|
Welcome to World Affair Home : Free Article Submission and Reviews!
Articles » Business » Public-Relations >> View Article
|
 |
|
 |
| 5 Secrets To Make Your Press Release More Effective |
By:
Wes Upchurch |
|
It’s a well known fact that one of the most popular ways a company receives free publicity and builds its expertise is by garnering media attention. Although it takes time and energy to get noticed by journalists, the basis of a first-rate publicity campaign is the media release. If you want to establish a working relationship with the media, often times a media release is the most efficient way in.
However, not all media releases are created equal. Most of them wind up in the trash. If you want the media to contact you regarding stories you pitch, or for stories they are already working on, you have to send the appropriate message in your media releases. The following five elements should help you communicate your message effectively:
1. The Basics of Reporting – Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How
Facts are the basis of every news story, and when reporters need fundamental, facts they often turn to media releases. This is the why who, what, when, where, why, and how of the story are so important. When creating your media release, take a few moments to note the facts about the news you are trying to communicate. This information sets the groundwork for the entire story, and you will emphasize it in the opening paragraph of your release so reporters don’t need to read past the first few lines to get the gist of your message.
2. A Catchy, but Brief Headline
News headlines should communicate the main idea of the story, capture the attention of the reader, and so in as few words as possible. Your headline present the news in an informative, but catchy manner, such as “Teen Smoking is On The Rise” “Despite Improves in Technology, Productivity is Down”.
3. You’ll Need a Hook
Once you’ve gotten your readers’ attention, you need to hook them. It should be something to compel the reader to continue reading, such as a startling fact or statistic, a compelling question, or a common problem. This hook often communicates a common problem and a startling statistic, such as “This year 40 percent of high school students will try tobacco” or “At least 30% of adult males have an undiagnosed learning disability.”
4. A Couple of Quotes
As you go into more detail about the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your news, giving as much detail as possible in the least amount of words as possible, you will start to craft the main body of your media release. In doing so, you should also include quotes that the reporter can pull directly from your release. The media loves getting quotes directly from the source of the news and by providing them with a quote or two, you make the writer’s job that much easier, and better your chances of getting mentioned in the paper. If possible you should use quotes that really highlight the impact of your news.
5. A Call to Action
Even though you got your main points in, you still have to close your media release with a call to action. If you want reporters to book you for an interview, you should say so. If you want them to cover your event, make that your call to action. Don’t forget to include your contact information.
Remember the goal of your press release should be to get media mentions for your company. It’s like free advertising and it establishes you as the expert in your field. Remember, even if they don’t write a feature story from your press release, media professionals may keep your information on file for when the do need your expertise. So the better your press release is, the better your chances of getting that free publicity, everyone is seeking.
About the Author:
This article was written by http://www.wesupchurch.com. Wes Upchurch is the founder of http://www.pressdr.com, a professional http://pressdr.com/distribution/rss/article-distribution-service.php.
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
