Real Estate Press Releases
and News Articles

Want to get more attention as the leader in your territory or niche? Try using real estate press releases and news articles.

Getting into the news has long been an effective means of marketing. It’s usually free, yet many consider it better than most forms of paid advertising and marketing.

Why are real estate press releases and articles more effective than paid marketing?

Because press releases and articles are an implied endorsement from the newspaper (or website) that prints your news.

They wrote about you – so that must mean you’re someone special.

Of course, before you can send out a real estate press release, you need to have something newsworthy to say. That can be a problem for some agents, so we’ll discuss how news articles can come to the rescue a bit later.

Meanwhile, think about newsworthy things you might write about:

• Spearheading or participating in a fund raising project for your favorite non-profit
• Attending the national or state convention
• Assisting with Chamber of Commerce projects
• Becoming a Chamber officer
• Becoming an officer in your local City Council, Planning & Zoning, etc.
• Winning an award
• Becoming a broker
• Earning certifications

If you’re an owner/broker you have even more opportunities:

• Opening a new office location
• Bringing in new agents
• Representing a new subdivision
• Representing a new shopping center
• Holding a contest – and again when announcing a winner

When I owned a real estate agency I managed to get us into the local newspaper at least once each month – and often more often.

You can do it too, it simply takes some thought.

You can promote yourself and/or your agency by writing about newsworthy listings or sales. Many readers would be interested in knowing that a local celebrity’s home has just come on the market. If that’s your listing, write a story about it. Do be sure to get the owner’s permission, however.

For instance: Mr. Jones purchased the 8,000 s.f. mansion at 121 Elm in 1994 and has since made extensive additions, including a home gym, an outdoor kitchen, and a pool. Now, the 10,000 s.f. home, with it’s 7 bedrooms and 10 baths is listed at X many millions. Then you could go on much like a web description, but without the promo and the abbreviations. Just the facts in a flowing and interesting narrative, please! You could add a link to the property on your website for readers who want to see the photos.

What about homes or commercial buildings with some historical significance in your community? Think of the first home built or the first “mansion,” built by or for one of the town’s founders. Think of a commercial building that housed the town’s first movie theater or opera house – or maybe the first general store.

Dig into the history of that structure and write about it. And of course, quote yourself.

The more you think about it, the more topics you’ll see that are newsworthy. (Kind of like blogging.)

When you aren’t doing anything newsworthy yourself, submit news articles.

Using a method knows as “newsjacking,” you can inject your brand into a trending news story. If a real estate related topic is going viral on social media platforms, write your own angle on it.

Write about the state of the market – much like a market report you’d send to your own list, but with a more reader-friendly narrative. Include a quote from you about what you’re seeing with your own clients.

Write about how the shortage of listings is affecting buyers and sellers, or about how interest rates are affecting sales.

I recently read a report about how inflation is affecting home buyers and sellers. It was a strange article, because it basically said that it’s affecting everyone differently. But – that article made it to my inbox. Again, when you’re discussing how interest rates, inflation, or even the weather is affecting real estate, quote yourself with a comment about how your own clients are reacting.

How to write real estate press releases…

Yes, newspapers do want you to submit press releases in a specific format. They aren’t going to be interested in digging your news out of a chatty email.

Here’s the format:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:
Contact Person
Company Name
Voice Phone Number
FAX Number
Email Address
Website URL

<HEADLINE>  Make this in bold type and a font that is larger than the body text. Preferred type fonts – Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana. Your goal is to grab the attention of the reporter who might use it – and the attention of the readers. Take your time thinking about it.

<City>, <State>, <Date> –

Your first paragraph should continue on with the headline to keep the reader’s attention. It should include the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” that make your information clear. Your goal is to entice the reader into wanting to know more.

The most important information belongs in the lede (lead) for two reasons. First is that it will capture attention. Second is that if you’re submitting to a print publication they may not have room for your entire press release. If they chop off a paragraph or two at the end, you don’t want it to be your most important information.

Add less important information in the final paragraphs.

The ideal press release is about 300-400 words, so don’t get carried away!

Wind up your press release with a short summary. Then add “For more information, contact (You at your email, text, and phone numbers).

A common mistake made by writers is the tendency to “bury the lede.” In fact, the most important point can often end up at the end of an article. My belief is that this happens because as we write, we “warm up” to the topic.

There’s an easy fix, however. After you finish writing, think about the most important points, then look for them in your article. If they’re anywhere but in the first paragraph or two, turn your article upside down.

Remember that your real estate press release cannot be a sales pitch. If you try that, it will go directly to the trash.

If you’re writing about an event, be sure to include the date, location, and anything else the reader should know before deciding to attend.

Common mistakes in writing press releases:

• Focusing too heavily on yourself. Remember that it’s about the news, not just about you.
• Trying to use your press release or article as an advertorial. This bears repeating. Don’t do it.
• Forgetting to include the “why.” Let readers know why they should care about your news. Will this improve service, help the community, or affect the real estate market?
• Quoting yourself or others as “excited” or “proud.” Instead, tell readers why this news is important to them.
• Mentioning people who have not given you permission to use their names.
• Failing to proofread. As with everything you write, this is vital. In this case, your typos and misspellings can cause your press release or article to be rejected, or worse – result in your errors being presented to the world.
• Forgetting to promote your press release once it hits the news. Let your blog readers and social media friends know that you’re in the news!

Once you’ve written your real estate press releases and articles, how do you get them “out there” into the world?

Submit them to the proper person at local newspapers and news magazines. Depending upon the size of the publication, submit them to the news editor or the editor in charge of the real estate section.

If you’re familiar with a local news website, submit directly to it. Otherwise (or also), submit to any of the free press release submission sites you’ll find on line.

If you don’t want to write your own real estate press releases and articles…

Get in touch! As you may know, writing is what I do, and I’ll be glad to help. My fees will depend upon your content and how much of it you will supply, so just let me know what you have in mind.

You can reach me at: marte@copybymarte.com.