The Press Release: Your Ticket to Free Publicity

Press releases are an amazing way to promote your business...if you go about them the right way. A common mistake is thinking that a press release is a page-long "rah rah" advertisement-it's not. And it shouldn't tell the whole story about your company. Instead, a press release is a sort of tease to the media-you want to give out just enough information to interest a journalist and have them write an in-depth story about you. And if they're not going to write a story, then at least publish your press release "as is" in their newspaper or magazine.

A common mistake many business owners make is to write a press release with their customers in mind. Unlike advertising, which is meant to appeal to your customers, a press release is written to appeal to a journalist. A journalist isn't out to buy your product-they are looking to fill a genuine need for news. So when writing a press release, you must consider why a publication's reader would care about you and your business.

Another common mistake is submitting a press release to the wrong type of publication. Always read a few issues of the magazine or paper where you'd like to send your press release. Yes, this can seem time-consuming, but by doing a little homework beforehand, you are increasing the odds that your press release will be met with interest and followed up on. By understanding the needs of a certain publication, you can target your press release to answer these needs and therefore get a much better response from interested journalists.

Journalists are very busy-they are inundated with hundreds of press releases each week and need to weed through many poorly-written and poorly-targeted pieces to find even one topic of interest for their readers. The trick is to prepare your press release in such a way that they want to write about your company in their next issue.

You can also up the odds of success with your press release by making sure that you're sending it out to the right person at any given publication. Do a little web research or pick up the phone and call to find out who handles your subject matter. This could be the business editor, the lifestyles editor or the bureau chief, depending on what your company does. Releases that are sent to the wrong person are usually thrown away-don't assume that a journalist will forward your piece on to the right person, as they are too busy to bother.

Now that you know what not to do, it's time to create a press release that gets results.

The first thing to consider is whether or not your company or event is even newsworthy in the first place. The purpose of a press release is to inform the world about a perticular news item-it's not intended to make a sale. A good time to issue a press release would be for an official announcement, such as when a major accomplished has occurred, or a new service is available, or if you're going to have an open house, tour or award ceremony. Remember, just because something is important to you, doesn't mean the rest of the world will feel the same way.

The big newspaper in town might not be interested in your story if it seems too industry-specific and won't appeal to the general public. In this case, send your press release to appropriate trade journals and newsletters in your field. This specialized type of publication is looking for just that type of information for its readers. There's nothing wrong with reaching a smaller audience if that audience is made up of a large number of your target market. You won't have as many readers seeing your piece, but these are readers who will actually buy what you have to offer.

Learning all the "hows and whys" to writing a press release makes the actual process of writing the release easy by comparison. There are seven basic elements that every press release should have in terms of content and appearance:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: This should appear in the upper left-hand corner, just under your letterhead, in capitals.

Contact Information: Space down a couple of lines and list the name, title, telephone and fax numbers of your company contact person.

Headline: Space down another couple of lines and write your headline using a bold type face.

Dateline: This is the name of the city where your press release is issued from and the date you are sending the press release.

Lead paragraph: This is what grabs the journalist's attention and should contain the key elements of your story-who, what, where, when, why and how.

Body Text: The body of your message where you fully develop your story.

Recap: Found in the lower left corner of the last page, this summarizes your company's purpose and gives a short description of your core products and services.

When writing your press release, always using 8.5" x 11" paper and use at least a one-inch margin all around. Double space your typing and try to keep your piece to one page (approximately 500 words)-if you go longer, use the word "more" between two dashes at the bottom center of the first page to let journalists know that more follows on the next page. Use three number (###) symbols immediately following the last paragraph to show the end of the press release. Alternatively, use -30- to indicate the end of the piece. Include a brief cover letter addressed to your required editor as an introduction to your company and its services.

Once you have submitted your press release to your chosen outlets, sit back and wait for a response. Resist the urge to call to see if it has been received-this is annoying to any journalist and instantly marks you as an amateur. If your piece meets their needs, you will get calls. Be patient!

Be prepared to speak with the media when a journalist does call. Be friendly and approachable, well-spoken and informative. Try your best to answer all of a journalist's questions, even if you have to call them back with the details. Always act professionally and try to relax when you're speaking with the press. Remember-this publicity is a good thing!

Writing a press release and getting free publicity for your company is a win-win situation for both you and the media-by providing a journalist with an interesting angle to your story, your company is highlighted to a whole new group of potential customers and the publication continues to meet the needs of its readers. And isn't it wonderful getting something so valuable for free?