What’s the difference between a press release and a technical manual?
“They’re so completely different in form and function that you can’t meaningfully compare them!” you may say. And mostly, of course, you would be right.
However, as a technical copywriter and content developer who has been involved in both, I can see some common factors. While the overtly promotional style of a press release would certainly be inappropriate in engineering and technical documents like manuals, some aspects of press release design are in fact applicable.
- A press release should concisely describe what the new product is, and how readers could benefit from using it. A manual should explain the product’s functions, and how readers should use them, while being similarly succinct.
- A press release should be written to engage its readers – and so should a technical manual. This can overcome the reluctance that some people have for using the manual; it can also make it easier to digest and understand when users do consult it.
- A press release explicitly projects the company’s image as well as its products. A manual isn’t written with these objectives in mind, yet it can still find itself as an ambassador for the manufacturer that produced it.
Imagine you’re assessing a potential new supplier, for example. How will your positive view of the supplier’s quality be influenced by a manual that’s attractively presented, well-written, and rich in useful information? Conversely, how will you react to a manual which is poorly written, hard to follow, and lacking in the detail that you want?
Accordingly, while it’s natural to focus on identifying the right engineering material for populating your manual, it’s also worth adding a marketing dimension to the document’s design – maximising its role as an ‘invisible’ sales tool for your company.
Below is the cover from a manual I worked on some time ago
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