A good press release is a highly effective marketing tool, that costs very little to produce and can get your message across to a huge audience! Written in the third person as if one of the newspapers’ reporters had written it, it’s an excellent opportunity to get information about your product, service or special event featured in a local or national newspaper – free!
What should I put in my press release?
Something interesting! No editor will accept an article that’s just an advert pretending to be a newsworthy story. Journalists need interesting stories because that’s what sells newspapers, so if you want free exposure you have to give them what they need!
This means writing about a current newsworthy issue that can then be linked to your product in a creative and objective way. Not everyone has this ability. You need to be able to think and write like a journalist and find a newsworthy aspect of your business to write about.
Don’t write a string of business-speak clichés that just say ‘this product is wonderful’, without giving any details of what it is, who it will benefit or why it’s unique or special.
How do I develop an angle?
The best way to find an angle for your press release is to read the papers that you want your press article to appear in. Look for stories that aren’t strictly-speaking news and if you read to the end, you will probably find that a new product, service or business is actually being marketed.
For example, a new hairdressing salon opening in your town isn’t big news, but a headline like New Salon First with Eco-Hair Products – links in to environmental issues – a topic of major importance and wide interest to women, children and men! Think about The Body Shop and how much publicity they gained by leading the way with products not tested on animals!
Create goodwill
Look for universal or local themes that will affect many people in your area. Try to choose an angle that shows your business in a very positive light and creates lots of goodwill towards you in the local community. For example, discounts for disabled people or your local hospital – something that will make you stand out and be more popular than your competitors.
How is a press release used?
You can send an individual press release alone, or with a pitch letter containing information about your company to a selection of newspapers by email or in the post. A good tip is to find out which journalist deals with the topic of your press release and then phone them first to introduce yourself and your story.
Courtesy counts
Journalists are very busy people working to strict deadlines, so the best time to speak to them is usually between 10 a.m. – 12 noon. Don’t rush into talking about your wonderful news – always be polite and ask if this is a good time to discuss your press release. If not, ask when would be a good time for you to call back.
Practice your pitch beforehand, so it comes across as natural and stick to the point. After you’ve delivered your pitch, if the reporter is interested they’ll ask for more information.
Send in your press kit/media pack
Ensure you have a good quality press kit ready to send immediately along with your press release and photo. Press releases are an important feature of a full press kit and need to be both absolutely professional and, above all, contain an interesting story along with the marketing content!
Mark the envelope with the words, Requested Information, to make sure it will be opened and processed quickly. Follow through with a phone call to ask if the editor/reporter has had a chance to look through it, and ask what they think.
If you’ve provided a concise, interesting and professional press release, you’re about to get some very valuable free publicity!
Golden rules of Press Releases
Building up a good relationship with the local press is a Very Good Idea and will help a lot in getting your press releases printed. The golden rules are to avoid over-exaggeration and business-speak clichés that don’t mean anything and be very courteous to the newspaper personnel – they are a great source of free publicity!
At Exquisite Writing we have an experienced team of talented writers, who can provide eye-catching press releases and all types of high quality business writing for successful marketing!
