t resize them.

Send away

All that remains is for you to send your press release. Send it directly to the newsdesk and where possible address it to the editor/reporter who will receive it (some prior research will stand you in good stead here).

Include a brief explanation in your email and attach the press release. Also copy your press release into the main body of the email, it will save the reporter’s time and allow them to copy it quickly and easily.

Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to holiday letting owners across the UK. For more information on how a specialist insurer can help and support your holiday home business, please give us a call on 01237 429444.