Different companies and different mediums have various ways of writing press releases. Some of these press releases detail extremely particular nuances of a company and are published frequently, while others only announce truly huge events or happenings, and are not published often. Some are long and go into great detail while others are short and to-the-point. While each type of press release has its benefits in certain situations, creating the perfect press release for the internet requires a little more planning. The internet is still a fairly new medium, but it is one that at its heart is mathematical and logical, which means that press releases for the internet should follow a particular pattern and certain rules.

First, no press release should be more than one page, single-spaced, twelve point font, in either Arial or Times New Roman. This is a great guideline for press release length. Always keep it to one page, including the headers and footers.

Second, press releases for the internet should consist of four to six paragraphs, with the following format

• Paragraph 1 should describe in very little detail what is happening. This is usually a sentence or two saying something like “Programming Group, Los Angeles’s leading internet marketing team, published a blog post today on their website. The post was entitled, ‘How to Write a Great Press Release for the Internet.’”
• Paragraph 2 should give a little more information about the event or announcement, such as “The blog was posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009, just before noon, and included tips for how to write press releases for the internet, along with text and photo examples of said press releases. The original blog can be found here, on the Promoting Group website, and was written by a member of the Promoting Group marketing team.”
• Paragraph 3 usually includes a quote from an important person associated with the company or organization putting out the release. This might say, “‘We believe strongly that blogs are the print medium of the future,’ said Promoting Group CEO John Doe, ‘We like to keep our blog updated regularly so that our customers can see what kind of work we do, and can also benefit from the tips and information we offer through them.’”
• Paragraphs 4-6 should provide just a little more information on the announcement, expanding off of what the quote said. In our mock-up press release, this might be “Promoting Group has been blogging on their website since 2006. This blog was their third of the week.”

Third, all press releases should have short, concise sentences. These press releases are not the medium for demonstrating verbosity. Try to keep sentences basic and short, and when it doubt, make long sentences into separate, shorter ones.

Finally, all press releases should include headers and footers. Headers should give contact information for the company (or its public relations team), a logo from the company, a heading (left-aligned) that says FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, a centered title (ALL CAPS), and a centered subtitle (Title Case). All releases should start with the date and city the information is being announced from, and finally, all press releases need a boilerplate at the end of the release, with an official description of the company.

Our sample press release is below.

Contact: Promoting Group

310.796.9199

info@promotinggroup.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PROMOTING GROUP POSTS NEW BLOG ON WEBSITE

Blog Post Entitled “How to Write a Great Press Release for the Internet”

April 30, 2009 – Los Angeles, CA – Promoting Group, Los Angeles’s leading internet marketing team, published a blog post today on their website. The post was titled, ‘How to Write a Great Press Release for the Internet.’

The blog was posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009, just before noon, and included tips for how to write press releases for the internet, along with text and photo examples of said press releases. The original blog can be found here, on the Promoting Group website, and was written by a member of the Promoting Group marketing team.

We believe strongly that blogs are the print medium of the future,’ said Promoting Group CEO John Doe, ‘We like to keep our blog updated regularly so that our customers can both see what kind of work we do, and can also benefit from the tips and information we offer through them.’

Promoting Group has been blogging on their website since 2006. This blog was their third of the week.

About Promoting Group:

Promoting Group is an internet marketing company whose priority is to make your organization rise above the competition. We are a group of talented and dedicated individuals with a passion for marketing and demonstrated skill in public relations and search engine optimization. We will custom-tailor marketing strategies that are right for you and your business, while ensuring top search engine optimization and web-site design. Promoting Group has the answer to all your internet marketing needs.

Tags: blog, internet marketing, pg, press release, press releases, promoting group, promotinggroup, social media marketing