So then if youve done all of these things there is a good chance of your press release being acted upon right? NO. Well, not yet anyway.
You see you can have the best press release in the World but unless it is sent to the right person then there is still every chance it will not be dealt with (or at least dealt with in the way you want it to be).
This article is therefore all about making sure you contact the right person. There are many ways to do this and these include.
1. Buy a Media Guide. Publications such as the Guardian Media Guide or BRAD will contain useful information about who to contact in the press. 2. Get someone to do it for you. You can subscribe to a media contact service or use online press release agencies.
Both are perfectly valid options to making sure your press release reaches the right person but surely the best thing about PR is that it is free. Therefore to make sure it remains free how about option number 3?
3. Do it Yourself. In the UK during the 80s and 90s we went through a DIY explosion (not literally) with people wanting to do things themselves. This usually involved walking around Homebase or B&Q at a weekend buying things like shelves and drills, taking them home and then drilling through a cable and having no electric until Monday morning (or was that just me?)
Anyway, the Norties has produced a different breed of person. DIY has been replaced with GSI (or the get someone in generation). I mean why should you do it yourself when someone else can do it for you?
Well when it comes to PR and your business because it is cheaper, it is not as hard as your think, it is better in the long run and it gives you an amazing sense of achievement.
So then let us start with the basics. How exactly can you do it yourself?
You can use the internet to find publications or types of media you want to target (these could be magazines, local papers, television channels, websites and many more)
The internet is great as many of the media will have websites of their own containing useful information about who works there and who you need to contact. This could be list of journalists, editors or support staff. Basically find out their contact information and contact them.
You can do this by emailing your Press Release and making a phone call to make sure they have it. You can call them and ask for their e-mail address, then follow that up once sent. You can send them your Press Release in the post and follow it up with an email or telephone call
You have to be persistent but once youve made contact and established they are the right person you can keep in touch with them.
What is vital when it comes to PR and business in general is that we prefer to deal with people we like. If you make a good first impression with the media getting future PR published will be so much easier. Your contact may actually come to you for stories. Remember, the media need you more than you need them. No stories equals No sales. The Top Tips when it comes to contacting the right person are therefore:
1. Make it personal. Get your key contacts name and use it. 2. Be persistent. Phone them, email them, fax them and send them post. Keep doing this until you get a definite NO. What might not be news worthy today could be just what they are looking for tomorrow. 3. What is in it for them? People who work in the media dont have time to waste so when you are speaking to them get to the point and tell them the benefits of dealing with you. 4. Ask questions. If they arent interested ask them if they know who will be. Journalists and people in the media have many contacts and one of them could be just the person to help you (and you to help them). 5. It might be a numbers game. Dont just send your press release to one person at a publication. Until youve established your main contact send it to anyone who might be interested such as editors, journalists, deputy editors etc 6. Stay in touch. When youve established a good contact stay in touch and become their expert in your field. That way when they need something for your industry they will come to you. Send them a birthday or Christmas email. You would be amazed how the little things make the most difference. 7. Be remembered. The media love people with passion, with something to stay, people who are controversial, who are tenacious and who have opinions. Dont be boring as you will be instantly forgettable. Be remembered and be published.
Make contacts with the right people in the media and PR can become your best means of Marketing. Remember an article published by the media will generally produce much better results than an advert in the same publication as PR acts as a third party endorsement. It is the media almost recommending or endorsing your services or products.
Want to get the most media attention and spotlight for your business? Then the first place to start is with a GREAT press release. Now I can almost see half of you leaving now, dreading the thought of having to write one of these. But wait!! I'm going to show you easy methods to make your press release work for you and get the attention it deserves. Ready? Let's go.
We'll briefly go over the basics because of their importance. Editors want to see things done the RIGHT way. I would bet that a lot of good releases simply get tossed out just because they aren't set up properly. To a busy editor, that all too familiar ?10 second glance? says a lot for you and your business; it let's them know if you've done your research enough to warrant that release to be placed in their newspaper or magazine.
Here are your essentials:
"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" on the top left of the page.
Your contact name, phone number, e-mail address, and website follows.
Headline is next, normally in bold and centered on the page. Summarize what the release is about and capture their attention. Spend almost as much time on your headline as you do writing the release. It's that important.
The press release body starts with the location of the release and the date (Margate, Florida, May 5, 2005.)
Most press releases are between 200-500 words, and no more than a page. The first paragraph has the most important information. Don't save the best for last, it won't get read. In this paragraph answer the questions, who, what, when, where and why?
It is recommended that you write press releases in the 3rd person and use short sentences and paragraphs. Do not go over board, trying to dazzle the editor, it won't work.
Target your release. You will be sending your release to a specific audience so make sure that in your release you keep to what would appeal to that audience. What don't they know that you can add? Nothing works better than getting an ?AAH HAA? when an editor is reviewing your release.
Provide statistics. Do some research and find some relevant information that applies. You can easily do this through Google. Once you find your quote, do a Google search or Yahoo quote on that particular topic. However, don't stop on the first Google link and take that for gospel. Research it a bit further. Have it come from a respectable company or magazine.
Include relevant quotes from experts in your field that will reinforce what you are saying. Approach authors, leaders in your Industry, and other experts that back up the facts you are stating in your release. They will normally appreciate the added publicity and you get the quote you're looking for. For example, as an author I'll often get asked to provide a quote for an article on home-based businesses or the virtual assistant industry. I welcome the opportunity as it provides me more publicity.
Also, if you have a satisfied client that you feel will add credibility to your Release, add a quote from them as well. The first time you mention the expert, write out their full name. Then list them by last name or Mr. and Mrs. Smith only. I normally prefer the last name.
The last paragraph should be your call to action. You've talked the whole release about your business or product, now tell them what to do with the knowledge they just acquired.
At the bottom of the release include ### to indicate you are done, followed by a short bio. Make sure if you include your website that you include http:// in front of it for search engine recognition. Your bio should include your information, any books authored, etc. Double check this for accuracy. At this point, you're tired and done with the Release. But if it goes out to the world with the wrong web address, the valuable time spent even writing the Release has been wasted.
That's it! The basics for writing a press release. Now one other thing I'd like to add in, they work! They truly work. Now you just need to find a place to distribute your press release. For online exposure there's PRWeb, for real world exposure there's BusinessWire. Other companies such as PressDr, do both. It's a matter of distributing the right release the right way.
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Both Mark Burdett & Wesley Upchurch are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Wesley Upchurch has sinced written about articles on various topics from Public Relations, Marketing and Communications and Web Development. is an online marketing professional specializing in online publicity services including Search Engine Optimization and press release distribution. For more. Wesley Upchurch's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.