Does sending out a press release feel a bit passé to you? Landing coverage in traditional press can still reap big rewards and it’s free publicity so independent businesses listen up!

If you’ve got an exciting event or venture planned, reach out to journalists but make sure it’s hitting the newsworthy spot.

  1. A catchy headline makes all the difference in getting busy reporters to even open your email. They will decide within a few seconds of reading it if it’s worth their time, make sure you grab them by the proverbial!

  2. Which leads me on to the all-important Who, What, Why, When and How. Summarise these key points up in your first paragraph. Make it snappy and you can expand on it further down.

  3. Is your press release concise and easy to read? Keep business jargon to a minimum. The ideal release is only one page long, two at the most. They don’t need your whole history at this stage – if the journalist is interested they will contact you for more details.

  4. Include a quote or two, either from yourself, one of your employees or someone who’s integral to your announcement. Quotes add some weight to your story. The journalist may well ask to interview them further so be sure of their availability before you send it out.

  5. This might seem daft but remember to include your contact details at the bottom, along with notes of any photos they can use. Local press are on tighter budgets than ever, gone are the days of sending out photographers to pretty much every envelope opening. The easier you can make their job, the better. 

Hopefully these pointers will help get your creative juices flowing. Drop me a line if you’re struggling to get your story across and see how I can help. 

If you’d like some further guidance on establishing your PR strategy read my blog post on this very subject.