Difference between Article and Press Release writing

An article by Muhammad Farhan Bashir    13 Comments

They say freelance writing will earn you enough money that you can simply bid farewell to your day job and say hello to early retirement. If that’s really true for someone – That someone should rather try that luck somewhere in Vegas.

Here’s a little reality check, if article writing is your niche then you’d be terribly disappointed to open your eyes to a bitter truth. No one would be willing to pay more than a dollar for a ‘well-written’ article around 500 words long. So where’s the money in ghostwriting- It’s in writing a Press Release.

One Press of around four hundred words can earn you around 20 to 30 times more compensation than an article of same length. However, many freelance writers refrain from taking PR projects just because they are not sure if they are good enough for it.

How Press Release Writing is Different

To be honest, Press release writing requires almost the same level of writing skills as article or blog writing. The difference is only in the format, tone and a few tactics that can make it read like news. So, out of what I learned through my years of experience, here is a little help to let you know how press release writing differs from article writing:
1. First of all, articles usually require catchy headings but for PR, you need a newsworthy headline. Something that clearly defines what the news is about. One simple tip to write a newsworthy headline is to use verbs such ‘launches’, ‘releases’, ‘announces’ or even ‘invites’ depending on the news you are propagating through the release. To make the headline catchy and exciting use adjectives such as ‘amazing’, ‘unique’, ‘innovative’, etc.
2. Some press releases require a very serious and formal headline. You can’t afford to ward you readers away just for the sake of formal and no-nonsense tone, now can you? In such cases, we use subtitles. Subtitles are usually fun and exciting to read. Try flaunting all your creativity in that one line.
3. Then comes the body! We usually start articles with generalized facts regarding whatever that is we are writing about. In case of blogs, we talk about personal experiences. In press release writing, neither is acceptable. PR needs to be current and up-to-date, and generalization doesn’t help here. The best solution is to start with current stats rather than general facts.
4. Yes, you can’t talk about your personal experiences like you do in blogs. That will make it sound pitchy. People believe in news that comes from a neutral source and not from the fans or the business itself. So, for credibility sake, always keep a neutral and somewhat critical (positively) tone. Instead of writing ‘how great it is’, make predictions and speculations about how beneficial and helpful ‘it can be’.
5. The greatest guide to ghostwriting, Rule#1 says, “Make it pitchy”- And that is exactly how you do it!
Internet writing, be it an article or a press release, it’s all about marketing, so there has to be a sales pitch somewhere. But remember what we said about being neutral? So, the solution is to simply put the pitch in the quotes. Just tell them that the spokesperson said so, and you’ll stay clean.
6. Finally, you end a press release not with a conclusion but an introduction. Write a short description of the company or the concerned person, add contact details and end it with three # signs. Yes, that’s mandatory for submitting your press releases online.