In previous posts, I’ve talked about how to format a press release that helps engage your audience better – from utilizing bolded section headers to including relevant multimedia. While I’d love to tell you there’s a hot, new method for formatting your releases, the truth is, the tried-and-true content best practices still apply (even after 20+ years):
- Good (concise) executive quotes;
- A media contact rep available via telephone and/or email;
- A positive headline/lead paragraph that answers “Why does this news matter?”;
- A relevant “above the fold” call-to-action (CTA) link; and (of course)
- Key data points you deliver early in the PR.
This month’s edition of our “Top 5” focuses on that last bullet. The following press releases did an exemplary job of leading with data points the brand’s target audience(s) would care about – a tactic that also helped relay the relevancy of their news announcement.
The Top 5 Press Release Picks from September
1. Target Readies Team for Holiday with More Hours, Pay & Training
Data points like “5 million more hours” and “$75 million more into paychecks” helped Target Corp control the narrative, which garnered some nice earned media from high profile outlets like CNBC, which highlighted these figures.
2. Samuel Adams is the Official Beer of Inspiration4, the First All-Civilian Spaceflight Mission to Orbit; Drinkers Can Bid on Jim Koch's Signed Number One Bottle of 2021 Utopias for Charity
Samuel Adams impresses with their “28% Barrel-Aged Beer Finished on 2,000 Pounds of Cherries.” Did it earn the brand good pick up? Just search for “Sam Adams 28%” and you’ll have your answer.
3. Atlis Motor Vehicles Reveals Design Of Pre-Production XT Pickup
“500-mile range… recharge in less than 15 minutes” led the story - and subsequent earned media pick up - for this prototype electric truck.
4. GM Set to Reach 100 Percent Renewable Energy in the U.S. 5 Years Ahead of Schedule
No burying the lede here, obviously, with General Motor’s “100 Percent” right in the headline. A smart move on their end? One hundred percent. 
5. Capital One Study Underscores Unequal Impact of COVID
And of course, not all data points have to be in the headline, subhead or body text. Providing a key data point within a nice piece of multimedia (as Capital One did here in their infographic) is not only visually compelling - it’s a move that is prven to amplify engagement.
Bottom line: As with any press release, you want to provide your audience relevant, engaging content that helps the brand control the narrative as much as possible, helps keep your audience interested in your story. Data is just one more (powerful) way to do that.
