Internet Marketing Blog » press release management

The inverse pyramid for press releases

Susie — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:11:41 +0000

The 'inverse pyramid' is something taught at the start of the year for every first-year journalism class. The concept is simple. The most important piece of information is placed at the top of an article with the next most important piece following, and so on until the end of the article.

The form was invented when despairing editors became tired of having to rearrange articles when a space squeeze was on. Instead of picking out the most relevant bits, the inverted pyramid structure allowed whole chunks of type to be stripped without damaging the sense of the article.

The inverse pyramid is taught to PR and marketing students, too. Why? It's partially a case of 'know thy enemy,' helping future marketers to understand how journalism works. It's also to teach the methods of catching and holding the attention of the reader when it comes to press releases.

The inverse pyramid structure works well for online press releases. The average reader on the internet is not interested in spending lots of time reading pages. Usability guidelines usually recommend that webpages contain no more than 250 words for the best affect. Structuring your press release to provide the most important information at the top ensures that the main part of your message will always get across.

The inverted pyramid concept is just a handy way of remembering what's most important when it comes to writing online press releases. Keep in mind that the internet is a fast-moving world – push forward your most important information first.

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Online press releases are easy to handle

Susie — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:08:29 +0000

One good thing about an online press release is that it is very easy to handle in the sense that you have enough leg room to play around with it so that it says exactly what you want it to say.

This easy to handle method includes an ability to blend colours, if appropriate to your press release. It is also important to note that you can go beyond colours and add animation to an online press release, something which cannot be achieved when working with a traditional print advert, where there is very little – if any – control.

Distribution is easier with online press releases

Distribution of online press releases is light years ahead of the traditional print newspaper press release, as it has to go through a printing process while with the electronic press release is done at the click of a button. It is also important to note that online press releases can be directed to a vast number of intended recipients.

This is not the case when dealing with other types of press releases which have to follow the normal newspaper procedures and may take some time before it reaches its destination. Reaching an audience faster gives you an edge over your competitors.

It is what we at Click Consult always emphasise. You should make sure that a press release gives you an edge over the competitors. It is also important to note that having online press releases also allows your organisation to have some links which will also increase traffic as many people would follow the links.

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