The Why (or How)

Often, the Why (or How) is the first item to be trimmed from the press release if it isn’t relevant to the rest of the story. So how do you know what should and should not be explained?

Look at it from a reader’s point of view. If a company is hiring 20,000 new employees, and all you know is it’s “because the President of the Company said so,” either contact him for a more in-depth explanation, or forgo it altogether.

Most of the time, the press release will offer an explanation as to why an event is occurring.

“The PTA (who) is accepting donations (what) to raise money for a new library (why).”

or

“The PTA (who) is trying to raise funds for a new library (what) by having a bake sale (how).”

How comes into affect much more prominently when the audience is supposed to act upon the information. You want to tell them how they can help, how they can participate to bring about positive change in their community, how they can make a difference.

Once you master the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of your press release, you can begin to revise it and tighten the wording so that it appears to be reader friendly, while ensuring that all of the questions your readers will want to know have been answered.

As a review, develop your content in this order:

The editor of each publication will most likely rewrite some or all of your content, so your job is to provide him with the finest story you can, so that you lessen his workload and ensure the most important facts (to your client) make it into the publication. Write, Rewrite, and then Review.

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Tempting With Teasers –
A Tantalizing Taste of the “Less-Is-More” Theory

If there’s one thing an editor hates to read, it’s a dull press release that rambles on about unimportant information. Your primary function as a direct extension of the news staff is to relay significant news to the editor so that he or she can pass it along to their readers.

However, the content you send should not only be worthy of valuable space in the publication, but should also include an irresistible factor as well. Making your news alluring can be done in two different ways. Either the information alone is something the audience can’t live without knowing, or you make it seem that way.

News that stands on its own two feet is of paramount concern to the entire community. This includes national coverage of worldwide issues, and major tragedies and triumphs. A lawsuit involving Sam’s Software might be interesting to the local consumers, but a lawsuit against Microsoft will be of great interest.

Why? Because Microsoft produces a product that is internationally utilized in almost every business in the world. Sam’s Software doesn’t have the recognition that Microsoft does.

If your client’s news isn’t exactly a top-of-the-hour headline, you’ll need to draw your audience into your world, where the news you’re presenting is of utmost importance. How can you do this?

By tempting your readers into learning more. You don’t do this by giving them a “shotgun” lead, as it’s known throughout the Journalism field. A shotgun lead is a method of introduction for a story where the writer immediately tries to cram as much information as he can into the very first sentence.

In this instance, the reader might as well stop reading after that first sentence, since you’ve already placed your cards on the table. While you want to tempt your reader, you also want to avoid delaying relevant information by asking them a question. Unless the publication is a lighthearted, human-interest outlet, then it’s best to avoid question leads in a news publication.

To offer your audience a more thrilling read, try using a suspenseful lead to lure them into the rest of the text. But to do this, you must maintain an honest approach and a high degree of integrity.

For example:

“Sheriff Patterson realized Monday morning, that something was amiss, when he answered a call from a two-year old Labrador Retriever.”

This lead hints at the events that took place, and makes the reader want to continue to find out how a dog called the police station, why it called, and what happened after Sheriff Patterson answered the phone.

If you were writing it as a shotgun lead, it might read like this:

“Sheriff Patterson received a call Monday morning from a Labrador Retriever, who was trained to push the automatic 911 button on its owner’s phone.”

A lead like this tells us that the dog was trained prior to the event, on how to dial the emergency number, so chances are, the owner had an on-going ailment of some sort. A reader might continue on to find out what happened, but it’s pretty much all summed up in the first sentence. It’s just a matter of whether or not you want to read a story about a canine hero.

The “Less-Is-More” theory doesn’t necessarily mean fewer words – just less information. Of course, it’s always good to keep your verbiage down to a minimum for the editor’s sake, and to increase your chances of publication. But less information means teasing your audience with good things to come.

Another method of luring the reader into devouring your story is by shock value. This doesn’t mean offensive, just shocking. There’s a difference between the two that is as important as any other factor in developing your press release.

Offensive would be anything your audience would possibly be angry with you for printing, such as explicit language or graphic details or pictures. You’ll notice in your local paper, if a story is written about a crime or particularly gruesome accident, a warning will precede the article.

This warns readers of vivid details, so that if they prefer to skip that information, they can. It’s better to forewarn your audience, rather than sneaking the text in, and then hearing about it later.

Some publications and news shows, unintentionally offend their viewers by reporting on a community’s dislike for a certain establishment, for instance, while showing graphic scenes directly into the homes of the viewer.

Shocking, on the other hand, heightens the reader’s initial reaction, but explains the information throughout the rest of the story. A shocking example might be the following:

“Ten high school students were pulled from the wreckage of an overturned truck Tuesday morning, as firefighters scrambled to bring them to safety.”

“I loved it,” said Jessica Smith, her head encased in a thick bed of bandages.

The reader is thinking – “She loved it?” But the next sentence goes on to say…

“The Mothers Against Drunk Drivers Association sponsored the event, which demonstrates how drinking and driving affects al of those around us.”

Ah. Now the reader knows the event was a hoax. No children were really injured, and we can see how Jessica would be enthusiastic about participating in such an impacting display.

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You do have to be careful when working with teaser leads, however. Sometimes they can backfire. If your reader is in a hurry, he or she might be irritated that they wasted even a few valuable seconds on a false setup.

Others will be grateful for the deviation from the standard news format, and will appreciate the relief that comes from knowing it wasn’t a bad accident after all. Look to your intended media target to find out what lead style the editorial staff prefers, or adheres to.

If you don’t see any leeway from the basic factual lead intro, then stay with what works for that particular publication. In the example above, you would rephrase it to read:

“Mothers Against Drunk Drivers sponsored a lifelike wreckage scene at Cross County High School Tuesday morning to demonstrate the ill effects of drinking and driving.”

Whatever method you use to entice your audience into reading the rest of your story, do it fairly and honestly. Don’ trick a reader into thinking a story is about one subject, only to have them discover it’s really about something totally different.

Make your teaser intrigue and attract readers, but stay away from misleading them or giving away too much information on your news from the beginning. Give it an unexpected twist or turn to add a bit of the unexpected to your piece.

Your teaser should prepare the audience for what’s to come. Never start your piece in a positive light, only to take a dark tone later on in the body of the press release. An example of this might be:

“Patterson Industries will open a new location on the East Cost this summer. Unfortunately, this means 15,000 jobs will disappear from our county in late August.”

Tell your readers from the start if the news if good or bad - especially if it has a profound impact on the lives of the citizens who are reading it.

Your intro should indicate the tone of the piece following the first sentence. A teaser can be introduced at any point in the story, but the text following it should directly relate back to the teaser.

Don’t open with a teaser and then not explain it until three paragraphs later. Your reader will be frustrated trying to find the information, or lost once he stumbles upon it, and can’t recall what it’s referring to.

This is called a trick lead, and your audience will hate you for it. The premise here is that if you tempt them right away, then they’ll be willing to read the rest of the story just to find out three-quarters of the way down the page, what they thought they were going to find out in the beginning.

It defers crucial facts, and shouldn’t be used to enhance your message. It might end up bringing you a disaster.

The “Less-Is-More” theory can best be effectively used if you can find a unique method of enticing your audience, but immediately following, answer the riddle you placed before them. It breaks the monotony of the standard news format, but quenches their desire for the basic facts.

You intentions in writing a provocative teaser are to try to make the reader choose your story over someone else’s, and to spend some time in your story before they leave. On average, readers spend only 20-30 minutes per day consuming news.

Break that down to each section they open, and every page, and the chances of them actually reading your entire story are slim to none at best. Make sure you follow the guidelines below to increase the stretch of time readers spend learning more about your article’s contents.

If your press release allows for a minimal amount of teaser touting, your readership will increase as the audience anxiously awaits your next bit of information. If you overdo it, though, they might view you as someone who doesn’t provide them with professional news quickly enough.

Tantalizing teasers have more to do with how you present your information than what your information actually is. The bad thing is, you don’t really have control over how your ideas are ultimately presented to the audience.

The editor of the publication has full control over that. And he or she will ensure that the publication is uniform in how it delivers its news to the public. Your most valuable source of direction, then, is to get a hold of an actual recent publication, and write your intros in the same format.

This development also has a lot to do with what medium you choose to send your press release to. If it’s the newspaper, chances are, they’ll follow the basic Five W format of leading into a story.

However, if the release is being sent to a local television station, the producers will almost definitely lead with a teaser. They’ll tempt the audience right before a commercial, hoping they don’t change channels in the meantime, and then again once they return from their break, as they dive into the story itself.

One difference between the paper media and print media is the way they promote their stories. In a paper, the headlines are front and center – readily available as the very first thing a reader sees and consumes.

But in a news show on television, the best is saved for last. Time after time, you’ll hear the broadcaster say, “Coming up next,” but next doesn’t happen until 55 minutes into the show. It’s a way to make sure you stick with their channel, and they do it because they can.

A paper makes its money selling advertisements no matter what. Once the paper is sold, it’s a done deal. But a broadcast station has to keep you tuned in for the entire timeslot so that you’ll see their advertiser’s commercials.

Use your teasers sparingly, but effectively, and you’ll find the public has fun with your piece, and might take the action you desire on your product or services. If you feel better sticking with what’s safe, the adhere to the Five W’s, and allow the editor to come up with a more enticing lead.

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Formatting Fundamentals –
Following the Rules of Conformity

Each and every day, you follow certain formatting criteria. Whether you’re jotting down a note to a family member, or sending an email to your boss, you probably follow some general method of placing and styling your words.

Most media departments require their reporters and freelancers to follow particular guidelines for submissions before they will even consider reviewing your work. In fact, most are so eager to ensure that everything stays within their procedures, that they will send you a copy of their guidelines, or a stylebook, for free!

Additionally, most media will send you a sample of their publication for a nominal fee, along with the guidelines. If you look in any Writer’s Market, which includes submission rules for almost every print media in existence, you’ll find that most strongly suggest that you send off for their guidelines, and review a current copy of the publication, before you put your ideas in the mail.

The same holds true for any press release. Even though it is a news item, presumably void of any boasting or advertising mechanisms, each publication will have its own style and tone of writing the news.

A stylebook will answer any questions you have as to the publication’s preferred way of writing. It will tell you if the editor wants the number twelve written in word form, or numbers (12). It will inform you as to whether or not possible compound words are to be combined, or hyphenated.

A stylebook also addresses specific word choice questions that will tell you if the targeted media fancies the word Vietnam or the words Viet Nam. It tackles issues such as capitalization, title specifics, time, dates, and names.

Even if a publication doesn’t have any required formatting guidelines, be sure to adhere to some type of professional style, so that your submission will project a more qualified appearance.

Here are some indispensable rules of conformity that will ensure you have the basics down before you launch your press release campaign into existence:

1) Disclosing the Deliveries

Whether it’s an article or a press release, the media want to be the first to receive and dispense of the news. One very important aspect in delivering your release is to state on the cover whether or not you have simultaneously submitted your information.

No publication wants to print the same item that another one is printing at the same time, or worse, before them. The idea behind the media is to be the first, and be the best. Depending on whom you talk to, you’ll find that normally, it’s perfectly fine to send in your item to more than one publication, as long as you disclose it. That way, you’re giving ample notice to the recipients that they might want to find out if another source has published it first.

The news industry is highly competitive, and as such, you have a responsibility to adhere to their courtesies as well as their formatting principals. Some may insist on being the sole addressee for your item. If so, weigh the options you have, and decide if it’s best to stick to a sole source, or submit it to more than one publication. Whatever you do, do not lie to them and sneak off additional copies to their competitors. If word gets back to the original source, you can count yourself (and the company for which you’re writing), out of any future publishing credentials with that particular media.

If you find that your news item is one that should be submitted to only one source at a time, then prepare a list, in order of importance, of whom you wish to have first dibs on your publishing rights. Once you hear back from each source, feel free to submit it to the next in line.

Sometimes, this may not be practical, if the information is of a timely nature. Always include a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) to each publication, so that you’ll get a response. Not all editors will waste their own materials in getting back to you.

Additionally, some media will be very receptive to the idea of your submitting the story to two different forms of media outlets. Most print publications will be content if you send one copy to the local state paper, and another to the top radio station in your area.

2) Perfect Your Timing

When delivering a press release to the media, it’s very important to ensure your timing is perfect. Not only when the paper or other form of media might have the best use for it, but also what works for your news.

If the company that’s hired you is launching a new website or product on July 31st, don’t wait until that day to send in your press release. Send it in early enough so that the editor has plenty of time to decide if he wants to use the story on the day of, or the day before, the debut. The editor may need time to verify your facts and sources, or simply rewrite certain parts of your press release to conform to their own style and format.

Since you never know what the editor will decide, avoid using terms like “today,” or “tomorrow,” in your submission. Instead, use specific dates, such as March 3. If you’re not sure what the typical lead time is, in other words, how far in advance the editor prefers to have the story in his hands, make a quick call and find out. Most staff members are very familiar with the deadlines and turnaround time the paper needs to develop its stories.

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3) Give Me My Space, Please!

Scientists say that humans need at least three feet of personal space to be at a maximum comfort level. Well, press releases need space, too! It may seem excessive when printed out on paper, but an editor will greatly appreciate it if you format your page so that it allows for double, if not, triple spacing.

When as editor receives your story, reviews it, and decides that he wants to look into it further, he needs to have space on your printed copy to make notes, changes, and additions to your work. Your paperwork will probably be moving between personnel, so it’s a great idea to give them room to work!

Paper quality should be considered as well. Use a standard white 8 ½ - by – 11-inch high quality bond paper. Type your submission in 12-point font, in a style that is easy to read, such as Times New Roman. Print your press release on a desk-jet or laser quality printer for the best appearance.

Position your story a third of the way down the page, after presenting your contact information, headings, and specific dates. Once you begin your main content, make sure you left-justify your work so that the editor has room in the right margin to make further notations, if necessary.

Always maintain at least a one-inch margin on every edge of the paper. If your press release has more than one page, be sure to write “continued,” or “more,” at the bottom of each previous page.

If you do wind up with more than one page, be sure to identify your work on each additional page by writing your last name, and the title of the story in the upper left-hand corner. If you want to, you can also number the pages, beginning on page two of your submission.

When you have more than one page, use more than one page to print on! Never send your work printed on both sides of the paper. And remember, as netiquette rules suggest, never type in all capital letters. It’s considered shouting, and for print work, it makes it difficult to read. Stick to the elementary formatting, and you’ll keep the editor’s eyes happy.

4) Crossing Your “t’s” and Dotting Your “i’s”

Some things to double-check before you submit your work for publication:

5) Wrap It Up!

Formatting doesn’t end with font styles and page settings. Sending in your submission has a rule of its own, and everyone should follow the basic procedure courtesies.

If your press release is more than one page in length, never ever staple your pages together. Either number your pages with proper identification (in case any page gets separated from the others), or use a paper clip to fasten them to one another. A staple is only going to make the editor either rip the pages apart, or go through the hassle of trying to find a staple remover on his already-cluttered desk of unsolicited submissions.

There is no need to send your work in any fancy method. Unless it’s a time-sensitive piece, don’t use overnight carriers that will require personnel-specific signatures. Simply use standard sized packaging, and refrain from writing messages on the outside of the envelope – it either won’t be read, or it will make an unprofessional impression.

Proper formatting is the easiest way to gain the trust of an editor. If everything looks good from first glance, then he or she is going to march forward in giving your document a careful consideration on whether or not they wish to include your work in an upcoming issue.

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Press Release Placement –
Finding the Perfect Medium

Finding the perfect medium for your press release is as simple as figuring out your target market. The good thing about a press release is that it can take many different forms and be sent to a variety of media outlets.

Here, we’ll address the various forms of media, and how they might benefit your organization’s ultimate goals and strategies.

Newspaper

This is the source most people think of when we speak about submitting a press release. It’s the oldest form of communication in civilized societies across the world. Some people think the newspaper is a widely outdated form of communication, and that the number of readers diminishing will ultimately be the downfall of the paper entirely.

There are many different forms of newspapers depending on the region you’re seeking to publish in. If your client is large enough, like IBM or Starbucks, then you have a chance at making national headlines when you have something of importance to say that will affect the country’s readership.

If you are able to send press information to one of the national publications, such as USA Today, or possibly a city-specific paper that has a national following, such as the Washington Post or New York Times, chances are, someone on their staff already has their eye on you. The sooner you form an amicable relationship with one of the staff, the more smoothly your press release will be processed in the news department.

The Associated Press (AP) is the main conglomerate when it comes to media publication. Almost every paper in the country, from large nationwide papers, to small community setups, has a direct link to the AP for the most prominent news available. If the story you’re delivering has local implications, you can look up the AP bureau for your state in the state’s capitol.

However, if your client has impending information that is suitable for national headlines, you can send your press release to AP's General/National Desk or International Desk at Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10020. This news wire feeds 24 hours a day into most news departments around the world, so your item, if applicable to their audience, will be picked up immediately.

Of course, if you only have reason to publish your client’s press in the local paper, by all means, send it to the correct editor of that publication first. Most larger newspapers are now published free online, in addition to their print counterparts, so don’t be disappointed by the statistics that warn of the decline of print journalism. It isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

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Television

Perhaps the most influential of all media sources, television allows its audience to experience news in the most realistic way. When we turn on the TV, a reporter stands in the midst of the scene, allowing us to hear, see, and feel (emotionally) what is going on around him.

His description of the events cannot compare to what our own eyes and ears consume. Thankfully, news shows don’t only have to report on the worst life has to offer. They bring us the news about everything that will directly impact our lives for the better or worse in the timeliest fashion.

Like an editor, a producer will be the one who decides what is newsworthy to his audience. But for a producer, the value doesn’t end there. A producer wants to know if there is live footage he can shoot when the report is brought to the eyes of the public.

Is there any way for him to directly interview one of your contact sources for his show? Even better, can it be an exclusive? News competition is fierce, with some starting their broadcast earlier than others, just to be the first to bring you the information.

Local news is dramatically different from cable news channels. Stations such as CNN, a 24-hour news source headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, that has up-to-the-minute coverage of everything from International terrorism to sports and entertainment, are strong competition for local channels. If your news makes it on CNN, chances are, it’ll be on your local channel later that evening.

Like the newspaper outlet, television stations have current, constantly-updated Internet websites devoted to keeping their customer’s informed at all times. If your press release makes it to the news, then it will also probably be included on their main website as well.

Since the producers are trying to keep their audience tuned in to see their advertisers, the press release introductions they receive will be written in a completely different style than the print form. In a print form, you have to get to the point quickly, in order to maintain your reader’s interest, and keep them tuned into your message.

The opposite is true for a television broadcast. It’s unlikely that any reporter is going to tell you all of the facts in their very first sentence, when they could string you along for the rest of the broadcast.

The producers are much more concerned with the live feed going into your home than they are the actual content, although that, too, is of great importance. A producer’s job is to bring the news to the public in an interesting, aesthetically pleasing method. So he has to concentrate on putting a scene together with your content.

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Internet

The Internet, as we’ve already seen has a tremendous impact on the reach of the media. Not only do traditional media outlets utilize the far-reaching grasp of the Internet to feed their audience on a constant basis, but there are thousands of other Internet-based organizations that provide the public with information without the means of print or video feed.

One good place to start is with each Internet Service Provider (ISP) that you can think of. For instance, when a member signs onto America Online (AOL), the first screen to pop up is an interactive news source. Usually, they tend to concentrate on entertainment, but that all depends on which Service Provider you’re targeting.

MSN.com, for instance, greets its members with the latest interesting news feature. And from there, members can click on the item of choice that interests them, therefore, customizing their news.

More and more sites now offer a running banner of news for their customers, feeding our insatiable appetite for live feeds into the most fascinating aspects of our world.

The Internet not only provides you with a basic format to spread the word of your news, but it allows you to present that information in a variety of ways. Text is almost always accompanied by another means of communication, such as audio or video stream, graphics, or pictures.

This method of media distribution means your viewers will be able to learn more with the click of a button. You can link them back to your website, where it’s a good idea to store a page of recent press release information, or other announcements. Or, provide your viewers a chat or message area so that you can gage the consumer’s reaction to your press release on the spot.

In order to participate at the maximum capacity in the Internet world of news, it’s best if you stay up-to-date on your technology and cater your news to the people who might be viewing it online – educated, white-collar workers who are looking for fast information, with a high-quality feel to it.

If you’re technology-impaired, now is the time to sign up for a class and learn the ins and outs of basic Internet communication. The World Wide Web is a vast source of communication outlets that lets you reach an unlimited audience within seconds.

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Magazines

Magazines, like any other media outlet, have their own rules and guidelines for submission, and they cringe whenever you embark on a path that deviates from their cause.
If you’re a public relations official, you’re probably used to creating a basic press release in a effort to notify the editor of your news, and let him take it from there. However, submitting your information to a magazine is more like crafting an article as an outsider.

With a press release, you’re probably targeting a trade magazine – some specific publication that caters to a specialized topic of interest. For instance, if your client is about to launch a new convertible solar powered car, you’ll want to send it to an automobile trade magazine, not Woman’s Weekly.

When you make the decision to submit to a magazine of any kind, go out and purchase the writer’s must-have guide – the Writer’s Market. This book is updated each year to contain almost every listing you can imagine for publishers, agents, and your target – magazines.

Each year, the magazines receive a questionnaire from Writer’s Market, which they then complete and return to the book’s publishers. At press time, the magazines are divided into categories such as Women’s, Trade, Romance, Mystery, etc. You simply flip to the genre of your choice, and there it will tell you all of the guidelines to follow when submitting your information.

Since magazines are looking for articles, it’s great if you can simply query them with an already-completed article about the new product or service your client is offering. Like newspapers, a magazine won’t be interested in an advertisement that reads, “Try the best face cream ever invented!” They have an ad department for this type of content, and they charge heavily for it.

Instead, approach it as a consumer-informative document. Do some research, compare it to the other products, but don’t lie about the results. The magazine probably has a fact-checking department that will call your bluff if you provide false information, and they may even include you in a negative article if you try anything tricky.

The most important thing to remember when approaching a magazine is know your target! Do not write them a stuffy business-like article if they speak in slang and poke fun of society. Request a back issue, or study their current publication to get a feel for their tone and style.

Then, make sure your idea hasn’t been done before – or least, recently. If your organization is doing something beneficial for the community, such as building a home for a family who lost everything, angle your story around a person who is organizing the campaign, and send it in as a human-interest piece.

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Radio

Radio is a great way for your company to get a short mention or blurb in the community. It is not, however, the most effective way to reach your audience. Too many people change the station when the music stops, and the radio DJ’s have to keep up a fast pace, so they don’t have time to waste on one subject in particular.

Normally, it’s easier to purchase radio space as an ad, rather than try to get a quick mention from the producer on your news. However, if it’s an event that your company is sponsoring, it is a great idea to approach the station in an attempt to have them co-sponsor it.

If your company is having a fundraiser for the needy, and will have live bands and food, with family generated activities, many radio stations would love to be onsite, reporting directly from the event in an effort to interact with the community.

They gain from those situations, too, since their staff will be on hand mingling with the audience and giving away bumper stickers and t-shirts. You’ll benefit because their listeners will know of your event prior to it happening, and many will attend just to be a part of the station’s activities and giveaways.

The perfect medium is whatever your target audience enjoys most, and what they spend the most time on. If you’re seeking to target affluent individuals who are community-conscious, then the newspaper is a great way to reach them.

If the blue-collar worker might generate a more pro-active approach in benefiting from your piece, then the radio is a perfect way to interact with that sector of the community. Everyone has different methods of communicating.

No matter what, investigate the possibility of distributing your news to as many different outlets as you can. The more people you reach, the higher the chances of success are for whatever event or product you’re touting.

Bear in mind that not every producer or editor will see the significance in delivering your information to his or her audience. Therefore, before you present your items to them, develop it with that particular medium in mind.

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Manipulating the Media –
Channeling Your Document to Particular Personnel

Imagine you’re sitting at your editor’s desk, wearing your editor’s hat, dreading the trip through the onslaught of unsolicited materials, including press releases from all four corners of the world. Now, you know the competition is fierce for a spot in your publication, and you hate the thought of having to pick and choose.

Not hardly. A real editor has the ability to swiftly peruse his stack of incoming mail, rapidly discarding anything that doesn’t fit the general criteria he looks for in a newsworthy item.

Eventually, the pile of crumpled papers surrounding the trash bin outnumbers the one on his desk, and he smiles with pleasure at the thought of being almost finished, nary a thought in his mind about the poor schmuck who worked day and night on his press release in the hopes that his idea would be printed in today’s edition.

The editor is human, regardless of the rumors that say otherwise, and he appreciates hard work and dedication similar to the ethics he puts into his own work. Therefore, when he opens up your letter and sees it addressed to Joe Smith, the editor whose job he took eight months ago, he’s not happy with you from the beginning.

His eyes will roll, and he may guffaw at the lack of research you’ve done in seeing who to address your press release to. But more importantly, he’s going to attach a label of “sloppy” to your work, because he’s wondering – “If this person can’t even get my name right, which appears on the masthead of yesterday’s edition, how can I trust that he’s taken the time to verify his facts and source credentials?”

He can’t. So off you fly, crumpled in a ball the size of a small apple, rebounding off the wall of his office, directly into the trash bin. And don’t reserve any hope that your paper might miss the bin, and wind up on the floor, so that he might later rethink his hasty decision and revisit your work. It’s not going to happen.

Newspapers are perhaps the easiest source to research when sending your press release in for publication. Open up the latest edition, and somewhere in a long, vertical stream, are the most prominent contacts you’ll need when you fill out the envelope to send your news.

If, perchance, the masthead has been ripped from the rest of the paper, a simple phone call to the main number will result in a speedy delivery of the proper name and address to send your press release.

But before you hang up with the paper, get the correct spelling of your contact’s name. And if it’s Sam, Chris, Alex, or some other gender-neutral name, make sure you know if the person is male or female, in case your cover needs to be addressed to Mr. or Ms.

For a newspaper, you’ll either be asked to send your press release to a department, in which case you won’t have a specific person to target. Or, there will be one or more staff members assigned with the duty of receiving and processing your press release.

When you send in your item to the correct personnel, refrain from calling him to see if he got your letter, or whether or not he thinks they might use it in the next edition. If he works at a paper, chances are, he’s busy all of the time, so your call will not endear you to him, but rather, make him intolerant of you. He’ll be more impressed if you control your urge to contact him and harass him about your document.

Also, don’t send in more than one version of your document to the publication. This means two things:

1) Don’t rewrite a “better” version and mail several samples to the paper. And,
2) Don’t send your submission in five different ways, by hand delivering it, emailing it, snail mailing it, faxing it, and calling it in. Pick one method of delivery and stay with it.

When you address your press release to specific personnel, it’s important to check for the following:

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When you look at the masthead of a publication, don’t just pull a name from the top of the list and send your press release to the most important looking person. If you do this, you run the risk of either having your document thrown away immediately, or being sent to the lowest assistant on the staff for further review. That person likely won’t have the experience you want to be handling your information.

Find out which person handles those items first. Be specific. Don’t just address your letter to “Editor.” There are probably several different editors at the publication, so this isn’t enough of a distinction.

For example, a publication might have a features editor, health editor, entertainment editor, and associate editor who fields unsolicited submissions. Call the editorial department and ask the person who answers the phone “Which editor handles (x topic)?”

Make sure they know you’re not out to speak to that editor, as they’ve been well trained to screen your call. Instead, let them know you only need it for submission purposes.

Have them spell out the name, no matter how simple it may sound. “Susie” can also be spelled “Suzi,” while “Mellisa” can be spelled “Melissa.” There are too many variations nowadays for you to take a chance that your preference is the right one. Spelling clarifies this, and keeps you from the fearful trash fate.

Make sure the publication’s name and address is correct as well. These are always changing hands, so make sure the office you’re sending your submission to is the one that handles your intended target publication. Some companies own more than one major publication, so make sure you specify which publication you want to reach before you send it.

Find out how they prefer to hear from you. Some publications require a printed copy of your work for consideration. Others, a quick email to the appropriate staff. And still others want it on a disk sent to their office for review. Make your document readily available in all formats, and send it in accordingly.

You wouldn’t believe the quality of content editors receive in the pile of press releases sitting in their in-box every day. It’s baffling to think that someone actually submits a press release without taking the time to run a quick spell-check on it before presenting it for publication.

Many spell checkers miss certain errors, though, so it’s ultimately up to you to ensure the proper spelling, word selection, and verbiage are used throughout the piece. For instance, you might have typed:

“The reign poured of the roof and into the flowerbed below.”

When you really meant to say:

“The rain poured off the roof and into the flowerbed below.”

Some other common mistakes are “there” versus “their,” and “for” versus “four.” Always check your spelling and word choice before sending in your document.

In television, there isn’t a readily available masthead for you to submit your piece, as there is in a newspaper or magazine. What you do, don’t send in your press release to the broadcast journalist who actually sits behind the desk and reads the news.

He or she will not open your letter on the air and read your information to the public. They have a system you must go through, and if you make the cut, you can watch in amazement as he or she tells the public all about your news.

In this case, you’ll have to phone the station to find out what the proper channels of submission are. You may be able to find out through their website, but a phone call will be more effective.

The Internet outlets will more than likely have an email contact for you to send your news. It may be a specific contact, or a general web master, depending on the site, but a quick search on the site should put you in the right direction.

Some websites, such as www.Internetnews.com, provide up to the minute information with an easy way of finding who to submit your news to. The page is set up so that you can tailor your news around the subjects you’re interested in.

Want to know what’s going on in the Business World? They have a link to it. International News? Click the link to find out more. And best of all, they have a staff page, brimming with links and titles of the most current members of their team, who are just waiting to hear from you.

Now, the links to each staff member’s email don’t specify who handles press releases, but it makes it very easy to contact an assistant and request the information. And if you don’t hear back in a timely manner, then try contacting another person – just don’t email them all at one time with a copy of your press release.

Remember, they probably work in the same vicinity, and if they compare notes, you might end up blacklisted from further consideration. This doesn’t happen often, but if you become a pest, or are over-zealous about your work to the point that you’re interfering with their work, you might find yourself the outcast of media contacts.

When you send in your press release to the proper personnel, always include a cover letter. Make your proposal brief and clear. Be sure to let the editor or other staff member know when the information is supposed to be used – normally, you should print “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” somewhere on the document itself so that they know it’s ready for print.

In your cover letter, quickly sketch out your reason for sending the document to the editor. Tell him why it’s new information, timely, and pertinent to his audience. If you have any statistics, keep them simple, but utilize them to your advantage.

When you write your press release, conclude it by typing “-30-” at the bottom of the document. This standard news protocol will show the editor that you are familiar with their procedures, and offer a bit of credibility to your submission.

The best thing to do when submitting your document for possible publication is to pick up the phone and make a quick call for verification. Yes, it might be a long-distance charge. But isn’t it worth it if it garners your clients a space in the next day’s edition?

Most people in the decision-making position have been exactly where you’re at now. They’ve had to do the legwork in order to find the right contacts, the right audience, and the right medium for their work. And having gone through those trials and tribulations, they aren’t willing to let you get off easy by ignoring the proper Journalistic etiquette.

Show them that you care about the subject matter you’re proposing by doing your homework and submitting it, not only to the right personnel, but in the right format as well. Your effort will not go un-rewarded, especially if you bear in mind all of the other submissions that will be emptied out with the trash at the end of the day for not following proper guidelines.

Once you establish yourself as a credible writer with your local media contacts, they’ll be readily available to you and will probably approach you for future information about any upcoming events having to do with your client.

Make sure they have your business card, and keep them updated frequently on upcoming news you think they might want to cover. If you happen to form an alliance with one media contact in particular, offer exclusive coverage to that publication. This will be looked upon as very favorable in their eyes, as you’ve allowed them access to information no other competitor will have.

In the end, be persistent yet polite while dealing with your media contacts. Don’t be put off if someone answers the phone in a grumpy mood. The news business is a very hectic profession, filled with deadlines and trying to outdo one another.

Be understanding and patient when dealing with your contacts, and offer them a friendly shoulder to deal with every chance you get. That way, when they answer the phone and find out it’s you, they’ll breath a sigh of relief and take the time to address your questions and concerns.

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Noteworthy News –
How to Keep Track of Your Submissions and Publications

Congratulations! You’ve learned how to write, direct, and distribute your press release for maximum exposure in any medium you see fit. What comes next? Well, in order to see how effective your press release campaign has been, you have to monitor the market for your message.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to pull out your phone list and dial up every editor or staff member to whom you submitted the document. There are two simple ways for you to oversee your campaign without resorting to bothering your contacts. After all, you may need them again in the very near future, so you want to stay on friendly terms.

The first way you can keep tabs on your news is to do it yourself. Watch every program, pick up every edition of each publication, and listen to the radio at all times. Not very feasible?

Maybe if you only have one or two outlets, but if you distributed your press release to more than one media contact, and even worse, more than one type of media, you have a problem if you intend to try to monitor all of those avenues single-handedly.

Your client will be checking with you shortly after you distribute the release to see what the results have been. If you want to keep working for them, you’ll need to show how effective you’ve been in garnering their company or organization a piece of the media pie.

If you do have the luxury of only monitoring one target, you’ll still have to work hard to make sure you catch any mention of your work in their publication. It might be easy to monitor a written publication, but if you sent your release to a radio or television station, it’s virtually impossible to listen 100% of the time.

Therefore, the best option you have in keeping track of your press release is to hire someone to do it for you. There are hundreds of services that do nothing but watch, listen, and read the media reports for any remote mention of your company or organization.

Yes, it costs money. But actually, it’s a nominal fee when you compare the cost of tuning in 24 hours a day, or worse, losing your client because you couldn’t prove how beneficial you’ve been in obtaining press space for their needs.

Some clipping services specialize in local area coverage. For instance, www.gnusman.com caters to those who want to monitor Santa Barbara subscription-based media publications. They provide their clients with a mailed or faxed clipping packet every Monday and Thursday that contains all of the clips within your target subject matter. Their subjects include:

• City and/or County Government News
• Environmental News
• Marine News
• Oil & Gas News
• Water News
• Court and Crime News
• Education News
• Local political races
• Custom

Many cities around the country have a personalized clipping service (or more) at their disposal. The subject headings may change, but the point is, you have access to local clips regarding your information.

What does something like this cost? Gnusman.com has a monthly fee that ranges from $50 to $85 per month. Not bad for complete coverage of the entire Santa Monica area, including Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo County newspapers.

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But what if your news reaches beyond the scope of your local clipping service? Well, there are options for everyone. And they’re all as close as your personal computer. Some of the most prominent clipping services are:

While the releases are segmented into seven industries on the public site, they are not further divided into the news category headings that you are able to select in your profile. IndustryTrak stores your news for 30 days.

Almost every clipping service varies when it comes to their rates. No two sites are alike, but be forewarned that it will cost more to monitor major publications than it will to oversee your own backyard media.

Another important reason to use clipping services is because they provide you with any mention of your competitors. Having up-to-date information on your competition is paramount in any industry. You need to know if one of their products is about to be launched head-to-head against yours.

Clipping services provide a more thorough account of all of your media coverage than you could ever hope for. They keep a watch on newspapers, magazines, radio, television, Internet, Usenet, Trade Journals, and everything in between.

Paying for the privilege of having targeted news delivered to your in-box every morning, or several times a week, will pay off in the long run, because you’ll reap the rewards immediately by seeing how effective your press release campaign was in garnering your client the attention and coverage they hired you to get them.

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Another way you’ll know if your campaign was successful is when the phone starts ringing off the hook. Reporters will be calling because they saw the information somewhere else, but now they want to do a story on your client or company.

It’s a pleasure to form a working relationship with the media, once you master their methods of interaction and communication. It sometimes gets a bad rap, as editors and writers face off as opponents in the writing process.

But in reality, the two of you are working together to do one thing – get your message out. You have news that needs to be heard. The editor has an audience that wants to hear some news. Work together to make it happen.

You do your part by developing the idea, the story, and the meaty details of the content. The editor will do his part by spicing it up in a way the public is used to seeing – he’ll throw in a splashing headline to turn heads in the audience.

The media is not a one-way production company. They rely on you and your clients to provide them with the very news that sells their papers, and pays their salaries. It’s not that they’re seeking to deny your submission.

They’d like nothing better than to have a stack piled to the ceiling of news they could run with without revisions. But that’s not the case, and so they suffer burnout when it comes times to review the onslaught of unsolicited news sitting staring them in the eye.

Take pity on your editor and cater to his ego and his mindset. Empathize with him when he growls at you for not following his guidelines. Don’t argue with him about the policies of the paper. He has no time to change policies in mid-stream, he’s just concerned with making it by his two o’clock deadline later that afternoon.

Use the Golden Rule when dealing with the hurried news personnel on the other end of the phone. No matter how they treat you when you call to verify a contact name, inquire about the stylebook, or ask a question they’ve already been asked 2,000 times that day, treat them with respect and kindness, and they will appreciate it and return the favor.

Your most important weapon against lessening your chances of being published is knowing your target.

Never be intimidated by the prospect of developing and distributing a press release. The worst thing that ca happen is you don’t get published. If that’s the case, try your news from another angle.

Revisit your publication target and learn even more. Talk to others who have made it, and find out what tactics they use in communicating with the same media contacts. Network your skills, your availability, and your know-how.

Develop a credible reputation with your media, and you’ll have your foot in the door to one of the most powerful communication tools mankind has ever seen. Once there, maximize your message, and keep in tune with the audience and the editors.

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