If you keep PR in-house, writing a press release costs nothing but your time. Yet it could generate thousands of pounds worth of publicity.

The art of press release writing
If you’ve gotten to know journalists that cover your trade, keep in touch with them through press releases. This is what to include:

• An attention-grabbing headline
• A punchy opening line
• Facts & figures
• A quote from you
• A quote from someone else (maybe a happy customer?)
• Your contact details
• An interesting image

See pages 52-53 of Spare Room Start Up for an example press release and template.

Once you’ve perfected the template, it’s just a case of updating the story!