Press Releases for Every Occasionby Bill Stoller, Publisher Free Publicity, The Newsletter for PR- Hungry Businesses http://www.PublicityInsider.com/freepub.asp
To many marketers,
press release is something of a "one size fits all" proposition. You want to get media coverage, you knock out a press release, send it to some journalists and sit back and wait.
Of course, smart Publicity Insiders already know that’s a prescription for failure. You know that your press release has to have a "hook", be well-written and sent to appropriate journalists in an active, not passive, manner. But there’s another part of puzzle that even savvy publicity-seekers sometimes miss -- you can’t just write "a press release", you have to write right kind of press release.
There’s no such thing as a "one size fits all" release. Smart publicists have variations of press release model ready to be go, depending on occasion.
(Note: for a general introduction to press release writing and formatting, see: http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp
Let's look at some releases suitable for "harder" and more timely news...
The News Release
To some folks, "news release" and "press release" are interchangeable. Not to me. I use phrase "news release" to refer to a release that, well, carries actual news. Let’s face it, most of what a business has to say to a journalist isn’t exactly "stop presses" kind of stuff. But, on occasion, something of real significance occurs. A merger, a stock split, a major new contract, winning a national award...something that’s truly timely and important. For these sorts of events, don’t mess around. Craft a solid, hard-hitting News Release that’s written in pure journalistic style (lead includes "who, what, when, why and how", language is in 3rd person and completely free of hyperbole). Use journalism’s "inverted pyramid" -- most important information at top, next most important info in second paragraph and so on down.
Tell entire story in headline and subhead. Again, don’t get cute -- get straight to point. The headline "Acme Corporation Selected by Pentagon to Supply Troops with Widgets" is far better than something like "Guess Who’s Making Widgets for Uncle Sam?" or something "clever" like that. In subhead, fill in some details: "$18 Million Contract Largest in Company’s History". Talk about getting straight to point! You’ve just given journalist meat of story before she’s even read your lead.
Add a "dateline" (Akron, OH) at beginning of your lead (first) paragraph. In dateline, use your company’s home town (or location where some news has broken. You can be a bit creative here, if it helps maximize your impact. For above example, you can dateline it Washington, DC and say that "The Pentagon today announced that it has selected an Akron company...").
In distributing release, use e-mail, fax, distribution service such as PRWeb or PR Newswire, or even overnight courier. The goal is to get it into journalists’ hands on same day you distribute it.
Executive Appointment Release
Most businesses send out a brief release and headshot when someone new is hired or a major promotion is made. That’s fine, and it will get them in "People on Move" column on page 8 in business section. It’s an ego stroke for employee, but that’s about it. Savvy publicity seekers use Executive Appointment release to generate real publicity. Here’s key -- don’t just announce that someone’s been hired or promoted. Rather, explain why move is significant to company -- and perhaps market -- as a whole.
