1. What is a message worth?

Not every message gives reason for a press release. Therefore you have to think about your message before writing the text. Because the missing news value is one of the most important reasons why a press release is ignored by journalists. The following criteria can be used to decide if a message is worth a press release: the news is up to date and tells of something new, such as a new product, the founding or a strong growth rate of startup, winning a prize, an investment, etc. If the decision against a press release is made, the message may be suitable for a news entry or for social media channels, for example: a review of an event such as a trade fair appearance.

2. Press release: What to consider when writing

A good press release follows an objective style and avoids any advertising character as well as marketing slogans. In order to meet the interest of the journalist, special attention must be paid to the structure of the text: the most important thing comes first. It can be helpful to answer the seven W's - who, what, when, where, how, why, where from. If all these questions are answered in the first paragraph, it increases the readers' curiosity and success of a publication. A clear structuring (paragraphs, possibly headings) of the press release also leads to a better readability of the text. In addition to these, things like a lack of contact data, bad spelling and incomprehensible, incomplete and too short sentences increase the likelihood that the press release will remain unread by editors or even be deleted directly.

3. Dissemination of the press release

In addition to the placement of the press release in the press area on your own website and possibly social media channels, it is sent to existing contacts of editors and journalists, at best with a link to the website (avoid large attachments). The respective editorial times have to be considered. The topic of the press release should apply to the respective medium, e.g. trade magazine vs. newspaper, tailored to increase the likelihood of publication. Another means of disseminating the press release are press portals.