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Will You Add? - PR Power: How to Write a Killer Press Release
What does a company want to find out about you when they interview you? What are they trying to find out when they evaluate and assess you?In most cases, hiring staff or temporary workers starts out with a job description. Someone sat down and consciously thought of what skills and experience they needed on their staff. As such, most firms hopefully start off by assessing for competence (I say “hopefully” because so many people report that they work with incompetent colleagues). Hopefully an emp
First things first, remember it's a press release you're writing, not a novel. Of course, you want to make sure you get all of the relevant facts across, but try to do it concisely. It's worth bearing in mind that the newspaper will probably re-word your release to make it fit their style or the space available in any case, so don't worry too much if you're not exactly Stephen King. Focus on your main points. Tell the reader:
Who
According to Dough McCormick, Chariman and CEO of iVillage, Inc, “Technologists focus on supply but they don’t understand advertising is focused on demand. Just because we have an available ad doesn’t mean we have to sell it.”What in the world does that mean? It means not every product online is going to sell. Online retailers and marketers are not going to succeed just because they are online. Marketing is about understanding the demand of the consumer and meeting it or creating demand for
Quite apart from leaving me with some pretty good conversation openers, it left me with a good understanding of what kind of story makes the news, and what kind of press release gets filed straight under "bin". Here's how to make sure your press release is one of the good ones...
1. Get your story straight
Before you even think about writing a press release, you need to make sure you have the right story. The fact that you've just started a business isn't a good story. Trust me on this. At the last newspaper I worked on, I lost count of the number of press releases we received, which basically boiled down to, "Hey! Guess what! I started a business!" Well, so did a lot of people. If you want your press release to work, you're going to have to find an "angle" that your target publication will be interested in. There are various different ways to do this:
- Tell a strange/funny/touching story about how your business started, or how you helped one of your customers.
- Run a competition, offering your products or services as a prize.
- Offer your expertise in an "ask the expert" feature or column (if your paper isn't running one, offer to write it for them)
- Conduct a survey and present your findings in the form of a press release. Sponsor a local student or organisation
- All you need to get your "angle" is a little bit of imagination. And once you have a story to tell, it's time to start selling...
2. Writing your press release
First things first, remember it's a press release you're writing, not a novel. Of course, you want to make sure you get all of the relevant facts across, but try to do it concisely. It's worth bearing in mind that the newspaper will probably re-word your release to make it fit their style or the space available in any case, so don't worry too much if you're not exactly Stephen King. Focus on your main points. Tell the reader:
Who
One of the smartest moves for any small business is to clearly differentiate itself from the competition. Since actions speak louder than words, you should look for ways to be creative and “cutting-edge” when it comes to customer service and the overall user experience. Try to be THE company that is so great to work with that customers buy from you every time because they feel so positive about the experience. Here are a few ideas you can put into action to add value and benefit to your customers’ expe
1. Get your story straight
Before you even think about writing a press release, you need to make sure you have the right story. The fact that you've just started a business isn't a good story. Trust me on this. At the last newspaper I worked on, I lost count of the number of press releases we received, which basically boiled down to, "Hey! Guess what! I started a business!" Well, so did a lot of people. If you want your press release to work, you're going to have to find an "angle" that your target publication will be interested in. There are various different ways to do this:
- Tell a strange/funny/touching story about how your business started, or how you helped one of your customers.
- Run a competition, offering your products or services as a prize.
- Offer your expertise in an "ask the expert" feature or column (if your paper isn't running one, offer to write it for them)
- Conduct a survey and present your findings in the form of a press release. Sponsor a local student or organisation
- All you need to get your "angle" is a little bit of imagination. And once you have a story to tell, it's time to start selling...
2. Writing your press release
First things first, remember it's a press release you're writing, not a novel. Of course, you want to make sure you get all of the relevant facts across, but try to do it concisely. It's worth bearing in mind that the newspaper will probably re-word your release to make it fit their style or the space available in any case, so don't worry too much if you're not exactly Stephen King. Focus on your main points. Tell the reader:
Who
Food service jobs are open to virtually anyone. Getting into the hospitality industry is reasonably easy, but to progress, it is important to have relevant skills and knowledge. You must have the hospitality skills you need to give yourself better employment opportunities.Many of the food and beverage servers are young teens to twenties, usually with little or no work experience. While older people may have an edge, lacking waiting experience is not a barrier. What is most important, is impeccab
- Tell a strange/funny/touching story about how your business started, or how you helped one of your customers.
- Run a competition, offering your products or services as a prize.
- Offer your expertise in an "ask the expert" feature or column (if your paper isn't running one, offer to write it for them)
- Conduct a survey and present your findings in the form of a press release. Sponsor a local student or organisation
- All you need to get your "angle" is a little bit of imagination. And once you have a story to tell, it's time to start selling...
2. Writing your press release
First things first, remember it's a press release you're writing, not a novel. Of course, you want to make sure you get all of the relevant facts across, but try to do it concisely. It's worth bearing in mind that the newspaper will probably re-word your release to make it fit their style or the space available in any case, so don't worry too much if you're not exactly Stephen King. Focus on your main points. Tell the reader:
Who
To be honest, I have always disliked attending a job interview. I understand that they are a necessary evil, but I have always dreaded them. I think that it is all about showing that you are good or bad at job interviews, and not whether you are good at the job you're applying for. Some job interviewers approach the interview very scientifically. They read up on techniques and psychological profiling to help them in their task. You must know how to answer job interview questions if you are about to att
- Offer your expertise in an "ask the expert" feature or column (if your paper isn't running one, offer to write it for them)
- Conduct a survey and present your findings in the form of a press release. Sponsor a local student or organisation
- All you need to get your "angle" is a little bit of imagination. And once you have a story to tell, it's time to start selling...
2. Writing your press release
First things first, remember it's a press release you're writing, not a novel. Of course, you want to make sure you get all of the relevant facts across, but try to do it concisely. It's worth bearing in mind that the newspaper will probably re-word your release to make it fit their style or the space available in any case, so don't worry too much if you're not exactly Stephen King. Focus on your main points. Tell the reader:
Who
Time is the sparsest of all resources. Use it wisely. It’s not so much about time management as it is about strategic management.Management tends to focus on the issues of the day more often than on strategic application. Each person in an executive team has areas that they are accountable for and these demand attention. Operational issues rise to the top and need attention. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Strategic issues develop no fires, no embarrassments, and no sudden breakdowns so it’s nev
First things first, remember it's a press release you're writing, not a novel. Of course, you want to make sure you get all of the relevant facts across, but try to do it concisely. It's worth bearing in mind that the newspaper will probably re-word your release to make it fit their style or the space available in any case, so don't worry too much if you're not exactly Stephen King. Focus on your main points. Tell the reader:
Who
These are the building blocks of any story: as long as you get these down, you're off to a good start. And speaking of starts...
3. Get your opening paragraph right
It's a sad fact of life that editors are overworked individuals, and their time is precious. If the opening paragraph of your press release doesn't grab them, they probably won't bother to read the rest. In newspaper journalism, the convention is to make the opening paragraph short and snappy, and to use it to sum up the story as best you can.
4. Use quotes
Quotes are more interesting to read than straight text, and if you don't include some, the journalist who receives your press release will have to find them for herself. Including a few ready-made quotes in your press release will reduce the amount of work the reporter has to do, and that will give your release a better chance of being used.
5. Include your contact information
No matter how hard you try to get it right, there will inevitably be some small point which the journalist writing your story will want to clarify, and to do that, they'll need to be able to contact you. Making things easier on the journalist, makes it easier for them to give your business some publicity.
6. Follow up!
If your press release doesn't appear in the very next issue of the newspaper you send it to, don't panic! Sometimes it can take a few weeks for a release which isn't time-sensitive to appear, but it doesn't hurt to give the paper a quick call to make sure they received it, just don't go overboard and take up too much of their precious time...
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