A Press release should engage, not enrage

Producing great press releases is not just about the language you use, or even how elegant your writing style is.

Of course, the structure and content of a release are important. That’s something I emphasise in my book, The Upside Down Guide to writing for the Press. Understanding what constitutes news, placing it as high as possible in the story and using the 6 “Ws” to check you have covered the salient points are vital ingredients in any successful story.

But, identifying who your message is intended for and how you are going to get it to them plays just as big a part in success or failure. A release that does not get published has failed, irrespective of how beautifully written it might be.

So, assuming a release covers the essentials – the right message, structure and content – what else can you do to make sure it generates lots of publicity?

1. Look out of the window; not in the mirror.

Getting key players like your Managing Director and sales manager to approve your release is obviously important. However, make sure that they are looking out of the window, not in the mirror. The big,wide world is where you will find the audience that really matters; your customers and potential customers. They are the people your message must be aimed at, not your your internal audience.

Unless they form part of a direct quotation, pronouns like “we” and “us” should not play any part in your release. You are writing a news story not an alternative form of advertisement designed to massage your Managing Director’s ego.

2. Know your target publications

Let’s assume that your release ticks all the right boxes and you have a pretty clear idea who your target audiences are. The next step is to identify the magazines and other media that will give you the best chance of reaching them.

Invest some time in this; try to get a good feel for which magazines accept PR material and how they use it. Define the selection criteria your are going to use to compile a distribution list and then be ruthless in applying them. You can do this by googling the appropriate titles and compiling your own list, or you can retain an agency to do it for a fee.

3. Enraging – not engaging

Resist the temptation to add peripheral journals on the off-chance that they might have an interest in what you have to say.

These days, anyone can distribute press releases simply by pressing a button. Because it’s so easy,many can’t resist firing their releases in every possible direction in the hope that someone, somewhere is bound to pick them up. That makes as much sense as firing a shotgun into a clear blue sky and hoping to hit something.

Nothing gets an editor’s goat quite as much as being swamped with irrelevant press releases. Generally, editors are extremely busy people with neither the  time nor inclination to wade through irrelevant dross in the hope of discovering a gem.Unless something is obviously relevant to their publication, it ends up in the trash can. Persistent offenders eventually find their releases being treated as Spam.

Other things that make editors see red include undated press releases and people who badger them to see if their release will be printed. If you want to stay on the right side of the Press,  follow these simple rules and you won’t go too far wrong:

1. Ensure you understand exactly what each publication specialises in
2. Tailor the release as much as possible to the readership of the publication.
3. Date the release and make sure contact information, including names, relevant telephone numbers and e-mail addresses, is clearly identified.
4. Ensure that the writer and anyone quoted in the story is available to field questions and requests for further information.
5. NEVER send any publication material that is irrelevant to its readership on the off chance that they might use it.
6. Don’t badger the editor or journalist to try to get them to print your story.

For more tips on writing, check out my website and my blog. You can also download my eBook The Upside Down Guide to writing for the Press on Bookboon.