HOW TO WRITE A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE
But how do you write an effective press release? You have to respect the standard rules and syntax so that it’s easy for reporters and bloggers to scan your story for its key elements.

You also want to make sure that by scanning it, they will get a good sense of what’s unique and newsworthy about your app. What you also want to keep in mind is that you have to stay factual in your press release and exaggerated marketing adjectives like “great” and “amazing.”

Remember to look at your press release through the eyes of the person that you are sending it to. It can be easy to focus on what you want to get out of the app launch press release.

But remember that the person who receives your press release needs to have a reason to write about your app. In other words, they need to look good too.

Carefully consider what their readers want to read about. Skim through past articles by the person you are about to send your press release to.

Which articles were shared the most and got the most comments? This will help you determine the right angle to pitch your app.

Finally, keep it under one page. The people who can get the word out about your app get dozens of pitches a day…just like yours. The longer it is, the more likely it is that they will hit the delete button.

PRESS RELEASE EXAMPLE (STRUCTURE OF A PRESS RELEASE)
To help you write your press release, here is a sample of one and a breakdown of its elements.

Before we start: the question of when to send your press release to your contacts is an important one. If you want journalists not to publish a story right away you can mention “Under embargo until” on the press release.

That allows you to send it to them a few days prior to launch, along with your app promo video, and it lets them write their story to publish it on your app launch date. Be careful, though, they sometimes just ignore the embargo (so repeat it in your email as well).

Also, you don’t want to send them an actual attachment like the file below (which is more for your press kit): you should insert your text-only press release in the body of your email.

Finally, don’t just mass-email all your identified contacts: try to learn more about what they write and for who. Show them that you know their work (don’t try too hard, though).

Press release example

A: App Icon and app name / Company. Insert your magnificient app icon at the top of the press release along with your app name (not the “long version” you might use on the AppStore or Google Play). It could also be your company name and logo, depending on which one you want to put the focus on (if you company is unknown, I suggest you focus on the app).

B: Subject line. This one is key. Like I said before, you should stay factual and use something like “company releases product for platform.” It’s pretty hard but if you can, make it captivating and try mentioning something unique about your app (an award, its usage, etc.).

C. Summary line. If you haven’t lost journalists by now, this is where you have to convince them that your story is worth reading (and therefore that theirs will be too) so they go through more of your press release. You want to make clear what are the basics of your app and what makes it unique at the same time.

D. Introduction. Start with your location and release date. Re-explain in 2/3 sentences what your app is all about (not the features, the actual goal of the app) and who it is for.

E. Screenshots. Obviously that’s only for the press release pdf you’ll put in your app press kit, not for the text-only version you’ll send in the body of your emails. Since you already have made and selected the best screenshots for your app details page on the store, why not use them?

F. Description. This part is the main body of your press release, and should (and I’ll just quote Dave) “explain in concise detail exactly what your app does, what features and benefits it provides, and why people should care”. A great addition to the app explanation is a nice and short quote from you or from a partner. Besides being pretty fun to write, it lets you bring up a different aspect of the app. Here’s a good post on how to write a killer press release quote.

G. Pricing, availability and coming up. Just a line or 2 full of facts: stating the app’s price, the OS requirements, countries, etc. What I like to add is a really short preview/teaser of what’s coming up: the next app to come in the same app series or something exciting. Make sure you don’t confuse the reader, though.