Public Relations: What is Included in a Press Release?

Although consumers might appreciate your company’s “great prices, great selection, and great service,” reporters find it boring. Think about it…where is the “story” in those phrases? Your publicity goals are better served by mentioning how a specific product you carry solves a problem for consumers. For example, if you are a physician who ONLY makes house calls, well that’s a novelty in today’s market. If you must focus on service, find the “story” in the service component.

2) Hype and The Hard Sell

Stay away from promotional hype. Also avoid using words like free and secret as they are mostly used by spammers and businesses promoting to consumers and infomercial marketers. If you’re writing to a reporter using email, filters will screen out your press release. Consider your audience carefully. Are you sending your press release to consumers? No. You’re trying to get the attention of a smart reporter. Don’t play games. Tell them what’s different or exciting about your product or service without all the hype and teasers.

3) Green and Giving

Is “green” still the new black? Does giving back get you anywhere? In today’s business environment most companies are giving a portion of their profits to charity, or are in some way going “green” by monitoring their carbon footprint. Stating that your company is giving back to the community is not going to guarantee you press coverage. It’s fine to mention something about charitable contributions at the end of your release, but it’s not a strong enough angle for a “stand alone” press release.

4) Trends

Ignore trends and you’re sunk. Reporters are in the business of reporting change. Part of your job as a business owner and publicist is monitoring shifts in business and service trends. What if you’re a company selling bedding and you notice a run on heavy quilts. Can you connect that to an increase in oil prices and consumers figuring they will need to keep their thermostats lower this winter? Customer feedback (used with permission) can often yield valuable trend information. Reporters working at daily newspapers actually welcome information citing real-time consumer trends.

5) Ignoring the Power of Pictures

Pictures still tell stories. Do you have a picture that says 1,000 words? Some products and services lend themselves to using images as much as words. The sand artist who builds exact replicas of castles along shorelines needs to have photographs of his work handy, and in various resolutions and file formats, that can be emailed to reporters instantly. You never want to say to a reporter, “I’ll send you something in a couple of days.” Send it the minute you get off the phone with them.

Lisa King is an editor and writer for the Xpress Press News Service. For more information visit this website

Article Source

Tags: public, relations, communications, corporate, manager