It’s no rocket science. You need a headline, lead, body, contact information and press images. That’s all. But this sounds way easier than it is, of course. Writing a press release can be a real pain in the ass if you’re not a writer.
That’s why we wrote this article. We’ll guide you step by step in the process of writing a press release, so you get the publicity your fashion show or new collection deserves!
Step 1. Lead
The lead is the first paragraph of a press release where you answer the question who, what, why, when, where and how. Always start with writing the lead first and then the headline! You can only come up with the best and most newsy headline if you have the whole story in front of you.
Let’s see how this works. Imagine your brand is called Label X and you are about to launch a new collection made out of used plastic to get attention for the increasing plastic waste in the world.
Give answer to the questions:
Who= Label X
What= Launch of new collection Plastic Fantastic
Why= getting attention for the increasing plastic waste in the world
When= January 5th, 2019
Where= Recycle Station Berlin
How= a collection made of used plastic
Now put this in two or three sentences:
On January 5th, 2019 Label X is launching their new collection Plastic Fantastic at Recycle Station Berlin. The new collection is completely made of used plastic to get attention for the increasing plastic waste in the world. The collection is 100% sustainable and guilty-free.
Step 2. Body
The body consists of two paragraphs. The second paragraph puts the story in context: why is it important? The third paragraph presents the details: who is behind the label etc. If these paragraphs are really short you can also put them together in one paragraph of course. Also make sure you add one or two quotes of important people involved.
Let’s see how this looks like:
Every year 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in the oceans. This is unbearable for sustainable fashion brand Label X, so they decided to show the world you can make clothes out of used plastic. They used 100 kilos of their own plastic collected in the past year. They were able to transfer this into a polyester-like fabric with the help of revolutionary techniques of The Re-use Agency. “It was so exciting to see how our own waste turned into useable fabrics and even a whole new collection. We couldn’t do this with the expert knowledge of The Re-use Agency”, says Maria, director of Label X.
Launch of Plastic Fantastic
Date: January 5th, 2019
Time: Doors open at 19.00
Location: Recycle Station BerlinAbout
Label X is a Berlin based innovative sustainable fashion brand known for their use of reclaimed fabrics and materials. The label is directed by Maria Gaal and fashion designer Sarah Jansen. The Re-Use Agency is specialized in turning re-used items and materials into fabrics for fashion designers and labels.
Step 3. Headline
Now that we have the whole story in front of us, we can make a headline. There are a few rules to keep in mind:
- Keep it under hundred characters
- Headlines with approx. 6 words tend to earn the highest number of click-throughs. (according to Co Schedule)
- Use active voice (a sentence where the subject is performing the action denoted by the verb)
- Make sure people care about it
The first thing that comes to mind for our headline is:
“Label X launches new collection made of used plastic”
Now we are going to check how good it is by using this very handy website: https://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer
When we put this headline in the Analyzer, we see an overall headline score of 59:
- 11% common words (of,)
- 22% uncommon words (made, new)
- 0% emotional words
- 0% power words
- 52 characters (good) and 9 words (good)
We can do this better! Let’s put some emotional and power words in it:
“Exclusive launch of revolutionary guilt-free fashion collection”
When we put this headline in the Analyzer, we see an overall headline score of 72:
- 11% common words (of,)
- 0% uncommon words
- 13% emotional words (revolutionary)
- 39% power words (exclusive, guilt-free)
- 63 characters (good) and 8 words (good)
You see the difference? The second headline triggers the reader more than the first one.
Step 4. Contact information
At the bottom of the press release you write down how people can reach you. It usually looks like this:
For accreditation, more information or high resolution images please send an email to press@label.x, give a call on 003161111111111, or visit www.label.x
Step 5. Press images
Always send low resolution pictures that are ready to publish. Press people or PR agencies don’t have time to compromise the pictures themselves.
These are good sizes for press images:
- maximum of 2000 pixels wide.
- under 1 MB
If they want high resolution pictures, they will ask for it. You can send the pictures as attachment but sometimes it will be marked as spam then. Use a link to a dropbox account or another download option if you want to be save.
Step 6. Send it
Use the headline as email subject. If you want a high conversion it helps to begin the email with a personal note and statement: why your event is important or interesting for the media you write to. After this personal note you place the press release. Always place this in the email itself and never as an attachment! You want to make it as easy as possible for the receiver. Check your email marketing tool for the best sending time. If you have done all of this, it’s time to send the press release. An exiting moment! You are now one step closer to reaching your goals 🙂
Below the whole press release:
Subject: Exclusive launch of revolutionary guilt-free fashion collection
Dear Fashion Magazine,
We think our collection launch might be interesting for Fashion Magazine. We used a very innovative and revolutionary method to transfer plastic waste in a fabric. For more information see the press release below. We hope you have the time to attend our fashion show.
Kind regards,
Label XExclusive launch of revolutionary guilt-free fashion collection
On January 5th, 2019 Label X is launching their new collection Plastic Fantastic at Recycle Station Berlin. The new collection is solely made out of re-used plastic to get attention for the increasing plastic waste in the world. The collection is 100% sustainable and guilt-free.
Every year 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in the oceans. This is unbearable for sustainable fashion brand Label X, so they decided to show the world you can make clothes out of re-used plastic. They used 100 kilos of their own used plastic collected in the last year. They were able to transfer this into a polyester-like fabric with the help of innovation techniques of The Re-use Agency. “It was so exciting to see how our own waste turned into useable fabrics and even a whole new collection. We couldn’t do this with the expert knowledge of The Re-use Agency”, says Maria, director of Label X.
Launch of Plastic Fantastic
Date: January 5th, 2019
Time: Doors open at 19.00
Location: Recycle Station BerlinCheck this link for press images: www.dropbox.com/press/labelx
About
Label X is a Berlin based innovative sustainable fashion brand known for their use of reclaimed fabrics and materials. The label is directed by Maria Gaal and fashion designer Sarah Jansen. The Re-Use Agency is specialized in turning re-used items and materials into fabrics for fashion designers and labels.Contact information
For accreditation, more information or high resolution images please send an email to press@label.x or give a call on 003161111111111, or visit www.label.x
Book tip: Copywrong to copywriter, a practical guide to copywriting for small businesses, small organizations, sole traders and lone rangers.
