5 Bad Press Release Mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Whether you’re writing your first press release or your 1,000th, sometimes it is good to evaluate your process.

PR Daily has identified the 5 worst press release mistakes to avoid, which was an excellent first step. Here's the follow up: the 5 solutions.

This is a guide to crafting a press release that’s powerful, relevant, and gains visibility for your brand, while avoiding some of the bad press release headlines, formatting mistakes, and flow problems that we often see.

We've also included examples of our solutions in action. We didn't want to include poorly written press release examples or bad press release headlines because it felt a little bit mean and that's just not our vibe. But we did include examples of our solutions in action, so you can see what good press release examples look like!

The power of storytelling in business & PR (or, How to make people fall in love)

With your business, not with each other. That would be creepy.

Whether this happens because you don't have time or because you don't know enough about who you are sending the information to, it doesn't change the outcome: a bad press release that means nothing to anyone.

Decide on what your one goal is for the press release and really hit it home. If you have multiple goals, either make a hierarchy to contain your writing or simply write different releases for your different audiences. The angle of a story really depends on who you are writing it for, so take the time to get to know your contacts and what really resonates with them.

Mercy Ships share the news a fantastically generous donation that allows them to continue the work they do. The message is clear, concise, and focused.

PRDaily identifies that this is a real problem because it drives a wedge between you and your audience and can also penalize you on search engines. SEO aside, what you really want is to connect with your audience and get coverage... and that requires some storytelling skills. When you start to write, know your audience and tailor your tone to their needs.

Keep in mind that you even journalists don't want to read boring copy that sounds like it was written by a robot. Relating corporate information doesn't have to be stiff. You can write like a human being and make it interesting to read by other human beings.

Thrive Senior Living announces its fun equestrian collaboration using quotes, playful language, and even a video. A press release doesn't have to be boring to be informative!

For this one PR Daily does offer up a solid solution:

It is so important to remember how people consume media and how pressed for time your contacts are. Giving them scannable information is very important in making sure they even read your text at all. This will also allow you to really focus your reader on the original goal you had in mind.

flydubai announces its upcoming holiday packages with beautiful images and formatting that make it easy to read with clear CTAs and links.

Choose your links wisely. Does it align with your original goal? Is it relevant to your target audience? Is there a better way to deliver that information that doesn't involve them leaving your press release? If it doesn't add value, cut it out.

Railbookers includes links, but doesn't overwhelm their press release with them. Too many links can distract from the message, but the right amount of links can make your press release even more effective.

Posts – any posts – that include images grab far more attention than those that don't. So don't neglect them.

Embed your content directly into your best press release or provide access to it within your pitch email. To avoid the same problem as the embedded links issue above, just remember to include content that is relevant to your main audience and goal for the release.

Adding images & video to your press release: Does it help? (Case Study)

Tips on what media to include in your visual press release to help journalists and influencers tell your story

L'Occitane showcases its gorgeous product line with beautiful images that don't go overboard.

Can you see the theme here? Taking the time to know and grow your audience will be paramount to your success, and help prevent you from putting out bad press releases. Building relationships is the key to success in PR and will help you overcome all these problems.

Check out some excellent press release examples that get it right.

How to do PR outreach (and 10 garbage fire mistakes to avoid)

You want to reach out to the media but you don't want to look silly by making a rookie mistake.

Gijs Nelissen

Co-Founder, Prezly

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