News Capturing Ideas
by Melody
Looking for more ways to get picked up by the media? Try these:
- Send in editorials to your local newspapers
- Don’t forget about TV and Radio stations. They’re news seekers too.
- Scan news sites like Yahoo, MSN and Google News to find ideas to write about
- Post your opinions on your site & other people’s sites that may be talking about the same topic
- If your product or service is related to a recently published story, write up a press release and submit it
- Don’t be shy! Opinions and controversy feed the media
Press Release Format Guidelines
by Melody
Here is an outline of what a press release should look like. It can be short or long depending on your needs but following this general outline will ensure that the media has all the pertinent information at their fingertips.
Contact Information (for the press) goes here
Contact Name
Phone Number
URL (if appropriate)
Email address
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (or the earliest date the news should be released)
Headline
Be creative and keep it to one sentence (about 60 characters). Capitalize the first letter of all words but do not use ALL CAPS. Avoid exclamation marks (“!”) and other unnecessary punctuation.
Paragraph 1
City, State, Month, Day, Year – Begin with a strong introductory paragraph that grab’s the reader’s attention and contains the information most relevant to your message such as the five W’s - who, what, when, where, and why. This paragraph should summarize the press release and include a hook to get your audience interested in reading more.
Paragraph 2 thru 4/5
These paragraphs should contain more details about your news. They make up the bulk of the release. They can include quotes from you, clients, or experts in the subject that you are discussing.
Final Paragraph
This paragraph should restate what you release is about and summarizes the key points.
End with ### to signal that it’s the end of your release
Additional Tips
• Write in 3rd person… not I/we but They/Them.
• Remember, you are writing a press release to grab the attention of the media. Make sure you stick to facts and clear information but make it appealing.
• Try to keep the press release to fewer than 400 words total. Straight and to the point works best. However, there are times when a longer release may be needed so use your judgement.
• Provide complete information on how to contact you. Include mail address, telephone, fax, e-mail and web site (especially for online business). If using a website make sure to include the http:// in front of it for search engine recognition.
• Proof it over and over. Write it, put it down, and come back to it. You’ll be amazed what you discover.
• Use a minimum of one-inch margins on each side of the page, with the body of the text of your release centered on the page.
• Double-space your press release.
• Do not use abbreviations or acronyms when you first refer to someone or something. Instead, spell out the full name – Virtual Assistant - and then put VA after it in brackets. The next time you refer to it you can say VA.
• When you use someone’s name say: “Melody Spier” the first time and then “Mrs. Spier” or “Spier” in further references.
• Use the names of both the city and the state the first time you refer to a location.
• When you mention a particular day, use the date and year.
A final thought: If you can cut the bottom half of the press release off and still provide your readers with sufficient information, then you have written an effective release.
Need help with your publicity campaigns? Contact us today!
Are You Ready For The Media?
by Melody
Are you trying to get published in the newspaper? Perhaps you want to land an interview for TV or a magazine. Maybe you’re looking for to do a regular newspaper column or radio show. Whatever the case may be, before you start attracting the media, you need to be prepared.
A couple years ago, out of the blue, I was contacted by a print magazine to do an interview about working from home. I jumped at the opportunity but soon realized that I wasn’t prepared. They were requesting items that I didn’t have so I had to scramble to put them together. Ultimately, I did get the interview and it went well but being unprepared could have cost me that huge opportunity.
This is why I recommend you have a press kit available. You should have a print version as well as a digital version, perhaps in a zip file. You could create a web page with all this information, but I still recommend you have a zip file for easy download.
Here are the items to include in your press kit:
Cover Letter: If you plan to send out press releases whether hard copy or by email, you’ll need a good cover letter to grab the editors interest
Media Coverage: Include all of your most recent press releases as well as any positive press coverage that you’ve already received.
You may also want to include a page of testimonials. Ensure they talk about the positive aspects of the products, the services but they need to be specific “this product helped me…” or “your company (or service) saved me…”.
Biography: Keep it short, simple and easy to read. Make it interesting enough that people can get a feel for who you are. Put it on company letterhead. Include your title, history about why you started the company or how you got in to it, your thoughts on it. Also include basic personal information as well as quotes from you that the media can use.
If you have a more structured business with multiple key players (President, CEO, Vice-President), create a bio for each.
Business Information Sheet: Create a basic information sheet about your business. Background; when it started, what it offers, benefits to the consumer, business hours, contact person, contact information, website address, etc.
Photos: These don’t have to be professional but if your photo is going into print, it will need to be high quality, high resolution and at least a 5×7 and preferably an 8×10 size so they can manipulate it a bit. Digital photos are typically ok as long as the quality is good.
Samples: Offer samples of your product. If your product is digital, cut a chapter or two and table of contents out of the ebook, give them a sheet from your coaching or training material or find another way to create a sample of your product.
Brochure: Especially important when sending by mail or if you don’t have a web site. It helps take the guess work out of your product/service and makes it easy for the editor to understand your business.
Business card: Small, easy to manage and good for filing for future reference even if they cannot use your story now.
Other items you may want to include:
- Business logo or graphic
- A copy of a company newsletter
- References to or articles about the industry (for reporters to research if needed)
The easier you make it for the media, the more likely it is that they’ll take the next step. This might be an interview, featured article, etc. If you don’t have a press kit prepared, you may want to spend a little time collecting these items. You don’t have to do it all at once, but you should at least start the process.
Be sure to keep your press kit updated as new things happen with your business.
Article and Press Release Submission Sites
by Melody
There are hundreds of directories, news sites and other media outlets these days where you can submit your articles or press releases and more being developed each day. The great thing about these is most are free and only require you to register before you submit. Here is a short list of online directories that accept articles and press releases:
Submit Articles
http://morganarticlearchive.com
Submit Press Releases
If you find that you don’t have time or simply dislike submitting your content to these and other sites, we would be happy to do it for you… http://www.essentialofficesupport.com/contact-us