Web Business Freedom

I’ve spent most of my career practicing public relations (since 1987!), so I can emphatically say that press releases are extremely valuable. They are often overlooked as a very basic, effective means of distributing information.

The real key with sending press releases is that, as you gain trust and build awareness and relationships with reporters, you are getting third-party endorsements that are much more credible than ads (via Google AdWords or otherwise). There’s the old adage that “there’s no such thing as bad publicity, as long as they spell your name right.” I don’t necessarily believe that—but hey, if they aren’t writing about you, they’ll be writing about one of your competitors. With some experience or formal media training, you can learn to turn even “bad press” to your advantage. Look at any celebrity—they will get their share of dirt, and often that is what keeps them in the news longer!

Learn to Craft a Good Press Release

There’s a lot of talk lately about the “smart media press release” format, but the essential press release format is just fine and has been effective for decades.

To do the best job, you need to understand how journalists think and write. (I went to journalism school, so trust me on this.) Ask yourself just one question before you start writing and you’ll be far ahead of most people:

What’s in it for their readers (viewers/audience/etc.)?

Most reporters are assigned to a certain beat, like crime, local politics or technology. Find out who the reporters most likely to cover you are, read their articles (or listen to/watch their broadcasts) regularly, and think about what will be of value to them. You might be great friends with a food writer, but do you think they’ll care about your internet business? No. (Unless it’s food related!).

Another very important secondary question is, What’s the local angle? This is critical for newspapers or local TV stations in particular. A newspaper in Canton, Ohio could care less about what I do in Charlotte, NC. But if I have a client in Canton, or I’m speaking to a local group there—bingo, I might have a better shot at getting covered. Might is a very operative word: News organization tend to follow the “if it bleeds, it leads” theory—so they’ll bump your story in a heartbeat. Be patient.

There are some great resources like Bacon’s (now called Cision, one of those terrible made-up names!) that will give you a very comprehensive breakdown of all media outlets and specific reporters. The print volumes are expensive, so you might find a set at your local library. They also have a cheaper online version. Other sites like My PR Genie offer similar lists that you can customize. Bear in mind that journalists move around frequently, so confirm you have the right person before making contact.

Remember also that journalists claim to be objective and on the “editorial” side of the house (vs. advertising). So you’re at the whim of individual reporters or editors on how they decide to treat you. In trying to be “balanced,” they may look for both the positives and negatives to whatever you’re pitching. Be prepared to take some hits. Don’t try to get confrontational with reporters (even those who’ve “done your wrong,”), but if they make factual mistakes by all means seek corrections.

One way I’ve learned to get on a journalist’s good side is to feed them lots of story ideas, most completely unrelated to my own business, long before I need them to write about me or a client of mine. Most journalist are overworked and underpaid and totally rely on “PR people” and others to feed them information. I’d venture to say that 80-90% of everything you read in papers or magazines, or see on TV, started with a press release. It’s the mainstream media’s dirty little secret.

The Basic Press Release Format

In the old days, reporters had to put all the important stuff “up top,” and then keep adding less and less important details as they went. That’s because when the editors needed room to cut, guess where they started? At the end. So, organize your thoughts in terms of “who, what, when, where and why,” starting with the most significant items.

Study newspapers to understand how to write—very matter-of-factly. Now is not the time to act like an advertising copywriter (“introducing the amazing new web-o-matic!”). All your flowery, most-amazing-thing-ever language won’t make a difference. Sometimes, putting a little of that “fluff” into an attributable quote can help you frame the context of the information, but again—most canned quotes get cut, too (in actual print, not the online placements).

Include a dateline (City, State and Date) along with media contact information. It helps to include several phone numbers, especially for after-hours contacts.

Journalists also prefer AP style (short for Associated Press), from the “bible” of the industry. Do yourself a favor and get a copy of this, and refer to it before you send out releases. Stuff that drives editors nuts are things like capital letters for titles (wrong: Brandon Uttley, President of Web Business Freedom; but correct before the name: Web Business Freedom President Brandon Uttley) and mangled quotes.

Example of a quote:

“This is how to do a quote,” said Brandon Uttley, president of Web Business Freedom. “The commas and periods go on the INSIDE of the quote marks, not outside. And write conversationally, like a human being—not some PR robot spewing out corporate jargon.”

(Notice that “said” is always OK to using when quoting someone. No need to start pulling out big words like “exclaimed,” “pontificated,” “proclaimed” or any other goofy verb. If pressed, use “added” or “explained” to break up the monotony.

Sending Your Press Release

As far as distribution, there are a lot of web-based press release distribution services. I’ve used a bunch, with mixed results. (My own press release announcing Web Business Freedom, using about half a dozen of these free services, didn’t yield a single mention in any of the local media in Charlotte.) If I had to pick and choose, I’d say PRWeb is OK. The biggies though are BusinessWire (which I prefer) and PRNewswire. My advice is to use either of these sparingly, for only *big* news (either in your city/region or nationally). Compared with building and maintaining your own media list (mind-numblingly boring) or stuffing hundreds of envelopes and licking stamps (been there, done that)—a few hundred dollars for distribution can be well spent. From experience, I know it pays to also send any special announcements directly to specific journalists or outlets you’re interested in, assuming the news fits their format and/or readership.

After sending out a press release, for Pete’s sake don’t call every reporter and ask them “Did you get my release?” They hate that worse than typos. Either they will cover you, or they won’t. If it’s really important for you to know, and you have a relationship with a specific reporter, then maybe you can shoot another email (“just making sure you got my information…”) or a quick call. When they pick up they phone, I always ask, “Is this a good time for you to talk?” They appreciate that. (They appreciate it more if you actually know their deadline and don’t call then!).

If you’re really new to media relations, ask a reporter if you can meet them for a quick tour or over coffee/lunch to learn how they operate and how you can help them effectively. If you’re nice and sincere, most reporters will be glad to give you advice.

Finally, don’t sweat so much about actually getting old-school print or broadcast “placements” with each and every press release. Thanks to the web, if you put the release on your site, distribute it through one or more of the PR wire services, and use some of the WebYOU.0 sharing methods, chances are pretty good that your information will be available for anyone using a search engine.

Photo credit: Wili Hybrid