In a previous article about online press releases, we talked about the two big advantages of using Internet press releases, being hailed as the very latest in marketing tools.

Like any other tool, however, Internet press releases can’t get the job done if it is not crafted properly. In fact, creating Internet press releases is just a waste of time if some Internet press release format rules are not followed.

In this article, we will take a look at the ingredients of an effective Internet press release, one that will help you market your company.

The Information

It is pretty easy to follow the rules when it comes to Internet press release format, so many companies and individuals feel that creating these releases is simple. Where the hard part comes in, and where most releases fail, is in engaging the attention of the media in the introduction and paragraph.

This is a common error among press releases created for marketing purposes in particular. Remember that although you are using the release as a marketing tool, publications will not consider using an advertisement.

You have to be creative about how you state the information in your Internet press release, making sure that it contains some kind of angle that makes it a story publications will want to put out for their readers to see. If it looks too much like a straightforward advertisement, the press release will not be used.

Don’t be fooled by the simple appearance of Internet press releases. You have a very short amount of space to demonstrate to potential publishers that your information is worth expanding on in their publications.

Internet Press Release Format

Keep in mind that Internet press releases are meant to be read by many different editors and writers who make decisions on what stories they are going to include in their web or print publications.

There is not a lot of time to do this, and there are a lot of stories out there, so these individuals are looking for releases that follow some simple rules to make the reading of the story easier.

All effective Internet press releases need to follow this format:

• Headline: It needs to be catchy and give an idea of what the story is about.
• Dateline: when the release was created and where.
• Introduction: a first paragraph, usually around 100 words, that gets to the point of the story by answering who, what, when, where, why, and how.
• Body: goes into a bit more detail on the information contained in the introduction. Usually around 400 words.
• Boilerplate: crucial for the person or company creating the press release, because it is here that any company places its name, web address, background information, and so on.
• Contact information: Phone numbers and emails where the company or the company’s media rep can be contacted by the press.

An effective Internet press release has to follow rules of structure and content in order to ensure its effectiveness as a marketing tool.

Be sure to check out our other articles about writing effective press releases for print.