So, you decided to write press release for your business. An excellent idea! Press releases can get a ton of media attention if it’s newsworthy, carefully constructed, and you get it in front of the right audience.  Let’s go over each section separately.

Newsworthy Press Release

It’s great that you sell dog treats, but what is newsworthy about that? Is there something completely unique about this product over the others in the marketplace? That’s what we are after. Think about your local newspaper. What would interest their readers? What angle can you create that makes it interesting to the general population? Here are some ideas you can use for your next press release:

1. You have started a new business

2. Introduction of a new product

3. Celebrating your anniversary

4. Restructuring of the company

5. Offering an special series of articles for publishing

6. Opening up new branches or satellite offices

7. Receiving a high award

8. Receiving an appointment or nomination

9. Participating in a philanthropy

10.  Introducing a new strategy/approach

11.  Announcing a new partnership

12.  A new company name or product name

13.  Your company, product or executives recognized in a publication

14.  Speaking engagements on particular subjects of interest

15.  Your position regarding a local, regional or national issue

16.  Your public appearance on television, radio or in person

17.  Launching a brand new website or blog

18.  Giving away free information

19.  A major milestone

20.  A new, significant customer

21.  Expansion of the business

22.  Creating a unique vendor agreement

23.  Conquering a challenge

24.  Restructuring of your business

25.  A new customer advisory group

26.  Sharing the results of research or surveys completed

27.  Individuals in your company have been named to serve in a leadership position in a community, professional or charitable organization

28.  A new workshop or seminar by your company

29.  Discussion of future business trends or conditions

30.  Creation of a new strategic partnership or alliance

Carefully Constructed Press Release

Press Releases have a specific format that you need to stick to. First, understand that a news reporter doesn’t really care about bringing traffic to your website or store. He just wants to sell newspapers. So, be sure you keep this in mind when you build your press release!

First is the headline. It should be in bold print at the top, and it should read just like a newspaper headline. It’s short, the most exciting information, and makes you want to read more.

Next is the subhead. This is usually in italics, just under the headline, and it further explains the headline in two sentences.

Next is the body of the press release. Start it with the city, state, name of the media outlet, date, and a dash (-) like this: Huntington Station, NY (PRWEB) June 9, 2009 –

In the body of the press release, be sure to include quotes from experts in the field, owners of the company, or potential customers.

At the bottom of the press release, you will put in your “boilerplate”, which means the standard text you will use at the bottom of all your press releases that gives a standard, one paragraph summary of your business. Be sure that this boilerplate includes your website address.

Beneath the boilerplate, put three number signs in a row (###). If you would like, add a sentence under it that says: If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with John Smith, please call Jane Fox at 516-555-2222 or e-mail Jane at: info@yoursite.com

There are many examples of press releases that are available on the web, read through them to get a better idea of what works. You will always see the same format, but you will see that some are more powerful than others.

The Right Audience for Your Press Release

You can manually submit your press release to the local newspapers. Just visit the website for your local newspaper, and there will be a contact us section for you to submit news in your area.

PRweb.com is a service that will submit press releases for you. The cost will vary depending on the visibility of your press release. If you want them to submit your press release to the top online US news outlets including the Associated Press and USA Today, then the price is significantly higher than search engine news sites like Google News or Yahoo News.

There are also many free press release sites that will allow you to post your press release for free, so search for them and use them! There are even some that only publish news in certain niche areas. Remember that your press release has your website address on it, so the more places you can get that published, the better it is for your website’s visibility on the search engines.