5 things to say in your press release when you win an award

Press releases are about news. Applying for and winning an award is gold dust in the news stakes. It signals that there is a new expert or leader in the sector, acknowledged by peers and opinion formers and what you have to say will be of great interest to journalists and those who did not win alike. You’re instantly “hot” for the news agenda.

Mention any of these five things and you’ll be fulfilling the promise of your award win and rocking the role.

1. What made you stand out?

You’ll have won the award in your category because there was something you did better than anyone else. Was it your team, your operational model your strategy that charmed the judges? Tell readers what you did well.

Sometimes it was the customer experience of users that made you stand out. If so share this and add quotes from happy users to underscore the point.

Often winners get there because they are better at anticipating needs that even the customers did not know they had. If so share your insight of what those hidden needs were. Or did you notice a trend or development that passed your competitors by? If so share this. You’ll enlighten your sector and that’s exactly what good journalists like to do, enlighten their readers.

2. Subject matter expertise.

Winning an award instantly positions you as a subject matter expert in waiting. Milk that status. People want to know what those in the know think and know. There is no need to be arrogant. That just turns everyone off, especially journalists. All you need share is your experience of what you did and what the market said good looks like. There’s no need to exaggerate or be hyperbolic. The facts will do nicely and speak for themselves. Don’t underestimate your talent. You were just being you in running your business, but a panel has voted you best in a sector. So, go with it and share how you did it. People will find your knowledge inspirational.

3. Insights into Market trends.

You were judged good in relation to something. Nothing is ever good or bad except by comparison to some standard. In business, a big part of the standard is the market trend and how you measure up against that. What were those emerging trends, what were the customer needs, what were the customer lacks and frustrations and crucially, how did you identify and meet them? Sometimes, people have needs they have not identified yet. Did you uncover any of these? If you met them well they’d be a good part of why you were judged best in the category, because judges love businesses that are ahead of the trend and zeitgeist.

4. Thought leadership.

When you win awards, you become quotable. Journalists and competitors want to hear what you have to say. Your press release should have quotes that illustrate your insights, subject matter expertise, and your strategic approach. Again, verbosity is not the way. Pithy quotes that express your personality and actual experience are always authentic real and therefore more effective. Please be confident in your experience, and don’t forget it was good enough to win you the award.

5. Life story.

Finally, don’t forget to add a few lines about your life story. No one wants to read “War and Peace” mind you, life is too short. But people do want to read about your passion (why you got involved in this business) the challenges that could have blocked you (they just make you seem human and vulnerable and therefore relatable or normal), and finally the wins that you achieved (they are inspirational and make others feel yes; this is not beyond me). The life story adds drama to any business story and humanizes what could otherwise be a dull drone about sales figures strategy and technical hacks.

So, your award win is a great opportunity to send a press release which has real news, the sort of news that enlightens, inspires and establishes you as a market leader, even an influencer. Seize the chance when you get it.

Contact sales@journolink.com to see how JournoLink can help you with your PR.

Written by: Tetteh Kofi, Brand Ambassador for JournoLink

Tetteh is a broadcast journalist with credits on the BBC, ITN, LBC and Colourful Radio in news and current affairs. He published newspapers and has run training and crisis management programmes for multinationals and government agencies across Europe.