In the current attention economy, everyone is trying to be seen. This is even more so when it comes to businesses. The rise of the internet means that you have to compete with more than ever before. When putting out press releases, some businesses choose to turn up the theatrics and stand out above the rest.

But when is it appropriate? After all, the last thing you want is to seem unprofessional or unserious to readers of your release. In this article, we’ll touch on some of the ways to make your press release pop without it backfiring. 

Why You Might Want to Spruce Up Your Press Release

There are several reasons why a business will want to enhance its press release in this day and age. First, it makes them more visually appealing, which makes more people want to read them. A press release, for all intents and purposes, is a legal document, and those are rarely fun to read. In fact, they can be quite tedious to get through. For a journalist or even a casual reader, a press release might not be the most compelling read. But if the press release is made more appealing using some of the things we’ll mention in this article, they will be more drawn to it compared to others. This, in turn, means that you’re likely to get more eyes on it than your competitors. 

Believe it or not, press releases can also be a means of branding. Your audience should be able to identify your business from whatever you put out, including your press releases. Certain stylistic choices should be consistent across your branding, and a press rele

ase can certainly help with this. Depending on what visual elements you incorporate into the release, it can also help with search engine optimization and so, you should keep this in mind.

All this being said, there are some rules of engagement when it comes to adding flair to press releases. While some choices can work in your advantage, others can come off as unprofessional or awkward. 

Dos

Thinking of enhancing your press release? Here are some of the things you might want to consider: 

• Bold Topics: The first thing that the reader will see, even before they see the body text, is your heading. So, the first way to spruce up such a release is to add a heading that catches the readers’ eye. As long as the core information (the 5 Ws) are added, feel free to add some puns, cheeky references, and much more. 
• Images: Gone are the days when press releases were a wall of text and nothing more. Many of the sites that carry them (including the ones we work with) accept press releases with images, and this offers a world of opportunity. From stock images to illustrated depictions of your product or services to images from an event, you can catch the reader’s eye. Images are also a way to break up the text so that it is less overwhelming at first sight. 
• Videos: In some cases, you can also embed a video in the press releases to further drive home your point. As statistics show that more people online would rather watch videos than even look at text, this might be a good idea. Bonus points if you also share the video on social media and expand the release’s reach.
• Variety in Text Format: Throughout the article, you can choose to add some variety to your text format to draw attention to certain words, phrases, paragraphs, and so on. One thing you can do is italicize certain words or change the text colour to really draw in the reader’s attention. You can also italicize quotes to make them stand out, use an em dash, and much more. 

Don’ts

As much as you want more attention for your press release, you want to avoid some of the following: 

• Emojis: As we’ve said, adding some colourful visuals can hook the reader and drive your point across. But using things like emojis can be a step too far. At the end of the day, a press release is still a legal document, and for many readers, an emoji would not serve any purpose besides making them take it less seriously. So, it is advisable not add any emojis to your text.
• GIFs and Emoticons: As internet natives, we see GIFs on a daily basis. But one place that we should not see them is in press releases. Because, just like emojis, they don’t communicate anything about the development in question. Always remember that a press release, while it can be engaging, should not read like a BuzzFeed listicle. 

Other Considerations

Certain elements are not strictly advisable or non-advisable for press releases, but instead depend on the context:

• Memes: While you might assume that memes immediately fall under the same category as GIFs and emojis, there are some contexts in which they can be used. Some projects, such as cryptos, are based on memes, and so, it is appropriate to include such a meme in the press release, as long as the context is explained. 

Conclusion 

It’s not easy putting out a press release these days. You have so many other businesses doing the same thing, and an audience with an ever-shrinking attention span. To come out on top, you have to make your press releases as interesting as possible, and this means putting a bit of visual and textual flair. These would mean that your release will stand out more and have a higher chance of converting. 

At the same time, you have to put a lot of care into the specific elements you choose to incorporate. These could be beneficial in that they make the press release more interesting to read. But it could also make it seem unprofessional and turn away readers. Using the guide we’ve outlined, you should be able to discern which is appropriate and come out on top.