Press releases have the potential to create incredible exposure. Looking beyond the linking benefits, a well written press release may land you in newspapers, TV, and radio.

Quite often the top results are press releases or news articles feeding from those press releases. Some of these releases inspire me; others are empty promotion with nothing of interest to me or my site visitors. Here are some tips on the making of a great press release.

Know your reader.

Balance between writing for the target audience and writing for an editor, reporter or journalist who may take up your subject or even reprint the story.

Hooking both the media and the end consumer will result in a snowball of PR.

Remember that a journalist scanning a PR source will make decisions based on the first few words of each article. Pack the opening with the hot topic points.

Style.

A strong headline and intro is critical. It absolutely must capture the eye of someone skimming press releases and inspire further reading. Hit them with the news first. You can explain how and where it comes from later.

Keep it brief, accurate and readable.

The media is not looking for full blown articles to copy, but may have use of some filler content or extra information within a report, column or website.

Do not exaggerate.

If your PR is a success you will be getting phone calls and emails asking questions. It is possible to build or destroy credibility based on your accuracy. You may become a source for different reporters as you build on your record of knowledge and accuracy. If you use outside stats and facts, include the source. The press release should create confidence.

Grammar and spelling should be checked and rechecked.

Read it; edit and re-read; print it out; read again; email to friends for corrections; give yourself many chances to catch mistakes.

Do not rush to publish. Reading something again after a nights sleep is always an eye opener for me. Something about my focus during the writing process tunes out errors that jump off the page the next day. This is why an extra set of eyes, or waiting till your eyes are taking a fresh look can make a big difference in the writing quality. Printing a copy to read also helps you see it differently.

Attach images if the PR publisher allows it. If you have image rights or public domain images to publish then this is one more way to make your content usable by others. Permission regarding quotes is important as well within a press release since the exposure can be significant.