A grand opening press release is supposed to be as it sounds, grand! It is the news of your upcoming business opening that requires maximum media attention and publicity. Based on the grand opening, you can establish a strong presence in the market. However, you need the make sure that the press release is written perfectly and properly optimized to gain exposure.

It is just like writing any other press release, but it definitely follows a particular industry standard. Either you can write your own press release or you can buy press release writing services for crafting the content. But it requires knowing all the elements of the whole process, from writing to distribution; in order to ensure more success. Here are some effective steps to follow that can turn your grand opening into a successful event. 

1. Identify Your Target Audience:

Let’s get started with what kind of audience you want to attend the grand opening. Are they potential customers? The competitors, the Investors, or the journalists? Your press release should be written based on your target audiences and their interests. It would help if you clearly mapped out your target audience from the masses and once you have a clean line of sight, identify the elements in your business that they can find relatable and interesting. The topic has to be relevant enough to make readers concerned or else, they are more likely to skip on the content. The best way to do that is to find out their problems and check whether your business can provide a solution to them. 

2. The Press Release Format:

No matter what kind of press release you are writing, it will always follow the same format that makes it authentic and recognizable to readers as well as journalists and media persons. Therefore, the integral components cannot be overlooked. 

• The Headline – Every press release has a headline that offers the concept of the story in short
• Initial Paragraph (Lead) – This is like an overview of the whole content that focuses on the main facts of the story
• Main Paragraph (Body) – The body of the content that shares the story
• Concluding Paragraph (Summary) – This last portion invites the readers to the business website
• Boilerplate - A section that briefly describes the company and the brand
• Media Contacts – Media contact for the interested users to visit further, follow, and contact 

3. Write Your PR:

The process of writing a press release is not rocket science when you know where to put the right information. As you might already know, online users are fairly impatient and they are not ready to read a long press release just because you are opening a new company. You have to make sure your story is brief, concise, easy to read, and informative enough to keep them engaged. 

• Craft an attention-grabbing headline that is compelling and shares a title for the story. Keep it short but engaging within 65 to 80 characters. Make sure to use keywords and the correct tone in which the PR is written.
• After reading the title when an interested user starts reading your content, the leading paragraph helps to retain them and make them go through the whole content by offering all the necessary details. Use the 5Ws technique which consists of “Who, What, When, Where, and Why” regarding the story. When you provide this information in the beginning; the readers get a fair idea about what the story is about and then they can further proceed to read.
• The body of the press release is supposed to elaborate the story along with statistical components that help to establish it. An ideal PR should be around 300-350 words long which is an optimal size of content to read easily. Make sure to use easy and simple language that makes it more readable for everyone and not just industry experts. Use active voice and direct sentences that are considerably more formal and newsworthy.
• Make sure to use the concluding portion with some call-to-action that helps to engage the readers and make the users interact with the business website. It could be anything starting from an invitation to register or offering a special discount for early purchase.
• Make sure to add all the company details in the boilerplate section which helps to establish both, the company as well as the authenticity of the press release. The media contacts and links to the website should be offered as well to let interested people interact with your company or the brand. 

4. Press Release Distribution:

Now, that you are ready with fully-fledged press release content, it is time for distribution. To create a massive buzz in the market from Day 1, you need a professional agency with an effective and big distribution network that sheds more light on your business. Again, in this case, you can hire a professional agency that is well-versed in the field of PR distribution. However, you can make some subtle DIY approaches that can help you save some budget. 

• Pitch the journalists – Journalists and reporters from various industries always hunt for the latest and updated news that keeps the readers updated. If your PR is newsworthy, they might like it and re-publish it.
• Send It to Influencers and Bloggers – The presence of Influencers and Bloggers is widely visible in every other industry. Sending your PR to them can help to gain a more organic audience as these people have a huge audience base.
• Local Resources - You can also utilize the traditional methods of sending it to local newspapers and radio stations. Local press contact can help you create a buzz regionally.

Concluding Thoughts:

Whether you are writing a press release for a grand opening, a product launch, or a partnership; the essence and purpose of a press release remain the same in every case. However, professional writers make small tweaks and changes to the PR based on goals. Since you do not own that professional writing caliber, it is more reliable to get help from an expert or an agency for the purpose. Check your budget and requirements to craft the perfect PR strategy that helps to grow your business!