You are ready to send out that latest press relase. But how is it going to get noticed among the flood of other press releases from various bussinesses, organizations, schools and clubs? While there is no guarantee that your press release will ever make it into print or on the air, there are a few ways to improve the odds. 1. Don't flood the media continually with press releases. Be discriminating with the information you send to the media. A continual stream of releases that are mainly "puff pieces" about your company will start getting thrown away on a regular basis. Send only information that could be considered newsworthy. If it is not really newsworthy, at least try to give it a news slant.
2. Stick to facts. Stick mainly to the facts, with a minimum of promotion. If an actual news nugget is buried in a self promoting copy, its probably going to be dismissed as "advertising" and thrown away.
3. Write a consise headline Give it a headline that clearly defines the subject matter. Example "St. Patrick's Day Parade Organizers Announce Grand Marshal."
4. Include your complete contact information. Make it easy for someone to try to contact you for more information. Make sure your name, title and phone number are easy to spot. That sounds like obvious advice, but some people forget to include this information.
5. Email or fax press release. Try emailing or faxing the release instead of mailing it. It will get to the right person faster and looks more urgent than a standard letter.
6. Make two phone calls. Call the newspaper or station and get the name and title of the person who should receive the release (and, of course, the email address, fax number and mailing address) Send the press release then call again and talk to that person. Ask if he received the information an if he needs any additional information and givehim your name and number (which should be on the release). What you are really doing is calling attention to your release in a polite way.
