SolveYourProblem eMarketing Series:
How To Write A Press Release
That Blows Away
Editors & The Competition
( 30 pages )

 

 

Marketing to the Media Mindset –
An Overview of Why They Accept and Deny Your Submissions

Submitting your well-crafted press release is a bit like standing behind the red velvet rope, hoping you have what it takes to make it past the doorman and gain admittance into an “A” list event. The competition is fierce, with only the best of the best making it to the editor’s desk, much less into the hands of the public.

So how can you rise above all others and make your press release gleam in the eyes of the publisher? All you need is a dash of researching skills, a pinch of creative talent, and a sprinkle of media insight, and you’ve whipped up a blue ribbon recipe for a results-oriented press release.

The media mindset is a very powerful entity. What filters through the desk of an editor to the pulse of America is whatever he or she deems newsworthy. Scandals. Tragedies. Triumphs. From international terrorism to Cousin Cathy’s canine hero, the media hold all the cards when it comes to what we do and do not know.

They also decide, to a certain degree, the influence each story has on the public by the size of space they assign to it. Readers are obviously going to focus on a half-size, front-page feature article more than they will a 10-line blurb buried in the back of the local section. Placement is crucial because it determines how close your news will get to the reader’s eyes.

Fortunately, news sells. So garnering attention for your press release will be a little like a sales pitch, without the blatant advertising. Sound impossible? Not when you consider how the media mindset operates.

News is, perhaps, the most rapidly changing industry in existence. One minute, a world leader is an internationally respected figure, and in seconds, CNN or some other 24-hour news circuit has leveled his career with devastating “just released” information. The power they wield is most definitely a force with which to be reckoned.

Editors are faced with a stack of news items every day, with only a limited space to position them. The submissions on their desks rank in order of importance, and from that list, comes the height and width of your column. In order to have a larger piece of the pie, you need to make sure your press release is unique, timely, and important to their audience.

Depending on the relevance of your information, some editors may take the time to rework your release into a suitable style and format for their publication. Don’t give them any reason to choose someone else’s press release over yours.

Space is valuable, whether it’s in the form of print, time on the radio or television. If you want to advertise your product or services, you’ll have to pay a hefty price. This is where the importance of creating an unbiased press release enters. Editors will decide if they want to allow your item free space, in the form of a news story, or if they’ll reject it, and make you purchase an ad block instead.

There are certain rules to play by when dealing with your media contacts. Courtesies and common sense both play an important role in how they view your news. And don’t forget to take into consideration the local tone and flavor of your own community’s press.