Press releases are an effective, inexpensive way of raising a company’s profile, promoting its viewpoints, products and services and announcing events. But 95% of them end up in the editor’s bin, largely because they are badly written or of no interest to the publications they have been sent to, says business journalist Jennigay Coetzer, author of A Perfect Press Release – or Not?
“If the first three sentences of a press release do not make sense, most journalists will delete it without reading further.” She says bad press releases are often the result of a lack of understanding of what the media is looking for.
A Perfect Press Release – or Not? is a useful guide to producing and distributing press releases for publication in the media or on a website and offers a wide range of writing tips and tricks. The style of the book is such that any business executive can understand how a press release should be written and why. “A lot of smaller businesses cannot afford to hire a PR consultant, but still need to send out press releases,” says Coetzer. On the other hand even those that use PR consultants need to know how press releases should be written to be effective.
Hard hitting views from journalists and editors who face a daily barrage of press releases are included in the book, leaving no doubt as to their pet hates and preferences. One of the most common gripes quoted is being sent press releases that are irrelevant for the readership of the publication to which they have been submitted. Another is that the main theme of the story is often buried way down in the press release, which means reading screeds of marketing hype to find out what the release is about.
Press releases are an ideal tool for enlightening consumers and businesses and creating the desire to pick up the phone and enquire about the solution being discussed or look for the new product on the shelves in retail shops. But today, the expectations of those seeking interesting information from newspapers, magazines and the internet are higher than ever and the opportunity to grab and hold the readers’ attention is fleeting, says Coetzer. They will move on quickly rather than plough through marketing hype to find any value.
She says the main objective of a press release should be to produce a concise story with relevant content that makes sense and will interest the target audience. To achieve this, it is best to come up with a strategy for each press release and have a brainstorming session among all those involved to identify potential target publications and interesting topics to suit the type of audience being addressed. Then decide who is best suited to provide the input for the rich, meaningful content required to produce a publishable press release.
Producing an interesting article is as much about gathering rich, interesting, topical and relevant content as writing the copy, says Coetzer. “Lack of content leads to waffle, which gets in the way of a story and obscures any possible value for the reader.” This will result in a weak, fragmented story, which, if it is published, will reflect badly on the company.
The person being quoted in the article will therefore need to have more than just superficial knowledge of the topic being discussed.
Press releases need to be constructed with the most important elements of the story at the top to grab the reader’s attention, and because they will invariably need to be cut from the bottom during the editing process. “Create the essence of the story in your mind before writing it,” says Coetzer. The first few sentences need to convince a busy cynical journalist or anyone else the press release is targeted at to read on.
She says with any article it is important to have a conversation with the reader, anticipating any questions they might ask while reading it and not assume any prior knowledge.
“Focus on what the reader would be interested to hear about and not just on what you want to tell them.”
It is important to finish each point before moving on to another and not jump around, and apply the “So what?” technique to every sentence, making sure the question is answered.
She says news releases should be short and to the point and contain details of a person to contact for further comment who can provide useful information.
A news release implies that the content is newsworthy and if it does not live up to this expectation it is just another form of span and will end up in the editor’s bin. An authoritative opinion article might discuss the latest trends or issues in a particular area and what these mean to consumers and business.
Any company can have a voice in the media and on their websites by championing topical issues and trends that either affect the market as a whole or specific industry sectors and sharing knowledge and expertise that will benefit others. In so doing they can create a name for themselves as an authority on relevant topics and enhance the image of their company, says Coetzer.
At the same time they can use this as a vehicle for putting across a business case for the solutions and services they are offering or the viewpoints they want to promote in a subtle way. For example, an armed-response company could discuss tips on how housewives can protect themselves in the home or the importance of awareness of the risks individuals are exposed to in their everyday lifestyle.
Similarly a food catering company could discuss trends in food menus for corporate functions, the eating habits of the elite and provide guidelines for selecting menus for different types of functions. A small business could also share its experiences by writing about the challenges it faced in growing its business and how it overcame them, says Coetzer.
A Perfect Press Release – or Not? is available online from http://www.jennigay.co.za/
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