SolveYourProblem
eMarketing Series: Press Releases
How To Write A Press Release
That Blows Away
Editors & The Competition
( 30 pages )
Why
Editors & Publishers Accept or 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.
