2006.04.20
Complete Overview of Writing & Distributing a Press Release
Well, it’s been about six weeks since the initial press release went out, and I think it’s time to do a complete analysis of the whole experience. Overall, IÂ as an experiment, it was a complete success and I couldn’t have asked for more. There definately were some lessons learned, and I hope to share some of them here. For those of you who haven’t read my release yet, you can find it here.
Writing the ReleaseÂ
A press release is one of the best methods to publicize an event or call attention to an issue. The first step to writing a good press release is grabbing the readers attention with a good headline and brief summary. Writers looking for a story may have to sift through hundreds of releases before finding the one they are looking for; Making this job easier for them will also help you. Use catchy keyphrases in the headline and give an accurate description of the content of the article in the summary, however leave room for the reader to want to know more.
The body of the release should flow smoothly and read as if it were pulled directly out of a newspaper. Imagine that you were a columnist who picked up your story and wanted to print it. Write your release as if it were going to go directly to print. Using quotations in your release will not only give it more of a “newspaper feel”, but it will also make the job of the reporter taking your story easier, as they can simply copy and paste your quotes as needed.
Distributing the Release
When you distribute your press release is nearly as important as what you say in it. You must take into consideration your audience, the schedules of the reporters you are targeting, and what the goal of your release is. If you are looking to be included in the upcoming issue of a magazine, you must take into account if it is a weekly or monthly issue. If it is monthly, they have internal deadlines of probably the end of the third week to have material ready for print. Remember that the writer will also need time to review your release, validate it, write their article and obtain approval, making the ideal time for your distribution early in the second week.
My release was scheduled for a Tuesday morning for a number of reasons. News stories which broke, or press releases which were distributed on Thursday, Friday, and over the weekend were most likely still being sifted through on Monday lowering the chance of my release being seen. Tuesday morning was ideal because previous news would have been dealt with, and there was still plenty of time in the week to process, review and follow-up on my story.
Distribution Services
There are a number of services available on the Internet to distribute your press release, some free and some charging hundreds of dollars, or more. For my release, I chose to distribute it using PRWeb for a $40 charge, and using PRLeap for free.
PRWeb had excellent service, and gave interesting statistics on my release, as can be seen here. For the $40 charge, I was guaranteed inclusion in Google and Yahoo news sites, which I thought was worth the charge. To my surprise, my release distributed with PRLeap was also included in Google and Yahoo news at no charge.
Overall, I found that both sites were very easy to use and write my release with. If you are looking to quickly distribute a press release at no charge, I would highly recommend taking a look at PRLeap. If you are looking to receive more detailed statistics on the status of your release, take a look at PRWeb and see if it meets your needs.
In ConclusionÂ
Always remember to keep a good writing style in your release and make sure to proof your document before publishing it. State facts and try not to use too many “flowery” terms. Remember that as in your summary, you left the reader wanting more to intice them to read the body of your release, your release as a whole should leave the reader wanting to contact you for more information. Make sure to provide accurate contact information in the closing of your release.
Good luck!
Loading ...