To develop software, both time and effort are involved. However, a good marketing strategy is essential to ensure good results in terms of sales and revenue. One of the first things adopted in the promotion of software is a press release announcement. With a software launch press release template, the effort and time required in writing a good press release for your software launch will decrease. This is why after going through this post, you will have all the necessary elements for software launch press release distribution like a ready-made template, tips to write a press release, example, and advantages. Become familiar with all these aspects one by one below:
Aim: To announce your software launch online through a press release.
Tools: To effortlessly attain the target listed above, this write-up has provided tools in form of a template, benefits of PR distribution, tips for writing the PR, etc.
Template: Use the software launch press release template given below:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[Headline] /* [Software development company/entity name] + Releases New Software [Name of the Software] + for [Purpose] + attractive news angle (if any) */
[Sub-heading] /* small brief of 1-2 sentences */
[Location City], [Date]. [Software development company/entity name], a [well-known/emerging/new] name in [software development/software services/type of sector] is delighted to announce the release of a new software [software name] on [date, if applicable]. [What will the software do? + How people can buy/access/install? + any offers on launch day or for the first few installs]. (4-5 sentences)
[Discuss key features of the software + specifications like supported platforms, crucial tech specifications, etc. + inspiration (background) for the software application] (4-5 sentences)
[Quote from a senior executive (CEO, CTO, etc) of the company]
[Key people involved in the software development + who are the main target audience + any future plans/updates for the software] (3-4 sentences)
[Quote from the software developer or beta tester]
[Top past software/achievements of the company + changes in the related industry + potential]. (3-4 sentences)
[Call out to check social media page or website URL or software download URL].
About [Software development company]
[Background (who started, when) + vision + mission (2-3 sentences max)].
Media Contact:
[Name]
[Job Title]
[Email address] /* give official email containing company domain name */
[Phone number]
[Website URL]
[Location city and state]
Advantages
When you issue a press release for a software launch, your business and your associated website will enjoy the following benefits:
1) Generates Thousands of Views in a Few Days of Release
Businesses often require announcing new products, services, and events. The announcement is deemed successful if a substantial number of targeted people become aware of it. While there are many costly and complex ways of doing it, a simple, quick, and efficient way to do it is by making use of press release distribution networks. The involvement of a large number of sites in the syndication process of a press release distribution gives it the potential to generate thousands of views for the announcement/news/content contained in a press release. There are other factors too like the quality of press release service and the content optimization that do have an impact on how good are the end results.
2) Can Generate Big Brand Perception
The brand perception of a company/business is created when the company/business finds mentions on some of the most recognized and trustworthy sites online. Press releases can be used wisely to secure placements on some of the most reputed and well-known sites in the world. However, it is important to note that not all PR agencies can provide access to such sites. So the selection of the right distribution provider is also important in order to get brand-building benefits from a press release distribution.
3) Gives Links and SEO Advantage
An indirect benefit that your business gets due to the vast spread of your press release content across various sites is that 100’s of new backlinks are created for your official website. As a result of this, your official website gets more edge in better ranking on search engines which in turn helps to get more visibility and leads for your business online. This also affects a few other technical factors like domain authority, Moz rank, and trust score of your website.
4) Serves as a Good Medium to Achieve Transparency
A business that is transparent in various aspects of its functioning gains trust from people (customers, investors, editors, etc). A good way to integrate the element of transparency in your business is by issuing press releases from time to time so that people can remain aware of various things taking place in your business. A business can also update on the coming events, offers, new hires, etc through press releases. These periodic announcements through press releases are also useful when you want to expand your business by seeking new investments as investors do check out various bits of information about the business using various sources including press releases.
5) Makes Your Business Look More Authentic
With more people having access to the internet, searching for reviews of businesses and services is quite normal today. Whenever a person searches for your brand name and finds out that your brand has appeared on many prominent news sites and popular websites (owing to press release distribution), then it leads to a positive image and authenticity of your business. It is thus one of the decisive factors that enable any potential customer to select your products/services. So press releases can also lead more people to select your business once they find your business-related content on some of the renowned sites of the world.
How to Write a Press Release? Tips Explained
For effective press release writing and distribution, give a close look at the following writing tips:
1) Don’t Let Content Feel Incomplete
Every press release that makes an announcement about a new change/product/service needs to inform the readers of various forward and backward things that are connected with the announcement else the content of the press release would sound imperfect. For this reason, it is always advised to come up with some basic questions like who, what, where, how, etc before writing a press release so that one can remember to answer the relevant questions related to the announcement made in the press release.
2) Take Note of the “Third Person” Writing Rule
Since a press release depicts a professional piece of information issued by a company, it follows a slightly different style of writing than a blog post. For writing a press release, only a third-person writing style is allowed. It means that addressing the readers with words like “you” or talking of yourself with words like “I” etc is not allowed unless they represent direct quotes from any person.
3) Link a Few More Dimensions, Make PR Creative
Given the professional nature of a press release, most of the press release content is limited to some or the other kind of announcements only. This limits the end results as very few people find interest in plain announcements. Therefore, to achieve bigger and better results, think of interconnected dimensions and impact and utilize them to make the press release creative and interesting while retaining the overall professional nature of the content of the press release.
4) Don’t Show Off Your Language Proficiency
No matter how much command you have over the English language, your press release must not show off your proficiency in English because press releases are meant to be written in a simple format so that readers/editors would not get a hard time understanding your content. The aim of a press release should be to convey the idea rather than to confuse the idea and for this, keeping the language simple is recommended.
5) Headline Creates the First and Fundamental Impression
The first impression generator for a press release is its headline. While scrolling through a number of news stories and press releases on a website, it is the headline that is the most vital factor in deciding whether the reader will start reading the press release or will ignore it. So much more effort must be put forth in deciding the right headline than in writing the actual content for the press release.
6) Editing Requests After Publication is Futile
In a blog post, you have much control over the content as you are free to edit the content anytime when you find any mistakes. In a press release, the case is too rigid as after publication, it is close to impossible to ask each of the sites carrying your press release to modify or edit the content. So whenever you write a press release, be 100% sure shot that the content is full and final and would not require modifying the release anytime later.
7) Carefully Finalize Whose Contact Details will Go in Media Contact
For any press release, the readers, editors, potential investors, potential partners, etc who come across the press release content might require contacting the company/business for various reasons. This is why adding the contact details of a responsible person at the end of media contact becomes extremely vital so that you do not miss out on such opportunities. Therefore after writing the main body of the press release, do make sure to put the name, email, and phone number of any person from your business/company who can look after the queries received from the press release.
8) No Empty Claims or Unverifiable Information
Press releases should not contain any accusations or demeaning remarks on competitive businesses or services. Neither should it showcase its own products and services as the best, unless it is backed by solid proof. There are legal and reputational risks involved in such press releases and as editing press releases after publishing is a very tedious and close to impossible task, it could attract big trouble later.
9) Select a Distributor Having Good Syndication
There are several press release services out there. However, the syndication network of each of them is not the same and hence the results provided by them are also not the same. For press release services that have tie-ups with the most reputed sites, they can easily get your press release content on some of the most popular websites in the world which will give a host of benefits to your business. So choose a service provider wisely after finishing your press release writing.
