News releases (also called press releases) are an important
part of a public relations campaign. They are also an
important part of marketing your business. They are the
primary means of "selling" your story to the media. All press
releases are structured the same way. Make sure you
answer "yes" to these key questions when writing your next
press release:
Is it easy to read?
Editors look at hundreds of press releases every day, and
if your news release is difficult to read, they will throw it
out. It should be on plain white paper and printed in black
ink. The main body of the release should be double-spaced and
have at least a one inch margin all around the edges.
Your letterhead should appear at the top of the first page
to establish your identity.
Have you double-checked your spelling and grammar?
A good press release has no typographical or grammatical
errors. If yours contains such errors you'll lose credibility;
it will have the same effect as a badly written business
letter or resume. The release should be typed. Print out (or
type out) a fresh copy for each person to whom you will send
it. Do not send out poor-quality photocopies with dark staple
marks or blotches.
Did you include the six news elements?
Because all news articles include six basic elements-who,
what, when, where, why, and how - your press release should
also follow the same guidelines. Put the most important facts
in the lead paragraph, with the facts decreasing in importance
as you go down the page. Why? Suppose you send a press release
to an editor who has five inches of space open in the
newspaper and your release runs eight inches long. Ideally,
the editor would trim your press release from the bottom.
Therefore, to make sure the most important information gets
run, put the less important information at the bottom.
Did you include a contact source?
In the top, right-hand corner of the first page, directly
beneath your company name, there should be a line that states,
"For further information, contact." A name and telephone
number should follow. The editor must have somebody in your
business to call to answer questions or to be interviewed
about your news item. If you can only be reached during
certain hours, specify them.
Have you included a dateline?
The best press releases have a dateline with the city in
which the business is based and the date the release is
written. Every press release needs a dateline so that the
editor can tell when it was mailed. Nobody wants to cover an
old story that has lost its timeliness.
The other morning during my favorite radio talk show they
mentioned this guy who wrote a book about selling water beds
which was coming out next week. How you do think this guy got
the radio stations to talk about this....you got it - a press
release or a publicist who sent a press release.
Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2002
Interested in having your own successful, home based
creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have
been helping folks start successful home based businesses for
over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit
http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE
tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative
real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to
visit the site? Subscribe to our "how to" Home Business
Solutions Digest, it's like having your own personal coach:
mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com
.gif)
