Oh, the press release. As a small business owner you are being told that the way to a journalist’s heart is through a stellar press release, and you are not wrong. In my few years battling in the bunkers of journalism, I weeded my way through many press releases that didn’t give me any of the information I needed, thus most often resulting in half hour phone calls to retrieve information I could have gotten in 30 seconds. The point is that there are right and wrong ways to write a press release. Below are a few epic (and easily avoidable) mistakes to steer clear of when pitching your press release to a journalist.
Will he care about your press release?
Mistake #1: Not going through a final edit/fact check
Nothing a journalist (or publicist) writes goes straight to print without being meticulously torn apart by an editor first. The same concept applies to your press release. Take the extra time to be painfully detailed and you will save the journalist a lot of hassle and potential damage control.
Mistake #2: No story or news
The local journalist at the community newspaper (or any media outlet for that matter) doesn’t care that your boss just won the community service award. However, if the CEO snagged an award for a breakthrough medical discovery that will alter the lives of third world citizens, then you have something. The point is that a journalist craves a rich and unique story that answers the critical question: “Why should my readers care?”
Mistake #3: It’s a sale
Now you may argue with me and claim that your latest press release featuring your new product isn’t selling, it’s telling. I don’t buy it and neither will any journalist. Know the publication or writer you are pitching and write something that can easily be turned into an article with one or two quotes and the facts.
Mistake #4: It’s a novel
400 words. Maximum. I like the format of starting with an anecdote or quote, a quick dive into the product/service/cause, brief statistics, a nice fun quote about company and ending with a company boiler plate. The article is practically written for the journalist already.
These are just a few press release mistakes that you should avoid when pitching journalists. What are some lessons you’ve learned in your own experience?
Photo Credit: Beshef
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