In our 2021 “5 Most Impressive Press Releases” series, I highlighted content each month that exemplified PR best practices and successful engagement tactics. Each post recognized releases that succeeded in a specific area, including:
- Strong CTAs
- Thought leadership
- Combatting the "quick scan"
- Eye-catching visuals
- Spotlighting ESG
One release from 2021 that really crossed all the T’s and dotted all the I’s was this one: IHG Hotels & Resorts reveals guests' growing passion to travel better, younger guests are leading the way with their green intent.
5 Reasons IHG’s Press Release Stood Out Above the Rest
- A strong start: The release begins with an engaging headline that hooks the reader in the first 70 characters, relaying a thought leadership piece on a highly relevant subject. It utilizes a strong, positive, action verb (“reveals”) and plugs in a timely, relevant key phrase with “green intent.”
- A subheadline that hits home very nicely on two fronts: by providing a key data point to compel the reader to continue into the body and plugging a positive ESG message.
- The use of multimedia to engage audiences: The three bright, engaging images depict a level of luxury the reader might wish to experience.
- Strategic formatting: The use of bolding and additional data points placed above the fold all help combat a reader’s tendency to do a “quick scan.” IHG makes good use of bolded section headers to keep the reader engaged and quickly answer the always-important question, “Why does this news matter?”
- A compelling call-to-action that also adheres to formatting best practices ends this press release on an impactful note.
Three cheers to IHG for raising the bar when it comes to standout PR content that served to engage its audience well and resulted in a top-performing release.
