Even as the media landscape grows more complex, traditional press releases continue to be an important part of media efforts and gaining that coveted third-party credibility via the media.
One key part of press release anatomy is the boilerplate: the final paragraph that describes your firm. Like an elevator pitch in written form, the boilerplate should provide an overview of your services, a brief firm history and other information you deem valuable to readers. Unfortunately, many firms overlook boilerplates by forgetting them altogether or don’t update them for years.
The boilerplate is more than just a formality, it’s an important component of your press release that reporters and editors expect to see. It’s also another opportunity to market your firm, which is one of the reasons you issue a press release.
Whether you are writing a boilerplate from scratch, or it’s time to dust off what you have, below are tips on writing an effective boilerplate.
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Get inspiration from other companies.
Since boilerplates follow an expected format, it’s perfectly acceptable to peek at other boilerplates for inspiration. After you read a few, you’ll get a sense for the length, phrasing and tone that make for a strong boilerplate.
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Stick to the facts.
It’s easy to wax poetic about your business, but your boilerplate should include only your company’s most important facts. These facts will vary depending on what you want to convey, but boilerplates commonly include your industry, the services you provide, clients served, year founded, firm size, locations, awards, and information on the founders or CEOs. Your boilerplate doesn’t have to be boring, however. Add a bit of personality through your writing style and tone.
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Keep it neutral and formal.
The purpose of the boilerplate is to provide pertinent information. Marketing descriptors like “top,” “most talented” or “incredible” should be removed. Size or age descriptors, such as “the largest firm in Southern California,” should only be included if you have proof to back it up.
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Keep it short.
A boilerplate should be around 100 words or less, which works out to about five to seven sentences. Although it may be tempting to include a lot of background information in your boilerplate, save that for your “About Us” or “History” page on your website. Be ruthless in cutting out irrelevant words and keeping only the most important information.
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Consider keywords.
If there are specific keywords you want to rank for on Google, or certain phrases you want to be associated with your firm, include them in your boilerplate. If your firm name consistently shows up with a certain keyword, Google will start associating them, which can have a positive impact on SEO. Adding a link to your website in your boilerplate can also help with SEO and increase traffic to your site.
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Berbay Marketing & Public Relations has nearly three decades of experience providing law, real estate, and financial firms with marketing and public relations services that propel your business forward. Berbay’s dedicated team has demonstrated success securing media placements, achieving nominations and rankings, revitalizing websites and social media, obtaining speaking engagements and more.
Looking to enhance and broadcast your firm’s accomplishments with Los Angeles’ proven Marketing and PR team? Contact Berbay at 310-405-7343 or info@berbay.com.
