Are you a substandard writer? Does your prose flow as well as a snowboarder on rocks? If so, there are plenty of alternatives to writing press releases but one thing is clear: it offers a myriad of advantages too good to pass up. For starters, a press release is a written statement prepared for the media to cover. It gives information that delves upon your business in a creative, accurate and interesting way. In essence, all press releases look the same. It is mostly "fill in the blank" work because press releases adhere to a standard, universal format. Remember, news publications get hundreds of press releases every day so they must have a system in place to make for easier reading.

To start, all press releases should be written on paper with your company letterhead and logo on it. It should contain all contact information: the name of the company, the website address, physical address, and phone number. The words PRESS RELEASE should be centered in dark, bolded letters with the contact persons name underneath it. As we've discussed, the headline is the bread and butter of the press release. It should be smack in the middle in bolded letters. It should scream out to be read, albeit short and straight to the point - enough to lead journalists or whoever is reading it on. The body of the press release should be above all, informational. The first words should contain the data and city and the body content should exemplify the five W's: who, what, when, why, and where. The first paragraph should provide all of the hard hitting facts, the second paragraph should go more into the specific details, and the third paragraph should serve as a powerfully written conclusion.

Double spaced is the preferred method of organizing your press release. The font should be easy to read. Avoid cartoonish fonts like Arial and Comic Sans Ms and opt for Times New Roman or Courier New instead. If your press release is more than one page, number the pages on the upper right hand corner. A trick of the trade, coming straight from journalistic rules, is to insert three # symbols at the very end of the press release indicating "the end". Pepper this valuable sheet of paper/s with catchy language if possible and add a human element (2nd paragraph) to it in the form of testimonials. Journalists are heavily attracted to press releases with this human element to them and will take them more into consideration. A powerfully written, properly formatted press release holds the key to propelling your message to the next level.