So, we’ve talked about about 5 essential things all press releases should have, as well as how to format a press release correctly. Now we’re going to wrap up this little series for now by taking a look at 10 more press release tips – including tips on how to submit them properly – to keep your writing endeavors on track.

1.) Watch your language. When you’re sending an email to a friend or a coworker, you might not care as much about your spelling and grammar, but sending press releases to media professionals is a whole ‘nother story. Proofread your press release to eliminate any spelling and grammar issues, as well as any awkward phrasing. Then have someone else proofread it, too, just in case.

2.) Make sure you follow submission guidelines. Submissions that don’t follow a publication’s submission guidelines usually just get thrown into the junk pile. If you are using a press release distribution service, this won’t apply to you, because that service SHOULD be doing the job correctly on your behalf, but if you intend to submit your press releases yourself, then this definitely applies. Research the media outlet in question to find out if they have any specific rules for press releases (like Reuters does, for example), and then follow them to the letter.

3.) Keep an eye on your email format. If you compose your press release in Word and then copy/paste it into the body of an email to send it out, go over it carefully to make sure everything transferred okay. Things have a tendency to get out of whack when they are pasted from Word, giving you strange symbols instead of punctuation marks and throwing things out of alignment. Leaving that stuff in there will not do you any favors.

4.) Don’t forget the “for release” part of your press release. Make sure that’s at the top. If it can go out immediately, use the “for immediate release” line depicted in the formatting post. If you want it held and not published until a certain date, add an “Embargoed until (date it’s embargoed until)” after the “for release” bit.

5.) Harness the power of the inverted triangle. Journalists use the inverted triangle structure when writing news stories, and since your press release is a news story (after a fashion), you need to do the same. The inverted triangle structure means you begin with the most important information first, and then each following paragraph contains slightly less important information. The idea is that someone should be able to learn everything you have to tell them even if everything after the first paragraph got cut out for some reason. This saves the media folk time, because they have to wade through tons of these things a day and often only have time to read the first paragraph to determine whether or not it’s something they want to run with.

6.) Keep it short. Ideally, your press release should not run over one page in length. 400 words is a good limit to try to stick to.

7.) Submit them in time. According to a survey conducted by Business Wire late last year, Tuesday morning is the magic time for sending in your releases. But even if you don’t send on a Tuesday, try to send it in the morning and early in the week, so you have a better chance of getting in before deadlines. Definitely don’t wait until the last minute to submit it, especially if your release is about a special event or otherwise time sensitive.

8.) Just the facts, ma’am (or sir). Press releases should be short, to the point, and full of facts only. Use a judicious, objective eye when reading over what you’re written to make sure there’s no sales speak going on.

9.) Use dates. Write out the full date, i.e. Wednesday, August 10, instead of something like “next Wednesday” or “next month.”

10.) Don’t forget the contact information. Include as much contact information as you can to make it as easy as possible for someone to contact you, if necessary. If your release involves more than one party (say, another company you’ve teamed up with for a special event), then include contact information for all involved.

And that’s that. Writing a good press release can be tricky, but with the proper format and these tips under your belt, you’ll be off to a much better, much more effective start.