Are you opening a new business, or is your current company offering a new product or service? If so, a press release may be just what you need to inform potential customers about this.

Crafting an effective press release doesnt have to be difficult. Just follow these steps if you want to create a press release that will get noticed:

1. Ask yourself who? What? Where? When? Why? And how? Answer these questions about the information you want to share with the public. These will be the facts you will want to include somewhere in your news release.

2. Now determine which of these pieces of information is the most important. What will grab an editors or a readers attention? If you are opening a new ice cream shop, for instance, what makes your business stand out? If you are having a large grand opening celebration, then that should be in your first paragraph, or lead.

3. Start with the most important facts and then add details and quotes in the following paragraphs. The first sentence can have a catchy phrase, "Get the scoop on a new ice cream shop, Chauncys, opening March 1 at Park and 95th streets" Just dont go overboard with a cute title or language. Many editors cringe at poor puns.

4. If you are writing the release for someone else, make sure you ask probing questions. Ask, "Why are you opening an ice cream store?" If the answer is, "to make money," then ask additional questions until you get an answer readers will connect with.

Sometimes the real story will rise to the top during the interview. After you ask a few questions, you might find out that the person opening the ice cream store has great memories of her grandfathers old ice cream parlor in a small town. Perhaps she wants to help others create their own special memories and traditions by providing the only ice cream shop in town with an old-time feel.

5. Keep paragraphs and sentences short. Its easier to read a piece of writing if the sentences and paragraphs are short. Frequent, short paragraphs also provide lots of white space on the page which is less intimidating to read than a page black with type. A good rule is to keep your paragraphs under four sentences and your sentences under 35 words.

6. Use simple, clear language. You are writing this for as many people to read as possible. An average sixth-grader should be able to read and understand your writing.

7. Edit, rewrite and proofread. The revision part of any writing project can sometimes be the most difficult. Youve fallen in love with those words. Keep in mind, though, that too many words can get in the way and confuse, rather than clarify, your point. One trick is to lay your copy aside for a day or two and then read it aloud to yourself. Youll be surprised at how many little errors youll catch or awkward sentences youll want to rework. Make sure you proofread for spelling and usage errors.

8. Remember your audience. Contact the newspapers or other media where youd like to see your information used. Find out their procedures for news releases. They might prefer email or fax submissions. You can also get a contact name of the correct person to send your release to.

9. Use the correct format. Make sure your release is typed double- spaced with at least a one-inch margin around the sides. The top left should read "For immediate release" with the date and the top right should have a contact name and phone number. This top information should be single-spaced.

Begin your release with a title about half-way down the page. Then double-space, indent and begin your release. At the bottom of the page, type "more" if there is more than one page. That way if your pages get separated, the editor knows there were additional pages and may contact you for them. At the end, you may type, "end," or "###," which is an old printing mark that stands for the end of a piece.

10. Be ready for a response. A smaller paper will rarely print your press release in its entirety. It's more likely that a reporter will use it for its facts and set up his or her own interviews. Either way, be available to answer questions and help with photography requests. Remember, even a short story in a paper can get noticed!

Many small papers are hungry for items to fill up their calendar or business sections. They have a paper to fill every week, after all. A short, simple news release many times fits the bill for them, and provides excellent, free publicity for your business.