A great automotive press release could be about a new product, technology, upcoming events or trade shows, mergers, new designs, etc.
Anyone in the auto industry can benefit from submitting a well-written press release, but you’ve got to target your audience.
If your company has a booth at the SEMA Show, that could be an excellent news topic to submit a press release about.
Suppose you’ve created a new type of automotive wax or re-invented the tire, or done a really cool hotrod restoration. In that case, that’s another topic to write a press release about to gain targeted media coverage.
Press releases help readers and potential buyers learn about and become interested in your company.
The automotive industry is always looking for new ways to market its latest vehicles. A well-written press release can make or break a company’s marketing strategy. Here are some tips on how to write your own automotive press release!
Make it newsworthy
The first tip on how to write a tremendous automotive press release is to make it newsworthy. What does that mean? It means that your press release should be the one that gets picked up by media sources, not your competitor’s! How can you do this? Remember, you are writing something new here. Write about events and advancements in the industry; these are newsworthy bits of information for journalists. Perhaps there was some product recall, or maybe an exciting new model is coming out soon. Maybe you even plan on taking over your competitor (just kidding). All of these types of things draw attention to your company because they show progression and development. On the other hand, if you only write about your products, you are just filling up the world with more information that they probably don’t care to read. The trick is to show progress and development in your company or industry as a whole.
Make it clear
A press release should be written so that journalists can understand what they are reading immediately. Use short sentences and simple words so that even the most novice journalist will be able to pick up on your key points quickly.
Check for grammar errors
Unfortunately, some people do not have the luxury of using professional writers for their press releases. For this reason, make sure you check your work twice (or preferably three times) for any misspelled words or bad grammar choices (like starting a sentence with a conjunction). You may want to have a second set of eyes check it as well, just to make sure.
Create a great headline
The headline is the first thing reporters see, so make it short and catchy! A good way of doing this is by making use of keywords from your press release. Also, make the most essential words bolded or italicized to stand out from the rest of the text. Doing these things will immediately draw attention to what journalists need to know about your product or company.
Include a dateline
It might sound silly, but some companies either forget to include a dateline or just don’t know how to write one correctly. Your dateline should include the name of the company you are sending your press release for, along with the city and state that they are located. Something like “ABC Industries, Toledo OH” would be an appropriate full dateline for a press release (just make sure you include contact information like a phone number and/or website below this).
Create a boilerplate
The last section of your automotive press release should include some sort of boilerplate; otherwise, it will sound very incomplete. Think of this paragraph as something that can be used on every single press release that you send out without having to repeat yourself over and over again. It should contain some key facts about your company, such as their location and contact information. If you have a catchy tagline for your business, this may also be an excellent place to put it in!
Have fun with it
The last tip on how to write an excellent automotive press release is that you should have fun with it! Don’t treat writing a press release like a chore; you want someone to get excited about what you send out, not dread it. Who knows, maybe you will get some positive attention from media sources because of your automotive press release!