Press releases are essential to any good marketing campaign. If you want to write them yourself, there are plenty of free press release templates available on the internet. Just plug in your information, add your company logo and your release is ready to send. But these templates are not designed to help you reach your overarching marketing goals. Writing into a Control Template will automatically give you a more effective press release.
When we write press releases for our clients, we use our proven Media Grade Content® strategy to produce quality, relevant content readers find worthy of their time. Our press release content establishes our clients’ expertise and nurtures trust in their brands. The Control Template is based on this strategy.
Disclaimer: Even the best press release can only do some of the work. Media Relations Agency’s team of publicists, most of whom are former journalists, actively collaborate with the media to co-produce our clients’ stories. Our press releases are often starting points for more in-depth interviews. Other times, reporters and producers will pull content from our releases to use within their original stories.
The control template is step 5 of the six-step Strategically Aimed Marketing® process (SAM 6®). It provides the guidelines for creating an attention-getting release that is in line with your marketing goals. As a bonus, this Control Template can also be used to produce other types of marketing content. Hint: Start with Step 1 of SAM 6 to have everything you need to complete the top portion of the Control Template.
Key areas in this template include:
- Your company’s vision and mission: Having these in front of you will help keep your focus on where you want to go and how you plan to get there.
- Market: Who are you targeting with this release? What are their demographics? Geographics? Psychographics? Benefits sought? Usage rate? Geodemographics? In his best-selling book, “The CEO’s Guide to Marketing,” Lonny Kocina suggests naming your primary markets as a simple shortcut to writing these details every time.
- Primary message themes: You will choose these from your comprehensive list of reasons why customers might buy your product, compiled in Step 2.
- W.I.F.M.: What’s the primary benefit for the medias’ audiences?
- A.I.D.A.: This is a classic marketing acronym which stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. Your press release should always be written into this format. Unconvinced? Consider what may happen if you forget to ask the reader to take the next step, whether that’s to buy the product, visit your website or call to make an appointment.
