12 Most Common Mistakes Appear When Writing Press Releases

The following items are the ones you should pay more attention.

1. Use mixed case. NEVER SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE IN ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS. This is very bad form. It will definitely be ignored by journalists.

2. Correct grammar usage. Always follow rules of grammar and style. Errors in grammar and style affect your credibility.

3. Standard Format. Write your press release under a standard press release format. Write, proof read, preview. Rewrite, edit, preview, submit.

4. Using appropriate html we provide. Some simple html could be used to highlight your emphasis.

5. More than one paragraph. It is nearly impossible to tell your story in a few sentences. If you do not have more than a few sentences, chances are you do not have a newsworthy item.

6. Summary paragraph. FPR asks you to include a one-paragraph summary. Some distribution points only receive your headline, summary and a link to your press release. If you fail to include a good summary paragraph, you may reduce the effectiveness of your press release.

7. Do not include your e-mail address or contact info in the body of your release. We have a special place during the submission process for you to include your e-mail address and contact info. If you include your e-mail address in the body of your press release, you run the risk of receiving spam. This is because your e-mail address will be available to the public. Spiders routinely scour the Internet harvesting e-mail addresses for spammers. Provide your e-mail address only in the space(s) provided during the submission process.

8. Uploading pictures. You can upload at most three pictures. Clear and high quality pictures really are the complement to your press releases.

9. Backlinks to your site. If yours is a customized one, three to five backlinks are appropriate for readability.

10. Pay Attention to the Content of Your Press Release.

Dos

a. Newsworthy. A good press release answers all of the “5 W” questions (who, what, where, when and why).

b. Original and unique title and contents can gain incredible hits. It’s better to make your press release as the first launch on FPR.

c. Avoid the hype. The exclamation point (!) is your enemy. There is no better way to destroy your credibility than to include a bunch of hype. If you must use an exclamation point, use one. Never do this!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don’ts

d. Lack of Content - We reject about 10% of all press release submissions for lack of content. Oddly, authors are particularly guilty of short press releases. (We assume that if authors can muster enough words to fill 300 pages they should be able to come up with a 300-400 word press release.) Please make sure that you answer all of the “W” questions, who, what, where, when, why and how to ensure a complete press release. We have assembled a press release tip sheet here for your convenience.

e. Press Releases that Scream BUY ME! - Do not write your press release like an advertisement. Remember that journalists are NOT your marketing partners. Their job is to relay information to their audience, not to sell. A good press release informs the media. If your press release screams, BUY ME, then you might want to consider reworking your release.

f. Hype Flags - This is a close cousin to the BUY ME problem. If your press release contains too many “hype flags” it will trip spam filters and intercept your press release before it reaches its destination. A “Hype Flag” is anything that challenges the credibility of your press release. Examples of “Hype Flags” include an abundance of exclamation points or wild product and service claims.

g. Funny Characters - On occasion, strange characters and formatting can creep into your press release during the submission (copy & paste) process. Make sure that you press release is formatted as you intended.

h. Word Wrapping - Do not break each line at 70 characters. Let your sentences wrap naturally. Please do not place a hard carriage return at the end of each line. Include a carriage return only at the end of each paragraph.

11. In the first paragraph, there’s two time-stamps “December 14, 2009 — WORLD WIDE WEB, December 14, 2009 —”. The system could be added automatically, so don’t add more by yourself.

12. Keywords choosing. You can refer to the keywords tool to choose suitable ones. Generally, we suggest you choose 3 to 5 phrases, each phrase are combined with 2-4 content words.