A grand opening press release is a formatted statement announcing the news of your upcoming opening day to generate media coverage and public awareness. It should be around 500 words and include a compelling headline, event details, a boilerplate, and contact information. To be an effective and affordable tool for promoting your grand opening, it must be well-written, have a newsworthy angle, and captivate your audience.
Writing your release is only half the battle. In addition, you need to distribute it so it reaches journalists and media outlets. Otherwise, it will just collect virtual dust and do little to build exposure for your business. The best way to guarantee exposure to the right journalists and media outlets is to use a press release distribution service, such as eReleases.
Grand Opening Press Release Template
Like other types of press releases, the elements of a grand opening press releases are expected to follow a specific structure and format. If you don’t use this format, you’re less likely to get media coverage for your event. To ensure you get your grand opening press release formatting right, use our free template as a guide.
Here are the seven steps to writing an effective grand opening press release:
1. Determine Your Audience
To get started, determine who you want to attend your grand opening. When writing your press release, you want to grab the attention of this target audience, in particular. Before you start writing, create a customer profile identifying the details most likely to spark interest and attendance among your desired target audience.
Your customer profile should include who you want to come to the grand opening and what will drive them there. For example, the enticements that would draw people to a winery opening are different from those that would bring people to the grand opening of a children’s adventure park. Understanding who your audience is and what will motivate them to come to your grand opening is the foundation of writing a grand opening press release that successfully builds exposure and draws a crowd.
2. Set Up Formatting
Journalists and media outlets expect press releases to follow basic formatting guidelines. Use Times New Roman or Arial font in size 14 pt bold for your headline, 13 pt italic for your subheadline, and 12 pt regular (not bold or italic) for your body, boilerplate, and contact information.
Center your logo or business name at the top of the document, then add your release date and contact information below. Below that, center your headline and subheadline, and finally left-align all the text that follows in the remainder of your release.
Make sure to check out our article on how to format a press release, including a free template.
3. Craft a Captivating Headline
A press release headline serves as the title of your grand opening press release. It sits at the top of the press release and gives the reader a compelling reason to attend your grand opening. Your grand opening headline should not only generate interest to keep reading, but also entice members of your target audience to put your opening on their calendars right away.
Headlines are capitalized and the length should be between 65 and 80 characters long, including spaces. Keeping it this length also enables your title to be picked up by search engines and shared on social media sites without being cut off.
Here are the steps to writing a compelling headline:
- Use emotional language
- Provide social proof (e.g., “Mayweather Boxing + Fitness Announced Hollywood Studio Opening With Boxing Legend Floyd Mayweather to Host”)
- Include the “why”
- Tell people what’s in it for them
- Include your location
Additionally, you should also include a subheadline to add additional information to further pique a reader’s interest. Subheadlines go just below the headline and are typically about 20 words.
Pro tip: If you find yourself struggling to write your headline, consider writing it last. For some, it will help you have a better grasp of the overall message you want to send to the reader.
4. Make Your First Paragraph a Compelling Summary
The first paragraph of your grand opening press release is a summary of the most important things you want the reader to know. In other words, if someone reads only the first paragraph of your grand opening press release, will they get all the crucial information?
It is critical that this paragraph includes the relevant information about your business, location, and grand opening event details—all within a concise paragraph (about 60 words). Be succinct in the first paragraph, then expand with more details and context in the body of your press release.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing your first paragraph:
- Begin with the grand opening date and location: Start your press release with the date you want the release to be published and the city the press release originated in.
- Clearly announce the details of your grand opening: Keep the first paragraph short and clear so readers have all the information they need to attend your grand opening. Ideally, you want to keep the first paragraph under 60 words while still being engaging.
- Answer “who, what, when, where, and why”: Including the who, what, when, where, and why as they pertain to your grand opening in your first paragraph gives journalists and readers the information they need to cover your story.
- Keep your language simple and direct: Avoid industry-specific jargon and phrases or words that aren’t easily understood. If people have to think too much about what you are saying, they will be less likely to be interested in reading more.
5. Write the Body of Your Press Release
The next two to three paragraphs of your press release expand on the who, what, where, when, and why, providing more information that will increase attendance and awareness about your business. You want to include details like customer testimonials, unique offerings, and specific highlights or benefits to coming to your event. The body is also where you include quotes, images, and links.
Here’s what to include in the body of your press release:
- Offer more details on the “who, what, when, where, and why”: When writing your press release, the body is your chance to write more details about the story of your business and what makes it unique. Adding these additional details gives some weight to your press release.
- Give reasons to attend your grand opening: To increase your grand opening attendance, offer a specific reason to attend. This might be a catered cocktail hour, a discount given only to those who attend your grand opening, or a chance to meet a local celebrity. Whatever your specific reason is, include it when you write the body of your press release.
- Add a quote: For a grand opening press release to be more powerful, provide social proof that it will be a fantastic event and that your business is worth checking out. The most common way of doing this is to add a quote from the owner, a customer, a celebrity, a local official, or an industry leader.
- Include a call to action: A call to action (CTA) is a sentence in your press release telling your audience exactly what you want them to do. In the case of a grand opening press release CTA, it’s often as simple as “To learn more, visit us online at [website]” but it may also be more specific, such as “Register to save your seat today.”
Mayweather Boxing + Fitness grand opening press release
6. Write Your Boilerplate
A press release boilerplate is a one-paragraph overview of your business. It’s a lot like an “About” paragraph telling readers more about your business and its offerings. In your boilerplate, include the owner’s background and your business operating information, such as your location and hours. Within your boilerplate, include a link to your website and add a media contact below it so that any interested journalists can easily reach out to you (or visit your website) for more information.
Here are a few things to include in your boilerplate:
- How long you’ve been in business
- Links to high-profile reviews
- Awards, honors, and recognitions
- Business size and scope, such as number of locations, number of employees, or geographic regions served
- What differentiates your business from competitors
- You company’s mission or vision statement
- Endorsements, memberships, or affiliations
- Industry leadership, such as products or technology pioneered
For more information, follow the step-by-step instructions on how to write a boilerplate.
Mayweather Boxing + Fitness grand opening press release
7. Distribute Your Press Release
After you have written a press release that announces your grand opening event and the details about the big day, the next step is to distribute it to journalists and media outlets. You can do this in several different ways, and you should use multiple tactics for maximum media exposure.
To start, distribute your press release directly to local media outlets and journalists, share it on social media, send a copy by email to your contact list, to neighboring businesses, and to your local Chamber of Commerce. Finally, be sure to use a distribution service for guaranteed media exposure.
Here are the most common ways to distribute a press release:
- Send it directly to local press contacts: Since you want your local area to receive the news of your upcoming grand opening, you should reach out directly to local press. To do this, create a list of publications in your area and use their websites to find contact information or press release submission forms.
- Syndication service: Using a syndication service, such as eReleases, ensures that you get maximum exposure by sending your press release to thousands of outlets—including major news outlets. These services cost around $99 to $299, but it’s a worthwhile investment that makes your press release go further, which in turn can make your grand opening more successful.
- Post it on your website: Post your press release on your website to increase its overall visibility. Posting it on your website or blog, along with using a syndication service, increases the exposure of your press release, which drives attendance and awareness of your grand opening.
- Share it on social: Once you have a link to your published release (either from your website or when your press release is published by news outlets), post the link to your social media pages so that your fans and followers can see, like, and share your news as well. Additionally, if your city has a community page, consider sharing it on the group’s page.
For more information about distributing your grand opening press release, check out our article explaining how to send your press release.
Bottom Line
Press releases can be effective promotional tools for a grand opening. Follow standard press release formatting and include an attention-grabbing headline and content that will intrigue and attract your target audience. To get the most exposure, use a press release distribution service like eReleases, which offers targeting so that your press release reaches the right people in the right places. Learn more about eReleases.
You Might Also Like…
- For a little extra inspiration, check out these press release examples.
- Build more awareness of your grand opening with these local advertising ideas.
- Get found in local search by adding your new business location to Google My Business.
