One way to gain recognition and exposure for your business or your personal achievements is to distribute a media release.
The media are always looking for stories of interest to fill their newspapers, magazines, TV and radio shows. If you can offer them something that is newsworthy, topical, interesting or entertaining then you have a good chance of your story being used. Sending relevant media releases often ensures you stay "top of mind" with your database of media contacts and is great public relations for you or your business when your story is run.
Here are some good reasons to send a media release any time you have something interesting to say.
1. Continuous brand building. Anytime you get a media "hit" and your name is mentioned it will add to the public's awareness of your brand and what you have to offer.
2. Credibility of your message. An editorial story is a lot more likely to be read and recognised than an advertisement. Seeing a story on the TV news or reading about it in the paper gives your product or message a lot more credibility.
3. Cheap. Certainly cheaper than advertising and free if you write and issue your media release yourself. You could end of with thousands of dollars worth of free editorial coverage.
4. Clients and customers kept informed. You need to find ways to continually keep in front of customers and clients. Perhaps they will see your story in the newspaper. But why not call and alert them to your story or send a clipping of your article to keep in touch. Better still include comments or quotes from your clients in the media release.
5. Clarity. Writing a media release will help you get clear on what your message is by being succinct and concise with the words you choose. Clients will gain more understanding of your products or services also.
6. Communicating who you are, what you do and how you make a difference is what public relations is all about. Getting into the habit of communicating your successes and achievements by sending media releases will aid in raising your profile.
7. Celebrity status. Gaining publicity in the media will help you become known as the expert in your area and will enhance your image and reputation.
It's no secret that one of the best a business receives free publicity and builds its expertise by gaining media attention. Although it takes time and work to get noticed by reporters, the beginning of a first-rate public relations campaign is the media release. If you'd like to develop a working relationship with media professionals, often times a media release is the only way in.
However, not all media releases are created equal. In fact, most of them end up in the trash. If you want members of the media to contact you about stories you pitch, or for stories they are already working on, you must send the appropriate message in your media 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, factual information they often turn to media releases. This is the why who, what, when, where, why, and how of the story are so important. When creating your media release, take a few moments to sort the facts about the news you want to communicate. This information will be the foundation for the entire story, and you should emphasize it in the first 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 Catchy, but Short 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 in a catch, but informative manner, such as ?Teen Smoking is On The Rise? ?Despite Improves in Technology, Productivity is Down?.
3. You'll Need a Hook 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 Quotable 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 media release. In doing so, you should also include quotes that the journalist can pull right 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 if you've gotten all your main points in, you still have to close your media release with a call to action. If you want reporters to call 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 company. 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 greater your chances of getting that free publicity, you are seeking.
Both Sue Currie & 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.
Sue Currie has sinced written about articles on various topics from The Internet, Patent and Trademark and Marketing. Sue Currie, the director of Shine Communications Consultancy and author of Apprentice to Business Ace - your inside-out guide to personal branding, is a business educator and speaker on personal branding through image and media. Sign up for free monthly. Sue Currie's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.