Writing The Perfect Press Release

At NQA we understand that a huge amount of time and effort goes into gaining and maintaining your certification. So we wanted to save you a little time and help you to be proactive in your promotional activities. For that reason we have put together a handy guide to help you write the perfect press release so that you can share with your industry and colleagues your fantastic achievements.

So why would you write a press release? Taking the time to pull crucial information about your company together may benefit you in a number of different ways…

Firstly, it’s a great way to communicate with your clients. Regular communication with clients about relevant and interesting news, which may actually impact their business through the value it adds to either their business directly or to the relationship you have with them, is crucial to a successful partnership.

A press release can be a free or low cost form of marketing that won’t impact your budget or resources too heavily. Let’s face it; anything that saves money but promotes your business is a win win!

Putting the press release on your website is a great way to let clients and prospects know that you are serious about your management system and the benefits it brings to your business. It’s also an opportunity to drive traffic to your website when promoting your news through external channels like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

If you have a newsworthy angle to your certification story then industry specific media titles may be interested in publishing your press release too, this can sometimes be at no cost to you. This is a great way to promote your hard work and achievements. Although there is no guarantee that it will be published, it’s always worth a try.

What should you include in your press release?

There are 6 core components to writing a successful press release. You will need to address these to ensure your reader gets the right amount of relevant information:

1. Who? Who are the key parties involved - your company, certification company, key management involved? Who are your stakeholders?
2. What? What has happened? What have you achieved? What does it mean? For example, what is ISO 9001?
3. Why? Why is it important? What does it mean to your business? Why did you do it?
4. Where? Does this include all of your sites/locations? Can it be used nationally/globally?
5. When? Timings, does this add significance? When did you get certified? How long did it take?
6. How? What was the journey like? Was it difficult? Were there challenges?

Hints and Tips from our Marketing Team

Using the above will give you a solid foundation to your news article however there are a few more things that you might want to consider when pulling this all together.

Your press release needs a catchy ‘action’ title, to draw people in before they even see the main content. Make it bold and punchy. If people are scanning your website, their social media newsfeeds or the headlines in an industry magazine, the title is what will grab their attention initially. They are unlikely to read further if the title is dull.

A good press release should be short and concise, giving the reader the essence of the story early on. It’s better to use less emotive content, keep it factual and ideally 1 page or less for maximum impact.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words… so be sure to include an image. This will help to bring your press release to life and make it relatable.

Unlike traditional PR methods, people now have control over where, when, and how they absorb information. As a result you need to provide relevant content when, where, and how your prospects, influencers, and clients will consume it. This means that a little bit of research into these habits could really benefit you.

Include a quote(s) from an influential inside source. Your company CEO or a Director would stand strong when engaging with your audience. A second quote from your certification body or auditor would also add value and depth to your story.

Try not to use unnecessary industry jargon. Keeping the words and sentences as you would say them helps people to digest and understand the information quicker. It will also keep your audience engaged for longer.

An obvious one, but don’t forget to share your news on social media. Ask your colleagues, suppliers and partners to share your press release too, enhancing the circulation and maximising how many people see it and engage with you as a brand.

Finally, make sure you add a summary to the end of the release, think about the core reason for writing this press release in the first place and leave that as a lasting note to the reader. Ultimately that will be the statement that sticks in their mind.

Final Thoughts

Your certification achievement brings benefits not only to you as a business but to your clients and in turn to their business. A piece of good news, delivered in the correct way, will strengthen your brand image and your existing relationships with stakeholders. You should be proud of your success.

If you would like any help with your press release, even just a proof read; or a quote from your assessor, get in touch with our marketing team here. Good luck and get sharing!