A few months ago, a prospective client insisted on having a two-page press release for the announcement of his new brand of supplements.
Aside from the fact that it should never take more than a paragraph to explain a weight-loss pill, I had to tell him that a two-page press release is two pages of garbage.
Not for me, as the writer, but for the publications we email.
Two pages might seem like a decent length — after all, you want to be sure there’s enough content — but writing a press release that’s longer than one page is a waste of your time.
Even though two pages is still very short, no one is going to read it. And the reason is quite simple:
You’re asking for twice the amount of time as everyone else, but you haven’t provided any evidence that you’re worth it.
Plus, it shows that you didn’t hire a professional, which is only further evidence that the writer shouldn’t take your announcement seriously.
You may be thinking that your business has some very hefty news, and it simply can’t be explained in one page.
I can guarantee you that’s not true.
Plus, if there really is more information that needs to be conveyed, the writer will ask for it.
Writers are just that: they write stories for a living. If they need to do more research, they will. They don’t need to you to spell out the whole story, and they’re likely to find new information that you didn’t provide yourself.
For example, I sent out a press release for an eBook just last month.
At just 300 words, it was short even for a press release, but that didn’t stop writers from creating long reviews on the book.
When they needed more material, they simply read the book.
Are you having trouble getting your press release down to one page?
We’ll be happy to help!
Just fill out the contact form below, and we’ll trim down your lengthy press release, ensuring a higher response rate and a more successful campaign.
(By the way, that guy who insisted on a long press release still hasn’t found his way in any publications; I just checked.)
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