I agree with most of the comments on this thread and would highly recommend researching your selected media.....by that I mean if you are submitting to the Scotsman newspaper check out what is being published.
Similarily, if you are writing for your local tabloid or freesheet.....same deal applies.
What's the secret to getting free publicity? It's not a fancy press kit. It's not having a superstar spokesperson. It's not hiring the world's biggest
PR firm.
Actually, the ultimate secret is really quite simple:
You need to think like a reporter.
Of course, this is the first-place winner in the "easier said than done" Olympics. Most of us are too tied-up in our own world to really look at our businesses objectively and come up with a newsworthy story angle that can lead to free publicity.
That's why millions of trees are needlessly slaughtered each year to produce press releases that will never lead to a single news story. Reporters have a special place in their circular file for 'of no consequence', stories. If you want to avoid this fate, then you must learn to think like a reporter.
This means:
Being able to separate real news about your company from promotional adverts.
Being able to deliver a sharp story angle that will be of real interest to the news reading or viewing public
Being able to deliver this angle in a professional, courteous way.
Here are some truths that you ignore at your own risk:
Reporters don't care about helping you, unless you have developed a good working relationship with them.
Reporters are hassled all day by
PR people and become immune to old news and self effacing trivia.
Reporters don't care about your website, your book, your products or your life story, unless......
.....you are providing something that helps make their job easier -- that is, a really good story.
When you design your public relations campaign, develop your angles, develop your media materials and begin contacting the press, always think:
"What can I do at this step that will make this more useful and interesting to a journalist?"
That means:
Dveloping story angles from a reporter's perspective, not a business owner's
Conducting yourself in a manner free of hype, clichés and trivia.
Using proper etiquette when contacting a reporter or editor.
Developing an Angle.(amplify your USP)
What does it mean to "develop a story angle from a reporter's perspective"?
Have you ever met someone who has gotten way too absorbed by his niche? He can go on for hours about his business or his hobby. He can't possibly imagine why you, or anyone else, wouldn't be riveted by his in-depth opinion of applied systemics as explained by W Edwards Deming.
He's far too close to his hobby to be objective. As it turns out, most business owners are the same way about their company. If you spend all day absorbed in the world of health products -- or golf clubs, or insurance, or any other field -- you can lose sight of the realization that most of the rest of the world doesn't really care.
Take a good look at the most popular broadsheets,tabloids and your local papers then copy the style and content of writing.
Hope this helps
John
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Writing a Press Release is Easy!
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A few things to consider for your next press release
