By Ericka Simpson

Awesome press releases don’t just inform readers. Great press releases pack a recognizable sales punch.

I’ve seen the numbers of listeners at radio shows like Off The Shelf skyrocket after the radio show ran a press announcement for only two to three shows in a row.

Features in awesome press releases

Read these following important elements that are not only a part of awesome press releases but that can give your next releases a rock solid sales punch.

• Must read headline. Add words that trigger emotion to your press release headlines. Buffer shares headline formulas. Smart Blogger, Freelance Writing Gigs and My Quick Idea are spots where you can get great words to use in headlines.

• Focus on the advantages. Introduce readers to your products’ or services’ advantages right away. Share the name of your new products or services from the beginning. If you’re sending a press release to announce an event, give the name of the event, location and date and time immediately. Then, go right into the benefits that people will gain from using your products, services or by attending your event.

• Expert backup. Awesome press releases include snippets of a testimonial or feature interviews from one to three industry experts. Thanks to social media, you can reach out to experts for testimonials and short, concise interviews directly from your computer. Don’t force people to rely on your word alone. Give them more proof that what you’re saying is accurate.

• Inform and educate. List three to five major benefits about your event, product or service. Keep each item to five to six words, to force yourself to be as clear as possible. Use a paragraph of your awesome press releases to present this information. Write for industry insiders and novices.

• Be honest. Elections prove how critical it is to be honest. Be honest about your pricing, service delivery turnaround, shipping costs, product guarantees and return policies. Set high goals that you and your team can consistently produce.

• Be prepared. Prepare for consumer response. Staff up to handle customer orders and telephone calls. The last thing that you want is to send a press release that gets national exposure only to discover that you don’t have enough products on hand to meet customer demands.

Make your press releases better with these elements

• Add amazing visuals. Forget stock images. Take pictures of your products yourself. Shoot for originality. To highlight your services, consider using professional models. Because they are your pictures, make the images work for you. Use the original pictures in videos, blogs, articles and on your website and social media pages. Definitely add the original pictures that you took yourself to your press releases. Top press release distribution services let you upload pictures when you’re submitting your news announcement.

• Keywords. The right keywords are a must. Awesome press releases need to be found. Professional writers can help you write press announcements using targeted keywords.

• Videos. Create a video so readers can see your products in action. Add a link to your video in your news announcement.

• Contact information. Absolutely do not skip this step. You’d be surprised how many people do. Include your contact information at the bottom of your awesome press releases. Details to include with your contact information are: the name of your company, mailing address, website URL, phone number and a short one-paragraph summary of your business.

Decide on the right press release distribution service to pack the most sales punch. Distribution services that have an international or national reach could yield the best results. Also, keep regional and industry specific press release distribution services in mind. Key is to alert media experts to your latest products and new services regularly, at least once a month. Another important key is to choose distribution services that have real and valuable relationships with actual magazine and newspaper reporters, media writers and digital news professionals.