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Top 10 ways to get your press release published
23 Oct, 2006 By: Christopher M. Kahn LM Direct!When you hear the phrase "press release," what do you think of? Advertising, promotion, marketing, public relations, publicity and sales? Maybe you think of one or all of these terms.
Public Relations consist of activities to ensure the company has a strong public image. The idea of public relations is to help the public understand the company and its products. These activities are often conducted through the media that is newspapers, television, magazines, etc.
Publicity is any mention in the media. Usually organizations have little or no control over the message. Reporters and writers will decide what will be said.
I know that I would personally like some control over the information being put out there for my business. One way of controlling your company’s image and information about it, is through the use of a press release. They are a really great tool for getting your message out if used properly. However, it does take sometime, commitment and technique to get them published.
The Do’s and Don'ts of a Press Releases
1: Invest the time. Public relations takes time to cultivate good press releases, build relationships with your local and national media contacts, and consistently be creative with the information you provide to the public.
2. Learn the format of a press release. Buy the Associated Press Stylebook. The stylebook sets forth some guidelines and style sheets most commonly used by newspapers and magazines. You should want to do this so that your press releases are easy to read. The easier they are to read, then the more likely they’re to be published.
3. Develop a media contact list. Not every writer who writes for the local newspaper or television anchor covers your industry. Take note of who covers your industry, start a data base of contact information. Use the internet by visiting the media outlets websites, and there you’ll be able to find, names, phone numbers and email addresses.
4. When you’re thinking about writing a press release ask yourself the question; “Is this really newsworthy and of interest?” Do not use a press release as free advertising. The worst thing you can do is send out a meaningless news release. It will ruin you’re businesses creditability faster than you know what. If they are not newsworthy, more times than not, they’ll go right into the circular filing cabinet.
5. There are five types of releases used: Announcements, created news, spot news, responses and bad news. Announcements are to publicize new products, openings, policies, promotions. Created News is reserved for gaining media attention for events, rally’s and guest speakers. Spot news reports are occurrences which take place suddenly without warning, such as, accidents, disasters and equipment damage. Response releases are called by the media personnel when news about the company reaches them from another source. In that case, you would want to anticipate this request and have a response ready. And the last which we all try to avoid is the Bad News Release. If bad news is reported it’s best to prepare a release and report the situation before someone else does.
6. Always provided a contact name and information to call. Also, provide a date of when the press release should be published and respect the news deadlines.
7. Make it easy for an editor to learn what your news is about. Put the important information up front and be clear. A way of doing this is using what is called an Inverted Pyramid Style (Most important information at the top, least important at the bottom.)
8. Make sure you’re designating one person on your staff to be the contact individual. It’s better to have only one person whom all press inquires are referred to and everyone in the organization knows who that person is.
9. E-mailing press releases is a fast an effective way. Some editors and columnists like it, some do not. Find out what your media contact prefers. If you do email a press release, place the release directly into the email as plain text. Also make the subject line intriguing.
10. Finally, don’t pick up the phone and ask the journalist if they will be using your release. Usually, if they’re interested in your release they will contact the designated person from your organization for more fact collecting. But don’t take it personally if they do not use it. Editors and journalists are usually looking for stories and don’t mind something of substance.
Christopher M. Kahn is a Marketing and Business Development Specialist with Mark Schwartz and Co. Mark Schwartz and Co. is an industry leader in marketing, advertising and public relations.
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