Internet Marketing

How do you think large corporations get in the news?

Okay, embezzlement and white collar crime will get you there, but think about new product introductions, management changes, store openings, and a myriad other occasions. Do you think the media is parked on their doorsteps, and as soon as something interesting happens they write a story?

No, that's not what happens - companies inform the media when they're good and ready, and the primary vehicle they use is the press release.

Without press releases the media would be hard pressed to do its job, and business would have to resort to spending large sums exclusively in advertising to let the public know what's happening. And what no one ever talks about is how much more effective publicity is - free editorial write-ups and broadcast mentions - than paid-for advertising.

Think about it, are you more likely to believe an ad that says "this is the world's most accurate watch," or an article to the same effect in The Wall Street Journal? So how does the Journal get to know about this remarkable watch? Exactly - it all starts with a press release.

Conventions
Like most other activities, the production and distribution of press releases follows conventions that the media is quick to recognize. Sure you can produce a release and maybe email it to your magazines of choice. But think about this: who, precisely, would you mail it to? The managing editor? A beat reporter? The new products editor?... The answer may well be to all of them, but you should now spend some time in learning how publications and broadcast media work. It is not a very tidy or consistent procedure.

A story can start almost anywhere, although at some stage a senior editor has to sanction the activity - does the story meet the editorial profile of the publication? Does it have a visual content that will look good on television? Has a competitor already covered it? Is it true? This last question may sound naive, but there are plenty of unscrupulous characters around bent on mischief. There was the case of a stock trader who issued a release claiming to originate from a public company and stating that the president had resigned. Before the company in question could inform the media that its president was not about to resign, the damage had been done. Millions of dollars were lost as the share prices began plummeting and the trader cashed in by shorting the stock (this story ends with the apprehension of the trader, but many of the shareholders never fully recouped their losses because they sold as the prices were dropping). So, what's the answer?

The answer is to use distribution methods that the media is familiar with, particularly if your company is relatively unknown. There are well established wire services that implement their own safety procedures before submitting material to the media. You may also contact the media to ask about their particular preferences, but a word of caution - don't ever call an editor to ask if he or she has received your press release. Think about that. And another thing: try to make the story fit the medium, or at least the particular section of a magazine.

As a young PR guy in the sixties I was told by my boss to deliver a story to the LA Times. It consisted of a photo caption of a client looking for publicity, a French starlet wearing a bikini and letting off a firecracker.

It was the week before July 4th, and the caption was all about July 14th, France's Bastille Day and anniversary of their own revolution. Very clever. I hoped someone would stop me before I reached the editorial offices, but the guard must have been taking a break (it was lunchtime), because I managed to get all the way to the editor's office.

The editor graciously asked me in. I passed the brown paper envelope across his desk, he looked at the photo and then he looked at me. I don't remember exactly what he said, although "get out" was part of it, and so was "I never want to see you in this building again!" Here was a man dealing with worldwide events being presented with cheesecake.

Now, if I had stumbled upon the picture editor instead, it might have been a different matter; even the LA Times can be frivolous at times.

How hard can it be to write a press release?
A good press release looks deceptively simple when you read it, but the underlying structure needs to be learned (of course a good grasp of the language helps). For example, how do you begin your press release announcing a new product? What does the busy editor want to know before he even gets started? Will you impress anyone with superlatives and other assorted adjectives you might use to advertise your product? (The answer is yes, but not as you'd hoped.) The Press Release Primer will not make you into a good writer, but it will tell you how to write a press release. Here are the topics covered by the Primer:

What is a press release?

Topics for press releases

Why issue a press release?

How to prepare a press release

How long is a press release?

How is a press release disseminated?

Who should receive press releases?

The use of quotes in a press release

Using photographs

Press release checklist

Sample press release

Disclaimers in press releases

If you want to take advantage of one of the most effective means for reaching the media and gaining publicity for your product or service, the Press Release Primer is for you. We'd like to get you email address in return, but it's not mandatory.

Press Release Primer Download - Now Free!