Write Press Releases That Dazzle
By Nancy Jackson
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.
1. Make it 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. (However, newsworthy
events may happen more often than you realize — see the
Resource Box below for ideas.)
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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 fr*e
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.
5. 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.
Nancy Jackson, owner of The WriteShop, helps companies
better market their products and services with powerful written communications
including Web content, newsletters, brochures and publications. Subscribe
to her free monthly newsletter at www.writeshoponline.com
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