THE PRESS RELEASE: MAKE SURE IT'S NEWS
Press stories on your business, products, services or employees can be extremely valuable promotional tools. Published articles often carry greater credibility than self-produced promotional pieces or advertising and they can contain more direct, hard-hitting information.
You should pursue every opportunity for press coverage that's available to you. However, you must approach the submission of press releases from a knowledgeable and educated position or you can ultimately do yourself more harm than good.
The less work an editor has to do to a press release, the better chance it has of being published. And the more an editor knows about the person submitting the article, the better the chances of publication, too.
Producers should take the same amount of time cultivating a relationship with editors as they do with prospects. After the relationship is established, the editor is much more likely to alert you to problems in your release and help protect you from the hazards of a poorly written piece.
Getting the press you want won't happen just by announcing a new service or product. Editors are inundated daily with press releases that are the equivalent of a sales brochure. Stick to the following format guidelines for a better chance at valuable free press.
Before Writing the Article
Always date a press release and use the company's letterhead. A press release is supposed to be timely information: 'For Immediate Release.' Make sure the line spacing is set for double spacing, whether the article is typed or keyed on a computer terminal. Never write more than two pages. Concise information is what editors look for; space is at a premium in publications.
Make sure anyone named in an article approves it before it is submitted to an editor. Any contact people listed should receive a copy of the story, as well as background information so they are well informed and can answer questions.
The Lead
The first paragraph of an article is called the lead; it contains the who, what, where, when, how, and why of the subject. The lead should be one sentence of less than 40 words. If it's impossible to cram all the information into the lead, prioritize the news so that it's contained in the first two paragraphs of the article.
Avoid writing run-on sentences in the lead and start with something catchy. An editor will not send an article to print if it isn't likely to catch a reader's interest. If the first paragraph won't grab a readers' attention, it's not worth the space it consumes.
Don't Bury the Lead
The lead contains the most important information of the article. If an editor has a limited amount of space and opts to cut the article short, the lead and the next few paragraphs should contain enough information so that the story is coherent and doesn't require major rewriting.
If the lead is buried somewhere at the bottom of page one, it will require too much time on the editor's part, and the story will be passed over.
Make Sure It's Newsworthy
Many factors determine if a story is newsworthy: proximity, timeliness, relevance, fiscal impact, environmental impact, health concerns, and human interest. This is not to say there are not other factors that determine readership, but these are the key issues. A press release should be angled to include at least one of these factors.
Keep to the Point
A news article is not a flowery description that rambles on forever. It's a tight report about an event, person, place, or thing. Start with a punch and keep the momentum going.
Emphasize Benefits
Tell the readers about the benefits of the item or event. A common mistake is to emphasize the features. Instead, focus on how easy the new product is to use, or how it solves problems. Writing about benefits is more difficult than listing features, but it's far more newsworthy.
Make Sure the Information is Correct
Never print anything that is in question. If the issue cannot be confirmed or denied by press time, it's best to leave it out. Publications are not in the business of printing inaccuracies. If articles are constantly submitted with incorrect information, they will never go to print. Furthermore, editors will shy away from articles submitted by authors who consistently make mistakes.
Customize the Article
Target the article to the publication that's receiving it. For instance, a newspaper angle is different from a magazine angle, and print media are completely different from electronic media, such as TV and radio.
Electronic media are based on time, rather than space. Keep this in mind when submitting press releases to TV and radio stations.
Remember, the more work that is done for an editor, the more likely the article will be published.