As the casino industry looks to expand into new cities beyond Las Vegas and Atlantic City, earned media plays an important role in convincing local citizens and state representatives to approve the policies necessary. The American Gaming Association published groundbreaking new research proving the economic benefits of casinos on local communities.  To draw attention to study’s staggering results, the AGA employed a multimedia news release using sophisticated tactics to inform, persuade, and engage readers from start to finish.

Here are the key components that make this release so effective: 

The headline “Groundbreaking New Research Reveals Impressive Magnitude of U.S. Casino Gaming Industry” is eye-catching and indicates an immediate benefit of a reporter reviewing this information. The accompanying sub headline provides supporting detail and a compelling statistic that is relevant to current events in the U.S. economy.

Infographics illustrate complex data and make it easier for the reader to comprehend. The study revealed jaw-dropping figures including $240 billion dollars in contribution to the overall U.S. economy. It’s difficult to wrap one’s mind around a number like that, and the accompanying infographics – broken into bite sized pieces – gives each data point its own spotlight and makes it easier to share across social networks. It also surfaces different story angles a reporter might choose to focus on and supplying them with an accompanying visual.

A video which also incorporates the infographics is another way of delivering information in a way that the audience might prefer and further expanding its social sharing capabilities. Also featured is a statement from a key spokesperson at the AGA, which establishes thought leadership and brings a human element to the conversation.

Bold text and bullet points highlight key information. Bold formatting is a very simple and often overlooked way to keep a reader motivated to finish the text. The AGA wisely used bullet points at the top of the release to draw attention to the major findings of their story, and then used bold text further down as subheads to expand upon each point – yet another way to help a reporter derive a unique story.

Kudos to the American Gaming Association on crafting a very smart and highly effective release.

Author Shannon Ramlochan is PR Newswire’s Content Marketing Coordinator. Follow her on Twitter @sramloch.