Make an editor's job easier by stating the facts, but do it in a way that makes it a headline topic. Instead of titling your release, “New real estate site launched,” try something like “HomeBasePlus emerges triumphant in the battle of technology versus service.” It’s catchy, and the lead sentence can clearly explain what the title hints. Chances are, your headline will be changed anyway, but hook the editor’s eye from the beginning.

Don’t try to impress the reader with overly expressive adjectives or superlatives. They’ll only be edited out, and it gives your press release a phony tone, like that of an advertisement, as opposed to a factual news item.

Resist the urge to boast about your product or services. Offer the vital information about the “who, what, when, where, and why,” and let the reader take a proactive approach in discovering its benefits from that point on.

Using quotes from experts or management personnel within the company or industry offers credibility to your press release. Media contacts love to be able to attribute a name to the concepts or opinions found within the piece, so choose wisely, and pick the most authoritative figure possible. Instead of using a positive quote from one of your customer’s, have the President of the corporation say a few words.

If you’re sending in a press release about a soon to be launched website, or a newly formed company, be sure to include a direct contact name, phone number, and email address if possible, so that a reporter can easily find you if he or she has any questions about the information.

While the media are constantly competing amongst themselves to be the first to report (or scoop) headline news, contributors are competing to be that news. Give yourself a head start by learning the publication’s style, and respectfully submit your item to the appropriate contact.

Before you send anything, ask yourself the following questions:

Once you understand the media mindset, it’s easier to conform to their standards and expectations. Many times, contributors and editors are at odds because they simply don’t understand where the other is coming from. More often than not, an editor has been in the shoes of a contributor, and he or she now understands why editors work the way they do.

The news industry is a rushed and hurried environment, and like other staff departments, anything you can do to alleviate the stress of deadlines and tight spaces will be greatly appreciated. The more you work with your local news, the more receptive they’ll be when it comes time to consider one of your press releases. If they can rely on you to follow simple procedures, leaving them with minimal follow-up work, then they’ll most likely be eager to hear what it is you have to say in the future.

Remember that you, as a contributor, and the editor, who makes the decisions, rely on each other for information and coverage. Without press releases, he may not be able to fill up the space in his paper. And without the editor, you won’t have the news you wish to get in front of the readers reaching anybody.

Public relations officials, and others who write and distribute press releases, sometimes feel dejected when their item doesn’t make it into print over another similar piece. But the editor looks at it from a newsworthy standpoint. Which press release, out of the hundreds, or thousands received each day, has what it takes to be worthy of their reader’s time and attention? Craft your release well, and you’ll raise your chances of publication immensely.

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