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5 Essential Qualities of a World-Class Press Release Boiler

boiling waterYou’ve seen it at the end of every press release—that little one-paragraph “about us” section that describes who’s publishing the announcement and what they do, whether they’re a GPS tracking system for trucks or a dental website. Dubbed a boilerplate after those little metal plates that steam boiler manufacturers used to place on their products, the boiler is like the 30-second elevator pitch of the press release world, and because it’s used and reused across so many various media materials, it’s also one of the most important marketing materials a company has.

Given that it’s such an important marketing tool, how can you make sure your boilerplate is doing what it should be? What qualities make a boiler stand out?

Take a look at these top five characteristics of a world-class press release boiler!

Short: Remember that the name of the game with press release boilers is brevity—you want to work to get across the most important info about your company in a quick and easily understandable way. How short are we talking? Aim to keep your boiler to one or two paragraphs to make sure it’s scannable, concise and to the point.

Factual: Your boiler should answer some of the key typical questions someone might have about your business—where are you located, what do you specialize in, when were you founded, etc. While you don’t need to include as much info as you would on an About page, you shouldn’t leave anyone wondering what exactly you do or how to contact you.

Value-Driven: Just as you would with an elevator pitch, you want to hit your company’s greatest strengths or accomplishments, the things that set it apart. Work to create a clear, verifiable, value-driven statement that demonstrates what value your business offers to clients. And by all means, back up big statements like “top,” “leader” or “best” with some kind of accomplishments or proof.

SEO-Friendly: The boiler is the place to work in relevant company keywords so as to maximize the power of your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. As always with SEO keywords, use them in a way that makes sense to the context of your content in order for them to be most effective.

Includes Contact Info: After you’ve told people who you are and what you do, you need to give them a way to contact you. Definitely include your URL, and consider adding other online profiles, too, like your Facebook page, your Twitter address, etc. This not only gives readers a source for more information but also it helps promote your business.

Looking at this list, ask yourself: How does your business boiler stack up? Is it communicating a clear sense of who you are and what you offer? Is it short and value-driven? Are big statements backed up by fact?

Because while it takes effort to turn your boiler into a powerful marketing tool, just like an elevator pitch, it’s effort that’s well worth it—exposing your brand to large numbers of new and returning clients in a way that’s fast, simple and will be used over and over again.

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