Top tips for effective press releases - pt 2
Monday, 18 May 2009 10:21
Continuing my top five tips on getting your organisation coverage in the media, here are three more key points...
3. Have an attention-grabbing headline
The most important part of your press release is the headline, because you only have a few seconds to grab the interest of an editor or producer.
As he rips open the pile of post with a waste bin at his side, or she scrolls through her bulging inbox with her finger hovering over the delete key, you need to make sure your press release gets read! The headline is the first thing editors read, and it must make them want to read more. So it needs to be...
- Bold and brassy - it needs to stand out from all the rest. So be imaginative and creative. Highlight the most relevant, most unusual, most interesting or most humorous aspect of your story (and preferably all four!).
- Clear and simple. Keep it to a single point - the main point of your story. Short, sharp and snappy is best.
- Unabashed. Don't be shy about saying how great you are, or your product, service or mission is. The whole idea is to promote yourself or your organisation, and that means being unafraid to blow your own trumpet. But don't be tempted to exaggerate - you will only disappoint the editor when he/she reads the rest of your copy and finds the headline didn't reflect the real content, and that will turn them off using your story.
- Relevant - in both content and style. Write it in a similar style to the headlines of the publication you're targeting. The reason those headlines are as they are is because that's the way the editor of that publication likes it! So using the same style will help the editor to like your headline too. Also, make sure the headline is relevant in content to the publication's target audience. It's no use making your whole story relevant and then having a headline which fails to reflect that.
4. Add personal interest
Make sure you include quotations from people involved. This makes your content feel real, because a real person is endorsing it. Keep them short - just a few sentences - and make sure you explain who this person is by always adding their job title or what role they have.
People like to read about people - the celebrity culture we live in is testimony to that - so add an example of how what you are seeking to promote has helped someone or made a difference in their life or work.
5. Attach a great photo
Editors of magazines and newspapers always want the option of a photo they could use if they want to, and the better your photo the better chance you have of them using it and your story.
Also, if you get them to use your photo, your story has a better chance of being read in the newspaper or magazine, because photos attract the eye as much as headlines, if not more. So it really is worth getting some professional shots done, whether just portraits of the individuals your story is about, or even better, action shots of those people actually doing something that is relevant to the story.
Unless you are a talented photographer yourself, or have someone on staff who is, it's always a good idea to pay a professional to do the job. And the best professionals for a press release you are trying to get into print media or even on a website is a freelance press photographer. They make their living by getting their photos published in the media, so get them to do it and get their advice on what to do.
Even if you are trying to get radio or TV coverage rather than getting your press release into print, a good photo will always help attract the editor to your story.
I'm feeling generous, so I'll share with you a couple more tips - if you 'tune in' next week!