Creating A Powerful Press Release - Part 2
| Category: Copy Writing | Date: 2003-10-22 |
In my first article, "Creating a powerful press release" - press_release@sendfree.com, I show you how to write a good press release in a format and style that appeals to editors. I have received favorable responses from many readers, many of whom have requested for more in-depth information.
In this part 2 of the article, you will learn how to identify the angle or headline of a story. This is the most important step in writing a press release. The correct choice of a storys angle will greatly increase the chance of having your story published by the media.
1) IDENTIFY YOUR READERS
Do you understand your consumers well? As marketers, it is important for you to recognize the profile and buying behavior of your consumers. Information such as their age groups, interests and preferred media would come in handy when you want to reach out to them effectively.
The key to an effective communication, whether verbal or written, lies in presenting your messages to interested audience or readers. Whenever possible, you should only send your press releases to those media whose readers profile matches that of your target consumers.
You must send your press release to the right persons in order to increase the chance of having your story published. Look through the chosen newspapers and identify those reporters who cover events or activities that share the same theme as your products or services. You can identify the reporters by the articles byline.
2) PRIORITIZE YOUR MESSAGES
Before you start writing a press release, you should list down all the relevant facts and details on a piece of paper. This is a good writing practice. It helps you organize your story better. I encourage every writer to make it a habit to do so.
How should we go about collating all the information and facts surrounding a particular event? A simple rule of thumb is to find answers to questions pertaining to who, what, when, where, why or 5 Ws of the event. And we do not stop at just the absolute facts and figures. These must be presented in the right perspective relative to some industry norms, trends and statistics. You may have to undertake some research by going through past industry and newspapers reports.
The next step is to evaluate and prioritize the facts according to their relative importance in conveying your intended message to the media. The most important fact will form the basis for your storys angle.
3) RELATE MESSAGE TO READERS
What you want to say about your product or service may not be the same as what your readers want to know. What this means is that you and your readers may look at the same event from totally different perspectives.
To kindle your readers interest, you must present your intended message from their perspective. If you have done a good job in understanding your readers, you should have no problem in empathizing with their view and interest. This is widely known in journalism as having "a nose for news". It all boils down to having a sharp sensitivity to factors that make a person tick!
For example:
A non-profit organization may want to rally the community to support its vision of increasing the number of foster care homes for homeless cats and dogs in the neighborhoods.
This message may go down well with pet lovers whose love for pets would be sufficient motivation for them to provide a home for the homeless cats and dogs. But it may not necessary touch the heart of the majority.
The organization could, however, increase its chance of getting support from the community by focusing on how it could help alleviate the problems caused by having too many stray cats and dogs in the neighborhoods.
In other words, the organization is providing a solution to a problem, which if left unchecked, could grow to become a menace to the community. For example, stray cats and dogs running loose on busy streets may lead to traffic accidents. To highlight the severity of the problem, a statement of this kind must be supported with statistics.
The above example illustrates how we can present the same event - provide foster care homes for cats and dogs - from two different perspectives - a love for pets (organization) and a concern that stray cats and dogs could become a menace (community).
4) PRESENT STORY IN RIGHT CONTEXT
The above example also demonstrates the importance of presenting your story in the right context. It is a fact that there are many homeless cats and dogs in the neighborhoods. But can you establish the claim that stray cats and dogs could become a menace to the community. You may have to undertake some research by going through past community and newspapers reports. If necessary, you may consider conducting an opinions poll at your website or in your neighborhood to gauge public response.
You are now ready to present the headline or angle of your story. Using the above example, the headline could go like this:
Say "NO" to stray cats and dogs!
Sub-headline:
[Name of organization] offers solution to clear up the streets.
Opening paragraph:
Giving stray cats and dogs a home may be the answer to our long-standing problem, which if left unchecked, could grow to become a menace to our community.
Follow by statistics:
. . . . . to illustrate the severity of the problems.
Follow by details and merits of increasing the number of foster care homes for homeless cats and dogs in the neighborhood.
The above writing tips should help you get started on writing a press release yourself. Remember that practice makes perfect and the best way to learn how to write an effective press release is to observe how business news is reported in the business section of your newspapers.
About the author:
Patrick Tan, an entrepreneur and former journalist, offers a complete range of e-commerce solutions and services (editing, writing, translation, content development, web design, etc) to help you build a successful career online. Visit his site at aloha-city.com for more information. He publishes a free newsletter to share his experience and business know-how. Subscribe Now! basics@aloha-city.com
:To contact see details below.
patrick@aloha-city.com
http://www.aloha-city.com
In this part 2 of the article, you will learn how to identify the angle or headline of a story. This is the most important step in writing a press release. The correct choice of a storys angle will greatly increase the chance of having your story published by the media.
1) IDENTIFY YOUR READERS
Do you understand your consumers well? As marketers, it is important for you to recognize the profile and buying behavior of your consumers. Information such as their age groups, interests and preferred media would come in handy when you want to reach out to them effectively.
The key to an effective communication, whether verbal or written, lies in presenting your messages to interested audience or readers. Whenever possible, you should only send your press releases to those media whose readers profile matches that of your target consumers.
You must send your press release to the right persons in order to increase the chance of having your story published. Look through the chosen newspapers and identify those reporters who cover events or activities that share the same theme as your products or services. You can identify the reporters by the articles byline.
2) PRIORITIZE YOUR MESSAGES
Before you start writing a press release, you should list down all the relevant facts and details on a piece of paper. This is a good writing practice. It helps you organize your story better. I encourage every writer to make it a habit to do so.
How should we go about collating all the information and facts surrounding a particular event? A simple rule of thumb is to find answers to questions pertaining to who, what, when, where, why or 5 Ws of the event. And we do not stop at just the absolute facts and figures. These must be presented in the right perspective relative to some industry norms, trends and statistics. You may have to undertake some research by going through past industry and newspapers reports.
The next step is to evaluate and prioritize the facts according to their relative importance in conveying your intended message to the media. The most important fact will form the basis for your storys angle.
3) RELATE MESSAGE TO READERS
What you want to say about your product or service may not be the same as what your readers want to know. What this means is that you and your readers may look at the same event from totally different perspectives.
To kindle your readers interest, you must present your intended message from their perspective. If you have done a good job in understanding your readers, you should have no problem in empathizing with their view and interest. This is widely known in journalism as having "a nose for news". It all boils down to having a sharp sensitivity to factors that make a person tick!
For example:
A non-profit organization may want to rally the community to support its vision of increasing the number of foster care homes for homeless cats and dogs in the neighborhoods.
This message may go down well with pet lovers whose love for pets would be sufficient motivation for them to provide a home for the homeless cats and dogs. But it may not necessary touch the heart of the majority.
The organization could, however, increase its chance of getting support from the community by focusing on how it could help alleviate the problems caused by having too many stray cats and dogs in the neighborhoods.
In other words, the organization is providing a solution to a problem, which if left unchecked, could grow to become a menace to the community. For example, stray cats and dogs running loose on busy streets may lead to traffic accidents. To highlight the severity of the problem, a statement of this kind must be supported with statistics.
The above example illustrates how we can present the same event - provide foster care homes for cats and dogs - from two different perspectives - a love for pets (organization) and a concern that stray cats and dogs could become a menace (community).
4) PRESENT STORY IN RIGHT CONTEXT
The above example also demonstrates the importance of presenting your story in the right context. It is a fact that there are many homeless cats and dogs in the neighborhoods. But can you establish the claim that stray cats and dogs could become a menace to the community. You may have to undertake some research by going through past community and newspapers reports. If necessary, you may consider conducting an opinions poll at your website or in your neighborhood to gauge public response.
You are now ready to present the headline or angle of your story. Using the above example, the headline could go like this:
Say "NO" to stray cats and dogs!
Sub-headline:
[Name of organization] offers solution to clear up the streets.
Opening paragraph:
Giving stray cats and dogs a home may be the answer to our long-standing problem, which if left unchecked, could grow to become a menace to our community.
Follow by statistics:
. . . . . to illustrate the severity of the problems.
Follow by details and merits of increasing the number of foster care homes for homeless cats and dogs in the neighborhood.
The above writing tips should help you get started on writing a press release yourself. Remember that practice makes perfect and the best way to learn how to write an effective press release is to observe how business news is reported in the business section of your newspapers.
About the author:
Patrick Tan, an entrepreneur and former journalist, offers a complete range of e-commerce solutions and services (editing, writing, translation, content development, web design, etc) to help you build a successful career online. Visit his site at aloha-city.com for more information. He publishes a free newsletter to share his experience and business know-how. Subscribe Now! basics@aloha-city.com
:To contact see details below.
patrick@aloha-city.com
http://www.aloha-city.com
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