DIY: The Art of the Press Release
I know what you’re thinking, “Lalo, I’m not a public relations expert! How can I possibly create my own press releases to promote my fitness career?” Look, I get it. My expertise lies in training clients to help them be healthy, happy, and in the best shape of their lives. But I’m also here to tell you that writing a press release isn’t nearly as complicated as it seems. And now that’s you’re trying to take the reins and create a fitness career you can be proud of, you are going to have to learn the ropes when it comes to PR. Here are a few tips you can use to help you promote yourself and master the art of the press release!
What is a Press Release?
A press release is also called a news release and it’s used to announce something to the media. It can be used to declare facts, promote your services or organization, and even announce specials. They’re used to generate chatter about you and your services, maybe even leading to a feature story since press releases are a tool used by many in the PR world to reel reporters in to write a story. It’s a useful tool to get your name, your services, and your brand out into the world.
What’s Important
The most important parts of press releases are:
The headline – The key point of the release that should be unique, useful, and specific while conveying urgency.
The body – Write it the way you want it to appear in the news. This gives you an exclusive opportunity to set the tone for the story, giving you control.
Communication – Make sure to include who, what, when, where, why, and how! Hook the media with the answer to these questions.
Company bio – Make sure to include information about your business so any journalist can easily find the info and include it in a story.
Contact information – You ultimately want to generate business with a press release, so include a way to contact you. Include your company name, contact person, address, email, phone number, website, and availability.
The finish – Add three hashtag symbols at the end (###), centered under the last line. It’s standard journalistic practice and shows you know what you’re doing!In my book, Your Fitness Career, I show you how to put all of this information together to style a press release. I show the structure and descriptive details of press releases I’ve used in the past and had a lot of success with.
You will be amazed at how much you can learn about marketing and public relations with just a little research on your own. At the beginning of your fitness career, you’re going to need to do a lot of this kind of work yourself because paying someone to do it for you can be quite expensive. Just understand that you possess all you need to get these things done on your own. One day, when you are the wild success I know you can be, you can hire someone else to do it. Until then, learn all you can make it happen!
Looking to become a successful personal trainer? Make it possible with my book. Your Fitness Career