How to Submit a Press Release to the Orange County Business Journal
A press release should be short, no more than three pages in hard copy and much shorter if it is submitted by email, and it should catch its recipients' attention right away. Press releases are used to demonstrate the newsworthiness of a person, event or product to a news outlet. Publications such as the Orange County Business Journal often use press releases either as they are or as a tip for a story to cover, and accept press release submissions as long as they are directed to the right person.
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Instructions
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Submitting a Hard Copy Press Release
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Prepare your press kit. A traditional print press release is one to three pages in length and double-spaced. When they are submitted to publications and news outlets, they should be included in a press kit. The press release itself will announce the event, product, or specific subject of the story while the rest of the press kit will include supporting information. This can include photographs, other news clippings, or study results. Supporting information can be more detailed, but the press release itself should be kept fairly concise and attention-grabbing.
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Address your press kit to a specific department. The Orange County Business Journal has a small editorial staff, but your press package has the best chance of being noticed and your release the best chance of publication if it is sent to the correct department. Mark the envelope to the attention of your preferred department. If you are unsure, check the departments on ocbj.com or call the journal at 949-833-8373.
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Follow up on your submission. Give the journal a two-week window to ensure the receipt of your press kit and call or email to confirm that they received it. Because of printing deadlines, it may take several weeks to several months for your press release to appear in the magazine, if they even decide to publish it. Once you have followed up and confirmed that they received your package, be patient.
Submitting an Electronic Press Release
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Prepare a brief press release. Because of the nature of electronic media, most people prefer not to read lengthy messages in their email inboxes. Some email programs even have filters in place to block lengthy messages. A press release sent by email should be kept to three to five short paragraphs, no more than three sentences each.
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Send supporting press kit information as URLs. Many people are wary of email attachments as they have a propensity to contain viruses. Upload related images and other documents to the Internet and include links in the body of your email message after the press release. Link to your company's website as well and anything else that may be relevant to the press release.
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Target a specific department. The Orange County Business Journal's website includes contact information for each department head. Since several of the heads cover multiple departments, make sure you clearly state to which department your release is targeted in your subject line. You can set your email program to notify you when an email is delivered, so there is less need to follow up with an email submission. Do not take it personally if your press release is never published or your story never covered: the journal may reject it due to space constraints or because of editorial deadlines. If your release is time-sensitive, make sure to send it early to avoid missing the journal's lead time.
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Tips & Warnings
Call or email ahead to find out what the journal's lead time on a story is.
