5 Golden Rules for Writing Successful Press Releases

(from the best-selling book: DIYPR: the small business owners guide to free publicity (Batsford paperback 1998) by PHPR fo nder! Penny Hay"ood# Small businesses can get a head start in the publicity stakes if they put out press releases and fall over backwards to help the media. And when they grow the business, theyll understand the PR process better from the best teacher you can have: direct e perience. !very time you speak to a media representative, they are offering the possibility of an audience of thousands: so many people that it would take years to network round them. "ts a slow process so be patient. #ou need to prove youre a keen and a reliable source of stories. $ry a %&month campaign of putting out a release a month following these ' (olden Rules to create a professional release. )ith practice, youll be with the able to knock out a good enough press release in *+&,+ mins for your local media. #ou have got a list of local media- .ake sure you dont miss anyone out: every publication/broadcaster/e&0ine represents thousands of people. 1ote bylines and contact details from every e0ine, maga0ine, newspaper 2 radio station your customers pay attention to. And if you dont know what they watch, listen to and read, theres only one way to find out: ask them3 And once you start getting media mentions, a few will be keen enough to actually contact you direct as a result of the coverage, but they are 4ust the tip of a huge iceberg. $he real value is all the people who saw or heard you recommended by the media. 1ow theyve heard about your company and know the name, sales will be much easier: research shows it is '+5 easier to sell when your prospect has heard good things about your business. So factor in emailing and telesales to capitalise on media coverage and namedrop the story, send the story links to the people you want to reach. "ts PR, sales and marketing working together that grows the business.

Golden Rule 1: Make sure its News

$hat is ne"s% &e"s is the pl ral of ne": if it's ne"! it's ne"s# &e"s implies change: something happens - a b siness is started p! a prod ct is la nched! an appointment is made! a deal is str ck! a contract is "on# (f yo )re not s re! keep a note of the types of stories that get into the media abo t similar types of b sinesses to yo rs: other retailers! ser*ice b sinesses! or man fact rers# +nd remember! the better kno"n a b siness is! the less they "ill tend to p t themsel*es o t for the media! so if yo )*e got interesting things to say! yo )re in "ith a sho t# ,specially if yo manage to find the links bet"een yo r b siness and the hot ne"s topics of the day: for e-ample: health! ed cation! employment and the economy are pretty solid ne"s gro nd#

Golden Rule 2: The Essential 5 Ws

(ncl de the . $s#

$ho% $hat% $here% $hen% $hy% $H,R,% /or e-ample: 0anchester-based $H1% 234 company $H,&% today anno nces a $H+5% ne" "aterproof addition to their range of best-selling stationery prod cts# (5he rest of the release "ill go on to say $H3%) 5here's another sef l 6 estion to ans"er that "ill help yo de*elop the story: H1$% (t)s a good idea to get a 6 ote in from a named so rce s ch as yo rself! and e-plaining H1$ is all came abo t is an ideal opport nity for that#

Golden Rule 3: Strip Out Superlati es

1nce yo '*e "ritten yo r te-t! strip o t the s perlati*es: ad7ecti*es like '"onderf l' and 'brilliant' are yo r (biased) opinions and "ill irritate fact-dri*en 7o rnalists# 8 perlati*es don't belong in the "orld of ne"s and they're so o*er"orked that it's nlikely that people pay m ch attention to them any"ay#

Golden Rule !: "ersonalise the Release to the Tar#et Media

+ local ne"spaper ser*es a local comm nity and rarely carries ne"s that can't be related to their readership area# 5hat's ho" a famo s apocryphal headline came abo t: +B,R9,,& 0+& 9R1$&8: 5itanic 8inks :ocal media kno" their a dience# :ocal radio stations! for e-ample! find that their listeners get irritated if they carry ne"s of offers or e*ents o tside their local area! so they don't# 51P 5(P: 5 rn the media's thirst for local connections to yo r ad*antage# (f yo "ant local press co*erage gi*e them a local connection right p front in the headline and first sentence# 9on't b ry yo r impeccable local connections at the bottom of the release or e-pect the press to make the connection for yo from yo r address# +n a*erage press release gets a ; second scan from a b sy 7o rnalist and they rarely read past the first sentence#

(n the same "ay! the trade press are looking for something in their specialised field# (f yo 're "anting co*erage in the Biological scientific press! get the fact that it's a Biological breakthro gh into the headline#

Golden Rule 5: $a% it Out "ro&essionall%:

<eep yo r release do"n to a single page incl ding the contact details at the foot# 5hat means an pper limit of abo t 1.=->== "ords per release# 3o can add more details on a separate sheet called Backgro nd &otes# <eep sentences short and to the point# ?se the "ord ',&98' "hen the release finishes# +l"ays incl de details of "ho the press sho ld contact for f rther information at the foot of the main press release incl ding home @ mobile n mbers as "ell as "ork contact details and be a*ailable for at least >A ho rs after"ards#

E'(M"$E) New *usiness Wins:

(f yo "in a ma7or piece or ne" b siness! send o t a release abo t it# (f yo are appointed a dealer or gi*en a licence for a "ell-kno"n prod ct or ser*ice! let the press kno"B People like to deal "ith people "ho are s ccessf l# +merican b sinesses are good at sho ting abo t their s ccesses! b t small British b sinesses can ha*e a tendency to hide their light nder a b shel# (f yo are mentioning a client company by name! make s re that yo ha*e their agreement to do so# + ne" b siness relationship co ld fall at the first fence if yo take their name in *ainB (f the client or c stomer is "illing to gi*e yo an endorsement comment! incl de it as a 6 ote: third party recommendation is better than blo"ing yo r o"n tr mpet# $ith ne" b siness "ins! it's partic larly po"erf l if yo can ans"er the $H3% 6 estion "ith a 6 ote from the c stomer: $H3 they bo ght yo r prod ct or ser*ice% $H3 ha*e they appointed yo as a dealer! licensee or franchisee% $hen de*eloping the rest of yo r release "ith yo r ans"ers to the $H3% 6 estion! bring o t the aspects of yo r prod ct or ser*ice that make it different from anything else# $hy is it different% $hy is it better% $hy is it ne"% $hy is it inno*ati*e% $hat gi*es it that e-tra spark that no-one else has% 5he last sentence of the release sho ld "rap p the 'Ho" do ( get it' details: price and "here it can be bo ght! or "ho to contact for sales# <eep releases do"n to a fe" short sentences (A or . is ideal)# +ny f rther information yo "ant to incl de can be "rapped p on a note at the foot called C5echnical 8pecificationsC or CBackgro nd &otesC! depending on the s b7ect matter#

S(M"$E: NEW *+S,NESS W,NS "RESS RE$E(SE: 1-. words

&e"castle /irm 8igns 9eal "ith $ell-kno"n Do# &e"castle-based 234 Dompany has today anno nced the signing of a E>.=!=== deal "ith $ellkno"n Dar Do# to s pply 234's c stomer care soft"are! &ice9ay! to e*ery branch of $ellkno"n in , rope# &ice9ay is 234's ni6 e comp ter program that analyses the non-*erbal signals "e all gi*e o t# (t "orks in con7 nction "ith *ideo cameras and analyses body lang age and facial e-pressions! meas ring indi*id al salespeople's performance against top sales performers# 5he soft"are prod ces a printo t sho"ing the areas to concentrate on de*eloping# 5he deal is a breakthro gh into the a tomobile sector for 234# 234 is a leading s pplier of sales-related soft"are to the banking and financial sector# Fim 8mith! $ellkno"n's 8ales 9irector said! C$e chose &ice9ay beca se "e belie*e it "ill significantly impro*e o r salesmen's relationship "ith c stomers# G ite simply! there's no other prod ct like it# C /or more information abo t &ice9ay! contact F lie Bro"n at 234! on =1>; AA..HH# ,&98 /or f rther details contact: Foe Bloggs! 234's 09 direct on =1>; AA.HI8 (day) or 98IH .A;>1 (e*ening) or on =;>1 ;>1;>1 (mobile) or Fim 8mith! sales director of $ellkno"n Dar Do# on =>;A ...... (day) (5echnical &otes enclosed)

J Penny Hay"ood >==I +ll rights reser*ed# Penny is happy to re-"rite or re-slant any article for ?< media on re6 est#