Thanks to @RachaelBlogs from Twitter for this week's blog on Undertaking your own PR Campaign
No one knows your business like you do and that makes you the perfect person to undertake your PR campaign.
Getting publicity is fun but remember at the end of the day it’s there to do one thing and that’s to achieve your objective. It’s great to see your name in print or be the one they come to when they need that all important quote but if it doesn’t get you more clients, make more money or raise awareness of your business then it’s a waste of time.
There are multiple ways you use public relations to get your message out but as press releases are still one of the most popular ways of getting your message in front of journalists and editors here are some top tips for writing an effective press release…
Create a headline...
That makes the reader sit up and take notice. Keep it short, active and descriptive.
Be Newsworthy and Creative…
Do you think your local paper cares that you’ve launched a website? Or that you’ve hired a new member of staff? Of course they don’t. But think of putting a creative slant on it, is your new team member doing something fun for charity, does your website have a function local people can use etc. if you can’t think of a decent news angle flick through the newspapers and see if you can tie in your story to an existing event. Whatever you do, make sure you make it interesting.
Know your publication…
This is vital, please get to know the newspaper or magazine to which you are sending your release and tailor it to suit that audience. As a journalist there really is nothing worse than wasting your time reading poorly targeted releases.
Put the most important information at the beginning...
The reporter should be able to tell what the release is about within the first two paragraphs.
Remember to use the ‘who, what, where, when, why and how’ structure.
Avoid hype and keep it real...
Your press release is not designed to be a sales pitch. If you submit a sales pitch the journalist will sniff this out instantly and you won’t get any further than the delete button.
Be creative; think of a newsworthy reason for your release.
Get to the point...
Use language that’s going to get your reader excited about you and your news. Don’t waffle, get to the point and give the reader what they want to know.
The one page rule
Writing a release doesn’t have to be an essay, in fact if you have to write more than one page then you are not getting to the point.
Contact person...
Never forget to include details of a person that a journalist can contact. You never know when they’re going to contact so make sure the nominated person is always ready and accessible. Journalists don’t have time to keep chasing you for quotes or facts so ensure that you know your stuff.
No jargon...
You may understand what you’re saying when you use jargon but your reader and the readers of the publication you are targeting may not. If you are aiming at consumer press stay away from all jargon. If you’re targeting specialist and business to business press it is acceptable to use jargon and technical terms but do keep these to a minimum.
Don’t just say it, show it...
Try to avoid just saying something is unique or the best instead push home the benefits of what you’re saying for example will save money, will save time, make life easier, etc
Be specific and add details...
Your audience needs to be able to know how your product or service works. It is far better to use too many details than too few. It is a fine line between waffling and giving the correct amount of information so ask someone unfamiliar with your business to read through and describe what you’re trying to say.
PROOFREAD and PROOFREAD again...
Don’t just trust your word processing program to catch the mistakes. Read and re-read to make sure that not only are your spelling and grammar perfect but your sentences make sense.
Use your blog!!
Blogs are a great way of getting your message out; journalists are now turning to bloggers to provide them with interesting stories so make full use of your blog and ensure you update it on a regular basis.
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