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What can I do to help my Press Release capture attention?
Home » Advertising & Marketing » Press Release » What can I do to help my Press Release capture attention?Posted by Your Guide on October 31, 2005 6:56 PM
Newspapers and television stations receive hundreds of press releases every day. There are a few things you can do to ensure that your press release does not end up in the recycling bin.
Direct your press release to the correct person. Do your research to determine the best reporter or editor to whom you should send your press release. Call the newsroom and ask who covers the beat that best relates to your release (business, retail, community news, etc.) Be sure to get an accurate spelling of the reporter or editor’s name, his or her title, e-mail address, mailing address, fax number, and phone number. Then keep this information in the form of a media list – a list of contact people at media outlets – so that you can refer to it each time you send a release. Editors will not mind giving this information to you over the phone once, but if you call repeatedly, they will get annoyed. So keep accurate records. Also, respect a reporter’s deadlines. If he or she says she is on deadline and is not available, then find a time to call them back and hang up immediately.
Follow up on your press release with a phone call. Do not badger reporters, as they are very busy professionals with a lot of people vying for their attention. But a simple follow up call to ensure they received the press release and to offer your assistance if they have any questions is appropriate.
Make sure your press release is about news and not advertising. The quickest way for your press release to end up in the recycling bin is if it does not contain news, but is rather an attempt to garner advertising for your company. Reporters and editors see through this very quickly. A newspaper’s job is to deliver interesting and timely news, not to create free publicity for your business.
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