How to Write the Perfect Travel Press Release

Now I know the headline for this column is a bit presumptuous. And I'm not a public relations professional, nor am I a travel agent trying to get good press for my business. But nearly every year I end up writing a piece like this as a way to get better press releases submitted to our publications, as well as other travel media outlets (I know my professional colleagues and competitors have similar sentiments).

At TravelPulse.com, as well as our sister magazines Agent@Home and Vacation Agent, we get literally hundreds of press releases submitted every week. Some are actually quite good. They have the information we need organized in a compact, well-written way.

Other releases, however, are not so good. They often go on forever without getting to the point. They also have more adjectives and modifiers in them than I've seen in even a creative writing course. We call that hype--and it's unnecessary, especially if you really have a story to tell in your release.

Of course, when you write a press release, remember to target the media outlets that truly want the information in it. I can't tell you how many releases I get that are totally off target, because maybe I'm on somebody's mass distribution list for almost everything. What that usually means to me is the writer of the release did not take the time to specifically target relevant publications and online outlets that are focused on travel, and on the travel industry and travel agents in particular. With all that in mind, here are five recommendations on how to write a better press release.

Write a Good Headline: If you want journalists to read your release, the key is to give us a sense of what it's about in the headline. Yes, there are "grabbers" where we might click on your email just to see what it's about (if we can't figure it out right away). But usually we're only going to click on the email if we see a relevant headline that lets us know what specifically your release is about. If we're interested, we'll open up the email and read further. But if you can't get us to open it, the headline is really not very effective.

Cut the Hype: As I pointed out earlier, too many of the press releases we get are inflated by adjectives and modifiers. I've seen up to five adjectives in one sentence. Everything can't be "beautiful" or "superb" or "gourmet" or "scenic" or "spectacular"…the list goes on and on. And in most cases, the journalist at the media outlet will be the judge of that anyway from personal experience. I don't know of any media outlet that keeps these adjectives in.

Now I've heard public relations professionals tell me they put those adjectives in because "that's what the client wants." Fine, but know that none of that verbiage is ever going to get into a story in print or online. And as professionals, you should advise your clients on the press releases that have the best chance of being picked up— those without the "hype." For travel agents writing their own press releases, the same thing goes: Cut the hype and you'll have a much better chance of having media outlets get interested in your story.

Just the Facts: As Jack Webb used to say in "Dragnet" (and I'm dating myself here, since I'm too young to be citing "Dragnet" except in reruns), a press release should present the facts of a new travel product or service. I'm not saying it has to be dryly written, but it should relate the factual information that a journalist needs to write the story. Too often I find there's so much extraneous information in releases that the main point is lost in the shuffle.

Don't Bury the Lead: Like any good news story, a press release should present the "who, what, when, where" in the very first paragraph, if not the very first sentence itself. Then the rest of the release can further describe and amplify on the news being presented. Too often I see "creative" leads that can go on for one, two or even three paragraphs before finally the release writer gets to the point. Let the journalist write the creative lead for you when the release is picked up.

Don't Provide Quotes: Okay, maybe this is a little extreme, but I can't tell you how many times we get releases that include quotations from top executives that basically say nothing about the news being released. Then we have to call back to get a better quote anyway. Usually those kind of quotations are the result of a release being bounced up and down the executive hierarchy (including the dreaded "legal" department) before they are "approved." The result often is a dry, innocuous quotation that will never be used in print or online. So if you do want to include quotations from anyone, make sure they actually add something to the release—and to your story.

OK, so that was my annual rant about press releases—and I’ve said a lot more in earlier columns I’ve written over the years. But let me be clear: This doesn't mean we don't want to get press releases. With all the focus on social media, tweets, Facebook posts and video releases, I still think press releases are still the most succinct and effective form of communication—at least if they are written well. Sadly, it often seems that good press release writing is a dying art.

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