How to Write a Press Release that Will Earn Publicity

If you wish to write an effective press release for a business, you need to employ positive strategies. This involves more than simply how to write a press release. You must plan ahead with ideas for action steps to include in the press release.

As a journalist for 35 years, I have spoken at various community meetings on the topic of how to write a press release, probably better known nowadays as a news release or a media release. These talks have been geared to people seeking publicity for nonprofit groups, school PTAs, and so forth. However, these effective press release tips also can be adapted to promote your business.

Some tips to write a press release are basic, but worthy of review. Put the date and contact people (two are better than one) right at the top. Keep the information concise. Don't wait until the last minute. Above all, explain why readers should be interested, and if possible explain why this announcement could help readers and/or their family and friends.

Okay. Beyond those basics, what follows is some longer-winded added insight.

When somebody writes a press release, especially at a grassroots (or small business) level, they naturally may have feelings that they are asking a favor or even begging for publicity. This is why I always emphasize, write a press release to EARN publicity for your worthy cause or your business. Write a press release that is so strong and compelling, reporters will feel that they have no choice but to give you publicity. This publicity may not come so much from the goodness of their hearts, but more for the reason that they don't want a rival news organization to scoop them on your story.

The main way to earn publicity is to write a press release that is based on promoting a special event, even if you have to sort of "manufacture" or "make up" this special event.

An example is, imagine a pair of groups each is promoting its own community program. One group writes a press release that essentially states: "We believe we have a great community program that will be very important to the people. What we do is (fill in the blank), our address is (fill in the blank), our phone number is (fill in the blank), our website is (fill in the blank). Please do an article or story about us." Then, the second group writes the same press release but adds: "We have scheduled a press conference for this specific date (fill in the blank) at this location (fill in the blank). We will offer interviews with the people who work in our community program, along with a demonstration of our program in action."

Which group will have the better chance to draw reporters from news organizations? The second group, of course. This means the second group has written a better press release, even if the person assigned to write the press release isn't Shakespeare. The key is the content in the press release for the second group, via the action step reflected in the press release.

Now that you have this concept in mind for how to write a press release that earns publicity for your business or group, we will close with a few basic tips:

(1) Schedule your press conference for early or mid-afternoon. Most TV reporters work a late shift. Also, Thursdays are a great day for this. A lot of local news, especially in government, takes place earlier in the week. Also, a Thursday event can be a gateway not only to weekday coverage, but also to a prized Sunday news slot.

(2) Send your press release to news organizations via both postal mail and e-mail. Especially in print media, there are a number of so-called ink-stained wretches (such as myself) who still aren't so hot with the e-mail business. So, used both old-fashioned and newfangled communications.

(3) Keep the cover page of your press release especially concise, in memorandum form. Put your contact information, both telephone and e-mail, right at the top. Indicate the time, place, day and date of your press conference. Day and date are important, because you wouldn't believe how often they can conflict. Let's say an editor or reporter receives a 2009 press release for an event on Thursday, December 9. Ooops, something is amiss, because December 9 is a Wednesday.

(4) Speaking of "oops" moments, triple-check all spellings, especially names. Once in my career I misspelled the name of John Smyth, via an obviously false assumption. True. I wasn't going to insult the person by asking them how to spell a name that obviously was "S-m-i-t-h," and so this is what happened.

(5) Write the press release and send it about three weeks in advance. A press release too far in advance can get lost in the shuffle; a press release too close to the press conference can lead to schedule conflicts among reporters. Then, retransmit and make a reminder followup phone call at the start of the week leading to the event.

(6) In normal business transactions, we naturally feel that personalized correspondence is the best. When we write a press release, however, we want to list each reporter to whom we are corresponding. This makes each reporter aware that if she or he doesn't attend, a competitor just might beat them to the punch.

(7) If a reporter says they can't attend your press conference because a schedule conflict, then by all means, schedule a separate event to accommodate them.

(8) Search for everyday people (customers and/or clients) who will give testimonials for your business or your nonprofit group. Mention them in your news release, possibly with a quote from them. Good reporters look for the "people" angle. You may want to conduct a mock interview with your testimonial-giver in advance, to work out any bugs. Also, both you and your other spokespeople must learn to speak in so-called brief soundbites. This is just an unfortunate aspect of modern media. If you find an ultimate need to be long-winded, then run for senator.

(9) We all may want our privacy and family time, but to do the best job with your press release, you should be as accessible as possible at all hours. For example, at the local TV station, the news editor may exclaim, "OMG, we haven't had a fire or a car crash or a homicide today, and nothing is happening with Michael Jackson, so we need stories, we need stories!" Then the reporter will dig up your press release, and call you on short or no notice. This may seem rude, but viola, your press release has succeeded if you are able to respond on the spot.

If any reader has further inquiries on how to write an effective press release, simply contact me by message via Associated Content.

FOOTNOTE: In my former newsroom (Saginaw, Mich.) the young lady doing church announcements was so frustrated with lousy press releases, such as day not matching date, that she uncharacteristically shouted, "I'm TIRED of these *@ing church announcements." Her back was about 20 feet from the counter, where there was a minister waiting to drop off yet another church announcement. Without pause or shame, she simply turned pleasantly and greeted him. Maybe you had to be there, but it was a great newsroom moment!

FOOTNOTE II: The all-time greatest press release headline came from our local police department: "Crack Found in Drug Suspect's Underwear"

SOURCE

Personal experience