Top tips for effective press releases - pt 3
Thursday, 21 May 2009 15:55
Here are a few more ideas to help you get into the media...
6. Keep it short
Whether you're distributing your press release by email or by hard copies in the post, keep it short. Long press releases are off-putting. For an email, 500 words or less is fine; 300 would be even better. For a printed press release, keep it to one side of A4 if possible. If not, stick to two pages at most, but continue on the back of one sheet rather than using a separate sheet. The simpler the better.
If emailing, you can always include links to where more information can be found, or if posting hard copies, add in website references where editors can quickly find the same information.
7. Prioritise email
Most editors prefer emails rather than physical press releases, so get hold of email addresses wherever possible. For one thing, editors can easily copy and paste your text into their word processing file to edit it, rather than having to write out from scratch what you have written on paper. It speeds their job up. Also, digital photos you attach to your email can be used straight away without the time and hassle of scanning prints or transparencies. And for yourself, emailing is much less time consuming and cheaper.
One email can be copied to a long list of editors at one go. Posting hundreds of copies out requires a long printing or photocopying process, plus stuffing envelopes, typing labels, going to the Post Office, etc. However, when emailing, it's better if you personalise emails and send them one by one to a named editor, rather than just saying 'Dear Editor' and having a long list of other email addresses in the Cc field (or at least use BCc - blind copies - so recipients can't see all their competitors that you are sending it to).
8. Position yourself as 'the expert'
Finally, if you're struggling to come up with a good story for a press release, there is another way of approaching PR. Write about yourself as an expert, offering your expertise to publications, radio stations or TV producers. If you can position yourself as an expert in your field, then you could be called upon to comment, whenever a news story breaks that is relevant to your type of business, charity or mission.
If you're a marriage guidance counsellor, send out a press release offering yourself as a free interviewee or commentator during National Marriage Week or around Valentine's Day. If you lead a drug rehabilitation ministry, send a press release to the local and regional newspapers offering yourself as a contributor whenever there's a news story about drug problems.