How to send e-mail press releases. And how NOT to!

We work hard to impress upon our clientele that overuse of the email addresses weve collected is intrusive and offensive. We advocate addressing only those media that are likely to serve an audience that is likely to be interested in the release content. We cannot assure that every client will exercise good judgment.

Fortunately, we also find that most news organizations appreciate thoughtful releases with newsworthy content that can stimulate the research and follow through that are the hallmarks of good journalism, bringing new ideas and issues to an interested readership.

In an era of cost-conscious management, email provides a fast, efficient means of extending the reach of newsroom personnel. At the same time, irrelevant or unwanted material can be instantly deleted from any computer with less effort than it takes to open and discard a traditional, printed release. It is our hope that your future experiences with emailed contributions will be positive and productive.

I once had a fellow who used our newspaper email list (we also offer radio and TV email lists) write to me saying that half of them bounced and that the response was "more than unfriendly". He forwarded all his hate mail to me, along with the supposed undeliverable addresses. Needless to say, I had a minor heart attack and immediately began to find out exactly what he sent, to whom, and how.

I discovered he had pasted all 800 addresses into the TO field of his mail program. Some were separated with commas, some were not. This explained all the bounced mail. It also explained why email that did reach an editor consisted of four pages of nothing but email addresses. Those editors that scrolled down far enough to find his message found a three paragraph teaser-the beginning of a news story. If the editor wanted the rest of the article, they had to go to a website where the full story would be found-but not right away; it would be posted "in a few days".

If all that wasnt enough, the letter concluded with a sales pitch to sign up for his "news service" at three cents per word or whatever. This real life example should illustrate a few points.

Know how your mailing software operates. If you have never sent more than one letter at a time, find three friends and do a dry run! Often, pasting a block of names into Carbon Copy will also fill the letter with those names. If you take this cut and paste approach, use Blind Carbon Copy! It has worked for me, but test your own program first. It is really best to have a program that will send individual emails. An observant editor will see that he or she is not a unique recipient if done in any other fashion. However, a press release is not meant to be a personal letter, so this probably shouldnt worry you.

Dont ask a busy editor to go hunting for the news. Thats what your concise, well written and pertinent press release should provide. This should be obvious.
And certainly never try to sell an editor something! This should be more than obvious.

About the Author
Chris Mclean

chris@pertinent.com
www.pertinent.com