How to Use Press Releases to Get Free Publicity

By:  Renae E. Gregoire
The Write Idea
©2002

EXTRA! EXTRA!

So you want some free publicity? Thinking about writing a press release? Great idea! Most major news outlets get a high percentage of their news from press releases. But how do you make sure your release gets noticed and not tossed in the trash? Follow these tips and you’ll give your release the best chance of attracting an editor or journalist’s attention.

A new website, new product, new service...those things just aren't news anymore. Thousands of new products and services are launched every day, and many of the launchers send press releases. Editors report that they're inundated with them--and that the quality of most releases is laughable at best.

Here’s how to give your release an edge over all the other releases in an in-box.

First, try to find a newsworthy angle—tie your release into something else that is considered “news.” Are you launching a new site that sells services to moms-to-be? That isn't news in itself. But what about tying the news of your launch into the latest government report that says single moms are slowly becoming the largest percentage of households in the U.S. ? Write a release that uses that news, and shows how your site offers resources to those moms-to-be.

If you can't find a newsworthy angle right away, write an informational, or “evergreen,” press release. For example, say you're opening a business that sells pools. In-ground pools. Why not write a press release and call it, "10 Tips on How to Get a Perfect Pool in Time for Summer." Fill it with information that the editor's readers will want to know. Make it more like a story. Sign your name at the bottom of the piece, and you're representing yourself as an expert on pools.

Home and Garden or Lifestyle editors are more likely to use a piece like that, or use your idea to launch a separate feature article (in which you are quoted) because they know their readers would appreciate the information shared in your release. Would-be pool buyers then read the article, see your name, and hopefully give you a call! Easy, huh? You can write an evergreen release for almost any product or service.

It’s also important that you follow a standard press release format. Show editors that you know what they want. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE should appear at the top of the page. If your release coincides with a special occasion, change it to: FOR RELEASE ON _______, and enter the date.

Include your full contact information. Let editors and reporters know how they can reach you. Remember that many journalists work nights and weekends--make sure you're available to them during your off-hours too.

Start your headline about two-thirds down the page. Leaving a large blank space gives editors room to write instructions to journalists or typesetters. Let your headline read like a news headline. Try to leave your business name out of it. Don't say, "The Write Idea Launches New Marketing Portal For Small Businesses." Instead, say, "New Marketing Portal Available to Increase Small Business Profits."

Include Who, What, Where, Why, When, and How in the first paragraph. Write the release in the inverted pyramid style used in news writing. Include the least important information at the bottom of the release, and work upwards. If an editor needs to cut, they'll know they can cut from the bottom and not lose important details.

Another important tip is to keep your use of adjectives to a bare minimum. A press release headlined like this:

Expert Wordsmith Dazzles Business Owners with Copywriting Prowess

Sounds just like an ad. “Expert? By Whose Standards?” a journalist would ask. “Prowess?” Ok, I overdid it a bit, but I think you get the meaning. If you pepper your release with words like “wonderful, impactful, high-caliber and high-quality,” it’s going to sound just like an ad. And editors don’t print free ads.

That’s not to say you can’t play up how wonderful your product or service is. But do so only in quotations. For example:

“Many business owners tell me that they need a reliable writer on stand-by who knows how to create professionally persuasive copy for their collateral,” says Renae Gregoire, President of The Write Idea. “In fact, they really enjoy getting the same copywriting services as provided by ad agencies, marketing firms and PR companies, but at a much lower cost and without all the other bells and whistles,” she explains.

See how that works? Sprinkle pertinent quotations throughout your release to get in all the “ad-type” copy you want.

If you follow these tips, you'll spare your press release a quick trip to the trash can, and garner priceless, free media attention.

If you'd like more information on writing newsworthy or informational press releases, or to discover how The Write Idea can help get you noticed using this effective marketing tool, get in touch today.