It’s a well known fact that one of the common ways a business receives free publicity and builds its expertise attracting media attention. Although it takes time and work to get noticed by journalists, the start of a great publicity campaign is the press release. If you are trying to build a positive relationship with media professionals, often times a press release is the easiest way in.
However, not all press releases are created equal. Most of them wind up in the trash. If you want members of the media to call you regarding stories you pitch, or for stories they are already working on, you must send the right message in your press releases. The following five elements should help you communicate your message effectively:
1. The Basics of Reporting – Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How
Facts are the basis of every news story, and when reporters need fundamental, facts they often turn to press releases. This is the why who, what, when, where, why, and how of the story are so important. When creating your press release, take a few moments to note the facts of the story you hope to communicate. This information is vital for the entire document, and you should emphasize it in the lead paragraph of your release so news editors don’t have to read more than a few lines to get the gist of your message.
2. A Clear, but Concise Headline
Press Release Headlines should communicate the main idea of the story, capture the attention of the reader, and so in ten words or less. Your headline present the news in an informative, but catchy manner, such as “Teen Smoking is On The Rise” “Despite Improves in Technology, Productivity is Down”.
3. You Need to Entice the Reader.
Once you’ve gotten your readers’ attention, you need to hook them. It should be something to compel the reader to continue reading, such as a startling fact or statistic, a compelling question, or a common problem. This hook often communicates a common problem and a startling statistic, such as “This year 40 percent of high school students will try tobacco” or “At least 30% of adult males have an undiagnosed learning disability.”
4. A Usable Quote or Two
As you go into more detail about the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your story, providing as much detail as you can in the least amount of words as possible, you will beginning developing the main body of your press release. In doing so, you should also provide quotes that the reporter can pull directly from your release. The media loves getting quotes directly from the source of the news and by providing a quote or two, you make the writer’s job that much easier, and better your chances of getting mentioned in the paper. If possible you should use quotes that really highlight the impact of your news.
5. The Call to Action
Even though you got your main points in, you still have to close your press release with a call to action. If you want reporters to book you for an interview, you should say so. If you want them to cover your event, make that your call to action. Don’t forget to include your contact information.
Remember the goal of your press release should be to get media mentions for your business. It’s like free advertising and it establishes you as the expert in your field. Remember, even if they don’t write a feature story from your press release, media professionals may keep your information on file for when the do need your expertise. So the better your press release is, the better your chances of receiving that free publicity, you are seeking.
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