How to NOT write a press release

An amazing number of stories in your local newspaper probably started with a press release.

A press release doesn't have to be perfect to grab the attention of a newspaper reporter--especially on a slow news day. Yet a frustrating number of the announcements that arrived in the newsroom probably never made it to newsprint.

Several things can ruin an otherwise good press release. Here's some steps on how NOT to write a press release.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Word processor
• Planning
• Ability to think like newspaper readers and identify what will engage them.

1. WRONG: The press release is all about YOU, YOUR business or YOUR message.
   
   WHY: Isn't the point of a press release to get YOUR information in the newspaper? Well, yeah. Unfortunately, you're not going to succeed unless you convince an editor that your information will engage readers. When you're writing your release, don't forget your purpose and goals, but also don't write a press release blind to the purpose and goals of the newspaper. An editor makes decisions on what readers want. Repackage your message into terms that will be irresistible to the reader, and the reporter and editor will eagerly rush your story to print.

2. WRONG: The press release was delivered too late.
   
   WHY: An editor or reporter loves a well-written press release that's properly positioned to provide something engaging for the newspaper's readers. Unfortunately, sometimes a perfect press release arrives with the right story on the right desk at the right publication--on the wrong day. When is the wrong day? Consider that some publications do not publish daily, but even daily newspapers have rigid deadlines for some material. And a weekly publication may actually go to press as much as a day before it hits the streets. Editorial content for that publication may have been finalized days before that! Do yourself a favor and get the word out early so editors and reporters can plan ahead.

3. WRONG: The press release didn't go to enough people.
   
   WHY: If you send a press release to one reporter, that person may be on vacation. Don't assume someone will be checking the mail in a reporter's absence.

4. WRONG: The press release went to too many people.
   
   WHY: Depending on the size of the newspaper, you may find several candidates among the staff who would act upon your press release. Don't send the same press release to everybody on the payroll just to play the odds. Be selective. A press release that arrives on the same day in everyone's inbox comes across as junk mail.
   
   Reporters are peculiar creatures. They jump at opportunities to scoop their coworkers and competitors, but they're not likely to get excited about your story idea after seeing half the newsroom pass it over.

5. WRONG: The press release was sent to somebody who doesn't exist.
   
   WHY: I know of one instance when the same press release arrived in the mail on the same day for as many as 15 different people--at a newsroom that employed three people. Know that the person you're pitching a story to actually exists. Don't just send your press release to standard newspaper job titles, hoping your story idea will land on the desk of the business editor, feature reporter, metro city editor or whoever, because in some cases they will only go to the janitor when he empties the trash. Instead, address your press releases using the reporter or editor's actual name!

6. WRONG: The press release builds up to the point.
   
   WHY: An editor or reporter usually scans a press release. In many cases, they act like most readers--if they don't see anything interesting in the first sentence or two, they move on to the next thing in their inbox. For this reason, make sure the reporter or editor can tell in the first sentence that your press release will provide locally relevant and timely information that will engage the publication's readers. A press release is not the time to save your best lines for the end.

Tips & Warnings

• When writing a press release, repackage your business message into terms that will engage the newspaper's target readers.
• Make it easy for the reporter to do what you want them to do. If your goal is to have an event listed in a community calendar, write up a calendar listing that follows the newspaper's style for such announcements. If you want the reporter to pitch your story to an editor, suggest possible approaches to a story and offer to connect the reporter with people available for interviews.
• Remember to follow up. After you've delivered your press release, wait a day or so. If you've not heard from a reporter, it's ok to make a phone call to make sure they've received your press release. Often, they will not have received it.
• Editors and reporters are busy. Don't rely on them to figure out how your press release will engage their readers. Make the connection obvious.
• An imperfect press release can still garner a story. However, a perfect press release that arrives too late cannot.

Resources

• Wikipedia entry on news release
• Bill Stoller's Publicity Insider advice on press releases
• Press release formats and insights from the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

[msoexpert]

on 1/11/2008 Excellent advice!

[grouch]

on 12/17/2007 Great job. Everyone can tell you how to do it but it is the tried and true who know exactly not how to do it. That experience is something we all lack in one subject or another.