With so many press releases flying out there in the world, the smallest mistake can cause a huge problem. Reporters and interns have to look at thousands of press releases every week and they’re just BEGGING you to goof up so they can knock your press release out of contention for that particular edition.

So you have to perfect, and you probably already know that. What you don’t know is some of the mistakes you’re making right up front and didn’t even know it! Let’s look at some of the most common you can avoid to have a more perfect press release.

Pretending Your Announcement is the Biggest Ever 

You’re not going to fool anyone pretending your new product will save the planet. Everyone who reads it in the paper will know your TurboWind 5000 vacuum isn’t going to create peace in the Middle East. So why are you writing your press release like it’s going to be the best thing since the wheel?

We all like to be excited about the news we’re writing about. We love our company and want everyone else to be as pumped about the news as we are. However, it’s important to keep it all in check. What’s huge news to you is likely going to be “that’s nice” worthy to others.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t be excited so it comes across in your writing. But don’t let it overtake you to where you’re throwing in forty exclamatory phrases to describe your new vacuum.

Simple, Simple, Simple 

Think of the last time you pitched to somebody in person. They walked up to you, asked what your company/product was all about, and you started talking. How long did you go on? Did you ramble forever or did you say what you had to say and got out of there so the product could do the talking?

Your press release should be nice and succinct as well. Too much info will lead the person reading it to be overwhelmed and likely gloss over the story entirely, just like they would if you were blabbing in their ear for hours on end.

Make sure you get the who, what, where, why, when, and how in there, but if you want any extra information make very sure it adds to the narrative. If it’s extraneous, cut it.

Blow Them Away Right From the Start 

99 times out of 100 writers will spend lots of time crafting a great press release only to stumble when it comes to the very beginning. Unfortunately for them, that’s arguably the most important portion of the press release.

If you don’t hook readers right away, they’re going to ignore you. The headline and opening sentence/paragraph is like a trailer for a movie. How often do you see a crappy trailer and think “boy, can’t wait to see that movie!” Once in a while you might go just to see the train wreck, but most of the time you just skip the film. It’s the same with your press release – don’t waste anyone’s time by having a poor opening.

After you’ve perfected the rest of your document, go over the title and opening paragraph a few more times. I promise there’s always a better way to approach both of them. Try a few ways you never would try otherwise to see if it works. You may be surprised.

Where do you think PR writers stumble the most? 

This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (http://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download your free copy of the Beginner’s Guide to Writing Powerful Press Releases here: http://www.ereleases.com/insider/beginnersguide.html