Press Release Tip 87

Follow up the right way

If you’re sending a press release by itself or you’re linking to it from customized pitches that you send to a targeted list of media contacts, and if it includes important or major news, you should follow up.

Don’t simply ask, “Did you get my release and do you know if you’re going to use it?” Those kinds of questions are annoying, particularly for journalists who hear that dozens of times each week.

Instead, have a reason for following up, about 5 to 7 days after you sent the release. Reasons might include:

• You’re offering a reporter a “local angle” to your press release. You might have someone within your organization who lives in the community the media outlet covers, and that person would make a great interview.
• You’re offering a “sidebar” to the press release. That is, additional information a newspaper or magazine can use if they decide to cover it. A sidebar can be statistics, or little-known facts about a topic, or frequently asked questions.
• You have information that ties into the release and you’d like to offer it exclusively to a blogger.

Don’t follow up on routine press releases about topics like new employees and promotions, however. The media get so many of those releases that they don’t have time to field those calls or respond to the emails.

Opportunity #87 to write a press release:  A workshop you’re presenting or attending

Any live workshop deserves a press release. But don’t just give the who, what, when, where information. Include a bulleted list of what participants will learn. If you’re attending a workshop for your professional development, send the press release to your trade magazine or to the local business journal.

Next: Other ways to use your press release.