How to Write a Tech Press Release
As a business reporter living in Silicon Valley, I use to get a lot of press releases from tech companies announcing their latest product.
All too often, the releases were written to appeal to other techies, using language that my editors and I sometimes didn’t understand. And if we didn’t understand it, how could we communicate the message to the businesses that the company hoped to reach as customers? How would they know if they wanted one?
These releases often focused on the processes and the technology involved, rather than what the product actually did, which is what mattered most to the potential end users.
Now, writing in geek is fine when you’re pitching a tech reporter or blogger, but you still want lead with what the benefit of the product is and who will benefit from it. Then follow up with all the tech speak.
When approaching a non-tech outlet, such as a business newspaper or the TV news, try to write your release in everyday language, using tech talk sparingly.
And if you feel compelled to focus on the technology involved, put it in the lower part of your release or write a supporting fact sheet as an addition to the release.
Your press release is not about showing off, it’s about communicating and meeting the needs of the journalists and their audience.
Always remember, people don’t buy technology, they buy what the technology can do for them.
Do this, and you’ll get much more free publicity and you’ll sell more of your latest widgets.
