What do property journalists want to see in a press release?

When writing a press release for any niche sector, it’s important to keep your audience in mind. For property journalists, the requirements for your property press release totally depend on what type of development you’re covering.

For example, if you’re writing about a residential development your PR efforts will be geared towards supporting your sales or lettings strategy – this will paint a picture of the lifestyle and the sense of community the scheme has to offer.

However, if your press release is commercially-focused, you’re going to be targeting a corporate audience who will have a clear and stringent set of criteria that you’ll need to follow to get the story issued. This can range from quotes from the developers, what features the building has to offer, local amenities, transport links and to up-to-date photos or CGIs.

So, what exactly does your property press release need?

The golden rule

The property press release should be clear, concise and factual, with key details of the scheme in the first few paragraphs and a selection of images, either high resolution photos or CGIs to illustrate the story.

By including the full details of the scheme and any relevant background information for context, you’ll be better placed to get your story picked up.

Get your facts straight

An important thing to bear in mind when writing a property press release is to get all the facts and figures straight. If you don’t include all the necessary basic details, including the size of the development, the location and the projected timescales, journalists will have to ask questions to get the full picture, wasting both your time and theirs.

It will save you time in the long run if all details are addressed ahead of issuing. It’s essential that all details are accurate before the story goes to press – especially in an era of fake news.

Use a strong news angle

Why is this story of interest to your target audience and how will it affect them? If this scheme or development has been covered in the past, what is the new angle that will ignite reader’s interest?

The news hook should be the first sentence of your story – this is what makes this particular development stand out from the crowd. Is it a heritage building that is being brought back to life? Is it an exciting new workspace? Is it a residential development that is introducing a new concept of living? These are all angles that attract a property journalist’s attention.

Further background details of the scheme can then follow in lines two and three, including:

• The name of the developer
• The name of the architect
• Estimated completion dates
• Who the agents are
• How the scheme has progressed so far

Don’t forget quotes

Quotes provide direct interaction between key people driving the scheme and the reader. They should usually be dropped in lines three, four or even five (if it is a more complex story).

Any comments used should enhance what has already been said in the previous lines of your press release and reflect the scheme’s key messages – these are the main points that you want to get across. They should not repeat what has already been written in lines one and two for instance. No one wants to read bland quotes which don’t add anything to the story.

Quotes will usually come from the author of the press release and one or two other key partners in the scheme. Don’t overload your press release with them, however – one or two relevant people is ideal.

Attach high quality images

Strong striking photography is integral to the press release process. Images – whether they’re CGIs/photos of the building or photos of key people at your company who are quoted in the press release – should be high res and illustrate the story.

Sending your press release out with high quality images means it has a much greater chance of getting picked up by journalists who work to both keep their core readership informed and attract new readers. However, photos should not be too large in size – ideally 1MB or else they run the risk of not reaching the journalist.

Many journalists are also looking for video content, ideas include lapse photography or video fly-throughs of a scheme or development.

Planning is key

If you are planning on organising a photo call so you can capture the right image to go with your press release, remember to do this well in advance so you can get your release out on time. Gathering your facts and quotes before issuing the release is also crucial to ensuring the story is a hit.

Over to you

If you need help writing and issuing your property press release, or require some assistance with an upcoming campaign, get in touch with us on 0161 236 1122 or email us at enquiries@rdpr.co.uk.

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