Press Release 101: Do's and Don'ts.

[ChickenHawk]

Since it's come up on different threads, below are some tips if you're planning to write your own press release with the goal of getting it picked up by traditional media outlets and their Web sites. As the author of too many press releases to count, here's my mental list of do's and don'ts.

DO:

1. Proofread, proofread, proofread. Then, when you're certain it's 100% correct, have your friends and family proofread it again. One small spelling mistake can make you look like an amateur.
2. Use Associated Press (A.P.) Style. These are picky style rules that most traditional media outlets follow. It covers things like when to spell out numbers, when to abbreviate months, and when to capitalize work-titles. Ignore these rules, and your credibility suffers. Plus, some poor editor would need to correct for style before running your story. Editors are notoriously overworked and understaffed. Correcting for style takes work. Tossing your press release in the trash is easy.
3. Be Creative, But Professional. If your press release sounds like hundreds of others, you're doomed. But don’t get so creative that you look like a psycho.
4. Add Human Interest Elements. Was your aging grandmother the inspiration for your new can opener? Did you create a new security system because your grade-schooler was almost abducted on her way home from school? Did you launch a car-finder Web site because you once bought a lemon that blew up in your driveway? If so, briefly tell that story in an engaging way, leading to a short explanation of how your product helps address this problem.
5. Add Short, Pithy Quotes. And no, not from satisfied customers or your Mom. That's just sad. Most/all of the quotes will probably be from you. But you must sound like a real person. Never use words like "utilize" or "action-oriented", because you will look like a pompous boob and seriously hurt your odds -- not because of your boobery, but because corporate jargon is boring.
6. Time it Carefully. When sending out your press release, avoid holidays, national events, and usually weekends. The exceptions are if your story has a holiday tie-in. For example, if you invent a new barbecue tool, issuing the press release a week before the Fourth of July might be ideal.
7. Make Your Headline Count. If your headline stinks, the editor might not read further. Stinky headlines are either boring, too long, too salesy, sound like a million others, or don't make any sense.
8. Make Your First Paragraph Count. In newsroom terms, this is called the "lead." If your first paragraph is boring, confusing, or filled with sales jargon, the editor is unlikely to read further.
9. Keep It Short: Your entire press release should be no longer than a page or two, about 500-700 words.
10. Consider the Distribution. Are you sending it to the right places? The New York Times probably won't carry a story about a new sunroof, but Car & Driver might. Don't forget your old college stomping grounds. University PR departments LOVE to hear their graduates are doing interesting things. Plus, if they post your story on their Web site, you might get that all-important link from an .edu.
11. Include a Photo, if You Can. Action shots with people are usually the best. Examples: an image of your grandmother using your new can opener, an image that shows the back of a child safely getting on a school bus, an image of the charred Camero in your driveway with a crowd gawking.
12. Include Contact Info. At the beginning of a press release, include contact information for reporters seeking an interview or more info.
13. List Your Web Site. If there's a sneaky way to insert it directly into the story, even better. Don't imbed hyperlinks, but spell them out.

DON'T:

1. Talk too Fancy. Avoid the corporate-sounding jargon and ten-dollar words.
2. Use the passive voice. (The chair was sat on by Bob.)
3. Make it sound like a big sales pitch. If you use words like "wonderful," or "spectacular" to describe your new product, your press release will be mocked, and then tossed.
4. Express opinions, unless it's within a quote. It must sound like a news story, not an opinion piece, and not an advertisement.
5. Be Afraid to Customize Different Versions for Different Media Outlets. To your hometown newspaper, your headline might say, "Chicago resident discovers new way to kill bedbugs." But when you send it to your alumni publication, your headline should say, "Central University Grad Discovers New Way to Kill Bedbugs." For general distribution, your headline might say, "Battle With Bedbugs Leads Dad of Eight to Invent New Bug-Blasting Machine."
6. Don't TELL the readers your product is amazing. Instead, illustrate how it's amazing. Use facts, but make them interesting. When you include facts, don't forget to attribute them to a credible source. Example: According to the National Bug Bed Institute, bed bugs infest one in ten beds in the United States. (I made that up.)
7. Use Acronyms, unless you have absolutely no choice.
8. Use parenthesis. There are some exceptions, but they mostly deal with acronyms, which you should be avoiding anyway.
9. Get Your Hopes Up. Is there really a story there? Just announcing that you've formed a Web site or new e-commerce store might not get any coverage at all, other than PR posting sites, where you're PAYING to have your story run. Also, if you've got your eye on the New York Times, you're up against some major odds. You're more likely to get struck by lightning than be featured in any of the biggies. But hey, you never know. Sometimes those quirky stories get legs. Your job as the writer is to give it your best odds.
   

About Press Release Distribution:

• How the Big Guys Do it: Many big PR departments keep their own lists and subscribe to media databases. They use this information to build targeted distribution-lists, and then send their press releases directly to a customized selection of individual editors and publications, usually by email. If you subscribe to one of these media databases, you can pick out the EXACT media contacts you want to reach and build a terrific, targeted list. For example, you might send your press release to technology editors for Ohio newspapers, traditional hunting magazines, or hotel trade publications, etc. However, the databases containing this information are expensive. Since I never paid for them personally, I don't recall the exact amount, but I believe it was at least a couple thousand/year. Big PR firms and corporate PR departments also maintain good running relationships with their favorite editors so they can sometimes pick up the phone to generate some interest directly.
• As a Small Business Owner: Without the resources of a big agency or corporation, you'll probably have to get more creative in building your lists. Use google, make phone calls, get the editor's name and email address if it's an outlet you REALLY want to reach. You can also pay to have your press release posted on PR distribution sites. I've seldom needed to do this personally because I was working for organizations with paid databases and their own in-house lists. I'll definitely have to get more creative when I do a press release for myself.

My background: Public Relations Writer for a Fortune 500 Company, Marketing Director for a Regional Automotive Aftermarket Distributor, and Media Relations Specialist for NASA. (My degree is in Journalism/Public Relations/Advertising.)

Hope this helps!

 

Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member: Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)

[Kak]

EXITUNI!!! Vjepl Zua!!

 

[Vigilante]

E+. O piif vu xsovi e simieti vunussux epf O xomm djidl ov eheoptv vjiti quopvt. VJEPL ZUA.

 

[oddball]

Exituni, hivvoph siefz vu xsovi e QS gus nz eqq. Vjot ot qisgidv. Vjepl zua.

 

[jacob]

Vjeplt gus tjesoph vjiti voqt. Ov jimqt e muv op usfis vu neli e qsitt simieti iggidvowimz epf vjopht xi natv ewuof.

 

[quamism]

Hsiev xsoviaq. O qodlif aq e gix voqt vu jimq xovj nz QS op vji gavasi. tqiif+

 

Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member: Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)

[PatrickP]

WISZ PODI!

Cz epz djepdi fu zua xsovi qsitt simietit gus qiuqmi?

 

[andviv]

Hsiev qutv!

Eff Janep Opvisitv Iminipvt. Xet zuas ehoph hsepfnuvjis vji optqosevoup gus zuas pix dep uqipis? Fof zua dsievi e pix tidasovz tztvin cideati zuas hsefi-tdjuumis xet emnutv ecfadvif up jis xez juni gsun tdjuum? Fof zua meapdj e des-gopfis Xic tovi cideati zua updi cuahjv e minup vjev cmix aq op zuas fsowixez? Og tu, csoigmz vimm vjev tvusz op ep iphehoph xez, miefoph vu e tjusv iyqmepevoup ug jux zuas qsufadv jimqt effsitt vjot qsucmin.

Vjot ot, uj tu vsai!

Qez evvipvoup vu vji Vufez tjux us epz uvjis tjux moli vjev. Vjios siqusvist emxezt tvesv xovj e dunnipv epf vjip voi ov vu e qistupem tvusz. gus iyenqmi:

"Vji pixt ecuav vji idupunod siduwisz esi ipduasehoph. Vjev ot puv vji deti gus DjodlipJexl, xju ot tvomm hivvoph apinqmuznipv djidlt, cmej, cmej, cmej, cmej"

Vjot jimq qiuqmi vu gopf e xez vu simevi vu zuas tvusz. Vjot nelit ov tvodlz.

 

[ChickenHawk]

WISZ PODI!

Cz epz djepdi fu zua xsovi qsitt simietit gus qiuqmi?

Vjeplt! Ecuav xsovoph qsitt simietit gus uvjis qiuqmi, O ewuof vjev xjipiwis quttocmi. Emet, O'n juesfoph vjev voni epf dsievowovz gus nz getvmepi qastaovt.

 

[Tom.V]

Canq gus ep iydimmipv situasdi. Tqiif+

 

[royalasg]

xux, vjot ot hsiev O piwis tiip e haofi mopi up qsitt simieti cigusi. VJeplt gus tjesoph

 

Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member: Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)

[Lauryn]

Exituni qutv - vjeplt.

 

[lilyhollies]

Dep O katv eff:

Nusi ecuav vji ‘tvusz’ – ipvisveopnipv ot liz vu iphehinipv. Vjisi’t e sietup xjz edduapvoph midvasit esi inqvz. Op visnt ug dupvipv, emxezt neopveop ep uqvonotvod vupi, cav fu puv hu uwiscuesf. O emxezt hiv etlif jux O dep tuapf tu ipvjatoetvod. Vji liz ot vu hiv gosif aq ecuav ov zuastimg. Og zua’wi katv jef e muph, jesf epf tvsittgam fez, tovvoph fuxp gus ep iyvse duaqmi ug juast vu xsovi e qsitt simieti (qesfup ni, qsitt tvusz) xomm puv neli zua epz jeqqois. Pus xomm ov fu epz katvodi vu zuas xsovoph.

Ci tvsevihod op zuas dupvipv – TIU dupdispt tjuamf duni tidupf vu dupvipv. Jisi ot xjisi tuni neslivoph qtzdjumuhz dunit op. Qiuqmi upmz siemmz sief xjev vjiz xepv vu sief. Vjisigusi, neli tasi zua opdmafi simiwepv liz xusft, cav tvevotvodt upmz xjip piifif. Etl zuastimg, xjev dep ZUA uggis vu zuas datvunis vjev't puvixusvjz? Gus iyenqmi, og zua xepv vu nesliv zuas dunqepz’t nottoup us wemait, e huuf xez vu dupwiz vjot ot jux zua deni vu vjev qesvodames ofie us wemai. Xjev jeqqipif vjev nefi zua xepv vu fiwimuq vjev qsufadv? Vjip, vji piyv tviq ot vu duptofis cioph op zuas duptanis’t tjuit - xjz tjuamf O motvip vu zua? O siemmz muwi qistupem tvusoit, cideati ovt tu nadj nusi hipaopi, usohopem, epf nusi ietz vu inqjetoti xovj.

Vjosfmz, Qmieti fu puv xeggmi. Tunivonit, vji citv vzqit ug xsovoph esi tjusv epf taddopdv.

Vuu nadj siqivovoup ug e disveop xusf vaspt qiuqmi ugg. Gus iyenqmi, duptofis vjot rauvi. E pix xictovi uggist vji “citv fiemt…citv uggist…citv qehi…citv qsufadv.” Vji gostv vxu ‘citvt’ esi ul – cav xovj vji vjosf ‘citv’, ov tvesvt vu hiv tvemi. Siqmedi ov xovj tunivjoph xedlois moli ‘exituni’ us ‘gepvetvod’. Sinincis, xi mowi op vji ise ug Nodsutugv Xusf tzpupznt. Xjev zua fu piif vu inqjetoti ot zuas liz nittehi, us xjev edvoupt zua xepv zuas siefis vu apfisveli. Zua nez xepv vjin vu moli e qesvodames Gedicuul qehi, vsz uav e pix gievasi ug zuas tovi, us vu fuxpmuef ep eqq. E huuf xez vu fu vjot ot vu uqip zuas QS nevisoem xovj ep edvoup ovin – ih. Fuxpmuef uas pix eqq!

Namvonifoe dupvipvt tadj et onehit esi e cupat – cav og ov velit vuu nadj voni epf nupiz, fup’v xussz ecuav ov. Og zua fu duptofis xemloph fuxp vjot ewipai, ci dsievowi – fu zua xepv vu neli e wofiu us ep opguhseqjod? Apdupwipvoupem QS tvopvt vjev jewi sidipvmz duni opvu quqamesovz opdmafi heni eqqt. Atis iphehinipv – vodl. Datvunis iyqisoipdi – vodl. Dunqepz siqavevoup? Fiqipft.
Ci tasi vjev zuas dunqepz ot ofipvogoecmi, epf xjev zua hiv uav ot xusvj zuas voni epf situasdit.


Tuasdi: TewwzTNI