|
|
| www.1001TopWords.com |
|
|
Gaining Free Publicity Through Press Releases
One of the greatest ways to promote your product or service is with publicity. Many people have little, if any, understanding of how to go about securing publicity, never mind free publicity. Fact is, people will pay more attention to free publicity than they often do to paid advertising. A simple way to gain free publicity is to write and distribute a well-written and well-formatted press release. A good press release is one of the most effective, and yet, most underutilized, of publicity tools. Simply put, a press release is an announcement you send to magazines, trade journals, newspapers, and newsletters. Also to radio and television. Often what you send to radio and television are referred to as PSA's (Public Service Announcements). I have one client who hosted an event and submitted one well-written and well-distributed press releases to the media. When the release made it in print, they went from having a 50% booking for their event through some direct mail efforts to filling up the entire room in less than 48 hours. This was worth a substantial amount of money to them. Necessary steps Prior to writing a press release, determine the following:
Develop a system for writing and distribution of releases. Stay organized. Know how to send the press release to a specific media outlet and person. Each has their own preference as to how they want to receive it. It will be to your benefit to find out. A quick phone call will often provide you with this key information. Editors are inundated with information. If you want their attention keep the release short and to the point. During busy times, like before a huge event in a city, they will be in information overload. Don't use massive amounts of buzzwords such as "its all-new, interactive, interoperable, cross-platform, new multimedia solution." Avoid jargon. The general public will have no idea what your industry jargon means and editors rarely will take time to find out. Give them the who/what/when/where/why as articulately as you can. Make your information is complete. Incomplete information is far more likely to get your press release in the trash bin than anything else. The 5 Ws of writing a press release or PSA. Who should attend? Who will be there? What is taking place? What will come from this event? Is it a fundraiser? When is it happening? Where will this occur? Why would people be interested in the information? Why would they attend the event? Sending press releases Many journalists prefer that you send press releases via e-mail. You will find some die-hard snail mail folks, and a few who like faxes. If you're about to start working with a new journalist, and you're not sure how they prefer to receive their press information, ask. Once they tell you how they prefer the information, honor that request. E-mail should be sent as a plain text file: the simpler, the better. Do not send a press release via email with an attachment. Most media people will automatically delete due to the concern of a virus. Do not send your email out via a mass email. Actually, if you use a good contact management database, you can send it by mass email and it appears as if each is a personalized email. Don't send a press release to your entire press list, with the entire recipient list visible. When an editor calls for more information, respond to their call as quickly and professionally as possible. There is not substitute for building good relationships with the media. Don't ever think you are too busy for them. By making yourself available for the media, they tend to make themselves available for you. And what more could you possibly ask for? Copyright: © 2004 by Kathleen Gage Publishing Guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter, on your web site, or in your print publication provided you include the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is not required. About The Author Kathleen Gage is a business advisor, keynote speaker and trainer who helps others gain marketing dominance and visibility within their market. She is the recipient of the 2004 Giant Step Award for Business of the Year in the State of Utah. Call 801.619.1514 or email Kathleen@turningpointpresents.com. Get Gage's online newsletter called Street Smarts Marketing and Promotions by visiting www.kathleengage.com.
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Is The Traditional Press Review Still A Business Tool Of The Future? Press reviews are a common and basic feature for surveying the market situtation, your company's public image and the coverage of your competitor's business. Only if you are well-informed about theses topics, you can make sound business decisions. Getting Traffic Through Publicity If your reading this, you must be online and most likely have a website. You must also be interested in making money from this website, but there is only one way you can do that- traffic and lots of it. Marketing-Minded Financial Planners, Dont Hold Back Information From the Media Some financial planners think that they shouldn't share their top tips with the media. Detailing The Famous Kentucky Derby Train The annual detailing of the Kentucky Derby Train is an annual ritual for the beautiful long sleek historical piece of American History. It may seem easy to detail such a fine piece of machinery, but it take many man-hours and they expect it perfect. Such a job is sure to inflate the egos of the company with the contract and make some ice pictures for their portfolio. The Role Of Public Relations In Branding Because PR can be difficult to control, it is often discredited. According to Dick Lyles, president and chief operating officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies, a full-service consulting and performance improvement company, "People tend to migrate to things they can control. Even now, when an executive looks at an advertising message that's exactly what they want to create, with exactly the right positioning and so forth, they say, 'That's the message I want to send.' That's great, even though people may not read it, or people may give it less value and discount it, because it's advertising.... [On the other hand], if you get a well-placed article in a trade journal or you get some ink, people give it more credibility. The impact is greater, but because it may not come out exactly the way it was intended to come out, [businesspeople frequently] discount it." The Press Release Method to Get Great Publicity If you have had any experience in public relations or marketing, you probably know how well press releases can work. There are many, many companies who have increased sales by 100%-300% in a matter of months simply through using press releases. Marketing-Minded Financial Planners: Put Extra Content in an E-Zine As you start getting more media-savvy, you'll find yourself coming up with more and more information and ideas to help the public. Not all of these ideas will strike the fancy of your media contacts, but don't let them go to waste-become a media person yourself by publishing an e-zine. PR: Lets Talk Fundamentals How much more fundamental can you get than this? As a business, non-profit or association manager, if you don't get your most important outside audiences on your side, you will fail. Trade Show Tactics Revealed Being part of a trade show gives small business a chance to experience economies of scale and to mix around with the big guys. This may also be the most stressful period for the PR Dept. head as he will hope that R & D people will be able to bring out the latest prototype of the company's new and "hot" product to a large audience. Top management may plan to use the trade show to increase profitability and market share. Ramp Up Your Newsletter to Build a Strong Business To survive in business, you've got to focus your attention on the areas that will guarantee you success. Your clients are your greatest asset. Taking the time to educate them and connect with them will pay big dividends over the long haul. There are lots of ways to spend your marketing dollars. But I've found that the number one most effective marketing tool around is a newsletter. This is the perfect time of year to fine tune - or develop - yours. A Well-Oiled Strategy Machine Yes, that's what public relations really is when it tracks important external audience perceptions and follow on behaviors. And again when it does something about those perceptions and behaviors by reaching, persuading and moving to actions you desire, those people whose behaviors affect your organization the most. What is GuerrillaPR Anyway? Public relations is the art, as one of my colleagues put it, of "offering people reasons to persuade themselves." In other words, we are not Madison Avenue; we don't tell people what we want them to think. Rather, we give them evidence, facts, and opinions that help them reach a conclusion. If we're good at what we do, they will reach the conclusion we've been hired to promote. Advertising and Community Relations -- Get the Best of Both Worlds Have you ever noticed that in communities without big universities, high school sports take on an even bigger importance? Yes, There is a PR Sweet Spot And here it is: public relations alters individual perception leading to changed behaviors among the key outside audiences of a business, non-profit or association manager. It happens when the manager applies positive actions affecting the behaviors of those important external audiences that most affect his or her operation. A PR Surprise for Managers For those business, non-profit and association managers committed to PR tactics like radio and newspaper plugs, it can come as a surprise to discover where public relations value REALLY lies. Getting to Know Your Local City Council Members The easiest way to meet city council members is to meet them at an event. Usually city council members have a phone number that is listed. Many will not ever answer the phone, but events they must be cordial and open to all. Explain who you are and your business and thank them for some endeavor they feel strongly about in the city. If they are too busy to talk with, then make friends with everyone who talks to them and make sure they get a business card too. Killing Them Softly The world has woken up to ethical issues in corporate governance & accounting practices. Corporate heads that were not guillotined were forced hang their heads in retrospective shame. The heads that fell were the victimizers, and the axe that fell, fell too late, and the punishment received, was way too little compared to the suffering, pain and financial losses that the organizations' stakeholders suffered. Trust of millions of investors was lost overnight. Getting Articles Published - Eight Steps for Trade Publications Trade publications present an excellent opportunity for organisations to gain thousands of dollars worth of free publicity by having articles published. As they are regularly looking for articles to fill space and they are often used as a forum to promote new products or services to specific audiences. In addition to this trade publications are often tailored to specific markets and widely read, offering a tailored communication channel. Credibility Lost or Gained, Are you Prepared? If a reporter approached you about an interview, would you know what to say do or even how to dress for one? Would you know how to answer questions?Have you ever wondered what the secret of working effectively with the media is? Do you wonder how to increase or even have quality coverage? Why PR is a Vital Force Because it can alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors. Something of profound importance to businesses, non-profits and associations who can sink or swim on how well they employ this crucial dynamic.
|
| © Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |
