How to Turn a Blog Post into a Press Release

This guest post is by Erika Gimbel, a Chicago freelance writer.

If you�re an ace at writing blog copy, you can write an excellent press release. Both have many of the same elements: strong headlines, top-down format (most important stuff up front), etc. You already know that press releases are a powerful way to promote your blog, and they�re an effective way to get your message out without duplicating content.

So, if you�re ready to put your news out there, here�s some basic steps to re-writing your blog post into a press release. To get started, take a newsworthy blog post and�

1. Make sure it�s news

A press release has to announce something. Unlike most blog posts, it�s not commentary, a how-to guide or a numbered list. However, the following blog post topics would work perfectly as the basis for a press release:

• launch of a new company
• client success story (�Client Doubles Income After Completing Online Course�)
• new product, service or event announcement (e-book, webinar, meetup, seminar)
• awards, either that you�ve won or awarded to others (invent some!)
• new employees/hires/contributors
• milestones (one year in business, subscriber growth of 500%, etc.)
• survey results

If you don�t have any of the above news, come up with your own, like predictions (�ProBlogger Announces Top Blogging Predictions for 2024�), or a response to current news (�Company Provides Immediate SEO Assistance for Google�s New Algorithm�).

2. Change everything to the third-person voice

Both the headline and the body of the press release should be in the third person. Instead of �we� or �I� use the company name. Instead of �you� use �customers,� or �clients.�

3. Revise the headline

Both blog posts and press releases ideally should have keywords within the first few words of the headline. Unlike most blog posts, press releases also have a subhead, which either emphasizes the headline�s point-of-difference�whyyour news is so important�or provides factual backup for the headline.

To format the headline and subhead�

PRESS RELEASE HEADLINE: IN ALL CAPS
Subhead in Title Case, Except the Little, Non-Important Words

4. Rearrange the post to contain these press release elements

• Dateline: If you use a press release distribution service they�ll make sure you get this right, but if you�re writing it on your own, the format is: �CITY NAME [all caps], State abbreviation (Month Day, Year) � � So as an example, you�d have �POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y., (Oct. 31, 2023) � [First sentence starts here.]�
• Lead: The main news. You can be creative with your first sentence, but make sure you get the who, what, where, why and how in the first paragraph. Your keyword/s should be in the lead as well as the headline.
• Quote: A quote isn�t required, but it always helps to illuminate the press release and give it some personality. Go ahead and use �I�s and �you�s here. The quote is usually the second paragraph, but again, not required.
• Boilerplate: At the end of every press release, include a short paragraph about the company, again in the third person. Your website and phone number go here, too.