When a reporter is wowed, intrigued, surprised or captivated by your press
release, you can be pretty sure you’ll get some media coverage.
And for most businesses, positive media coverage is worth its weight in gold.
The bad news: Although truckloads of news releases fill reporters’ inboxes
every day, few of them are dazzling, or even interesting.
As a former editor, I speak from experience when I say that most press releases
end up in the garbage can. But don’t let that stop you from sending them -
a well-written news release can generate more publicity and goodwill than you
could ever accomplish with a paid advertisement. To help keep your release out
of the garbage and get it in print, start by following these five guidelines.
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Make your press release newsworthy.
Releases should be used to announce news, and they should only be sent when
something truly newsworthy is happening at your company. Don’t send releases
that sound more like advertisements than news; they’ll get tossed immediately.
In keeping with the news format, eliminate any superfluous language or
outrageous claims (don’t describe yourself or your products as “wonderful,”
“amazing” or “unbelievable”). Is your release written in language that would
appear in a
story in the newspaper or magazine you’re pitching? If not, it might sound like
fluff rather than news. Make it clear from the beginning what your news is and
why it should matter to the reporter and his or her readers.
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Tell a good story.
Although you’re sharing hard news (I hope), your press release should still be
interesting to read. Even though your readers are media-types who do this for a
living, they still like to hear a good story. Draw in your readers with a
creative introduction and interesting language. Find new ways to say ordinary
things. Read magazines, newspapers and books and pay attention to the stories
that interest you and keep your attention. Then try to mimic those techniques
and styles when writing your own releases.
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Target your audience.
As with any writing project, keep your audience in mind when you’re writing.
The editor of a small-town newspaper has different interests than the editor of
a trade journal for CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Choose the media outlets
that would be most interested in your release and send it to them. For best
results, you might even send each person a unique version tailored to their
interests. And always send your release to an actual person - rather than
sending a release to a
general news desk, find out which reporter covers your industry or the type of
news you’re sending and send it directly to him or her.
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Develop a relationship.
Once you’ve located the reporters who cover your industry, start developing
relationships with them. Call or e-mail to introduce yourself and find out if
they prefer releases to be faxed, e-mailed or mailed. Be respectful of their
time and the
harried pace of their work, but don’t be afraid to check in occasionally to
follow up on a press release or let them know how much you enjoyed a recent
article. Don’t just rely on them for free publicity; find out what you can do
for
them and do it - one-sided relationships never last. Be easy to work with
and willing to accommodate their needs, and they’ll be much more interested in
covering your news.
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Be consistent.
Your communication with the media must be ongoing in order to get their
attention. One release sent in a vacuum will probably not yield a lot of
results. If reporters are unfamiliar with you or your business, it won’t be a
top priority for them to cover your release. However, if they’re accustomed to
receiving (actual) news from you and you’ve made an effort to forge a positive
relationship with them (see #4), they’re more likely to a) actually read your
releases, and b) publish them, or at
least keep you in mind as a resource for future stories. If you really want to
take advantage of the possibilities press releases can offer, keep hanging in
there.
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