Write a Press Release to Bring in Business to Your Hair Salon
What is a Press Release?
A press release is an article written for the media to announce something newsworthy. Different from promotions or advertisements, a press release can be about an event, a new hire, new products or services.
Tip: Interview a salon industry expert and write about your conversation
Online press releases serve the same purpose as traditional press. Instead of appearing in a newspaper, they get picked up and circulated by Google and Bing and many online news sites.
They get published just as you write them, including any links you give as well.
Why Should Cosmetologists Write a Press Release?
Because done properly, your potential clients will see them. It’s a great way to establish your authority as a hairstylist, cosmetologist, educator, or salon owner. Getting in the news makes it easier for you to turn these readers into clients.
What’s more, once your press release is written, you can also post it on your salon’s blog.
How To Write a Press Release That Gets Seen, Shared and Clicked On:
First, come up with something that’s newsworthy – You got your 100th client since you opened… Or you learned a new technique… Or you found a new product that your clients are getting great results with. Or maybe your son just started first grade and now you are working full time again.
Ask yourself – “What has changed” and make your story about that.
Tip: Choose ONE topic – and stick with it.
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2. Write a Press Release outline by answering these questions:
Who What When Where Why & How
Just like any news story, no matter what you are writing about you must give your readers all of the key information.
3. Next, choose appropriate Keywords
These are the natural search terms you use when writing. These words are what a prospective client might use to find out something about your topic – such as
- Hairstylist in Richmond VA
- What is Eyebrow Threading
- Natural Hair Care in Baltimore MD
These keywords must appear in your headline, description, and the body when you write a press release.
Because your press release will appear online, you are writing for 2 audiences – the search engines like Google and your prospective customers who will read the article. Keywords make it searchable and a well-written article makes it interesting to your prospects and clients.
4. Now write your headline
Your headline must be no more than 60 characters, including spaces. It must contain your chosen keywords. Adding your salon name or your professional name is a good idea, too. Be specific and use action words.
- Eyebrow Threading Now Offered At Bimala’s Salon In Wheaton MD
- Salon Owner’s Guide To Life Management – You Only Need 2 Pages A Day
- Let Salon Plaza’s Members Guide You To Success – Follow This Recipe
5. You’ll need a “meta description” or summary
This should be no more than 140 characters Use your keywords in your summary and tell something of the who, what, when or where.
6. Write your lead paragraph
Hint at the answers to ‘who, what, when, where and how. Leave the real answers for the body to interest the reader like in the image above. Try to catch their interest rather than being too direct here.
Remember, the idea is to come up in the searches, get your headline noticed, get your summary read, and then lead them to click on the full article. Give this some thought – it’s worth the effort to use a few words say a lot.
Tip: Use your company name in at least 2 of these: headline, summary, and lead paragraph.
7. Write the body of your article
The body of a press release answers the six questions a reader will have. who, what, when, where, how, and why. It also tells them how to get more information. That’s how you will draw the reader in so they want to know more about what you do.
Tip: The ideal length is 800 or more words. Write 500 words, at the barest minimum.
Everything you write must be on-topic. Think of it as a short story that tells all the important information, with no distractions. Sentences should be short and to the point. A paragraph with more than 5 lines is too long.
Use action verbs instead of adjectives. This keeps the article easy to read and interesting, To stay credible, leave out the exclamation points (!).
Include quotes from staff, customers or experts to build interest. When you use a quote, be sure to include the real name of a real person. You can add their photo, too. Speaking of images, be sure to include one or two. Title the images with your keywords when you save them, and then add them to your article.
Add links to points readers back to your Facebook page or salon website in this format:
- http://www.yourwebsitename.com
8. End Your Press Release
Say again in brief what you have told them – those important questions of who, when, why, what, where and how. Tell your readers how they to get more information.
9. Add your Company name and & Contact Information
This is your “About Us” section. You can write this once and use the same one for all press releases that you write. Once it’s done, you will be submitting it to an online news service like newswire.
Tip: Before you submit your press release to the news wires, be sure to check for spelling errors, typos, and mistakes in grammar.
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