One reason - my experience as a “PR guy” continues to pay dividends. One of the keys to PR success is to find a way to turn the facts into a story. For instance, you just read that the king and the queen died (I made that up). But dig below the surface and you discover that the queen died of grief after the king died. That’s the story.
Your story has to catch the attention of your key target audience – the reporter. The reporter is always looking for NEWS. So make what you write newsworthy and reader-focused.
Now that you have a story, here are a few tips to move it along.
Critique your work before sending it out. Ask yourself:
- l Is this really news? Make your announcement as interesting and reader friendly as you can.
- l Does my headline and first sentence pique the interest of the reporter and cause a reaction of “This looks interesting. I think I’ll do something with this”.
- l Did my story resource have an opportunity to review your draft and make corrections or provide additional input? You are a collaborator, not the source. Ask your source to identify media outlets that are important. Add that to your own list.
- l Get a newsworthy quote for the story and a photo. Your chances of getting published are much greater when the release has a photo to go with it.
Include detailed contact information.
- l The reporter may want to contact the story resource directly. The coverage is the key objective, not your prose.
Follow up with key media contacts...
- l A phone call can stimulate interest in the story, as well as enhance your business relationship. If they show up to cover the story, be as helpful as you can to make their task easier.
View previous monthly morsels on our Free Marketing Advice page.
