Joel Kweskin of Charlotte, NC, asks this week’s Help This Hound question:
“What should I do when I send out press releases to, among others, the local newspaper and they simply don’t publish them? I’m talking legitimate and even entertaining news items.
“Do you just keep throwing the proverbial stuff against the wall until something sticks? Or, is there a tactic for following up to better give the release a chance to be picked up?”
The Publicity Hound says:
This is a great question, and one that’s perplexed many Hounds. If journalists are consistently ignoring your releases, you need to solicit feedback from other trusted sources who can tell you whether THEY think the releases are newsy—or interesting. Do you know somebody who used to work in the media? Or somebody who does marking or PR? Have you tried coming up with an angle or news hook and pitching it, along with contact information for other sources, to the media?
If you’re posting press releases online, they don’t necessarily have to be newsy. They can be chock full of helpful advice, and if they include the right keywords, you can pull traffic to your press releases and eventuall to your website. On Oct. 21, I’m hosting a teleseminar on how to use keywords, the “magic magnets’ that pull consumers and journalists to your releases.
Let’s see what other ideas my Hounds have for writing better releases, and following up once you send them.
Need help with your own publicity problem? Email it to me and I might use it in my weekly ezine, The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week.
Joel, the most important thing you can do is to get to know the people who decide whether your news gets printed. They call it public relations because it’s about relationships. And you build a media relationship that leads to placements by initiating a dialogue with the people who decide what’s news and what’s not. Buy the appropriate editor or reporter coffee. Visit them in the newsroom. Ask them this most important question: “How can I help YOU?” Ask that question, and be willing to provide some answers, and I predict you will see some great results for your news. Good luck!
I would also suggest using the *letters to the Editor* section to respond to related stories that may pertain to you and resolutions that you can offer.
Joel – I agree with Joan that you may need a reality check from someone who can tell you if what you’re promoting is indeed newsworthy and written well and with a journalistic versus a promotional tone.
Beyond that, my advice would be to set up a face-to-face meeting with the editor who is most appropriate/relevant for your product or whatever you are promoting. If you are talking about the Charlotte Observer, they seem to be pretty friendly and I think would meet with you for coffee or a desk-side chat. Certainly any of the smaller community papers would.
Do your homework before setting up the meeting — know what has been covered, what the style/tone is. Don’t go about this blindly.
If you do achieve a meeting, of course your first goal when talking with them is to find out “what can I do for you”…as in, what are they looking for, what interests them, how do they like to receive information, how much in advance, etc. At that point you might talk about a couple of the releases you’ve sent in the past and ask frankly what you could have done to make the releases of interest.
Once they know you as a trusted source, you will have better luck with your releases — IF they are newsworthy and timely, that is.
As a journalist and former newspaper editor, I would forget the coffee approach. It made most of my colleagues suspicious and we seldom had time for it. One of the best things you can do is include a usable photo at 300 dpi and about 4×6 size. Make sure to include a cutline with identification of anyone in the photo and what it is of. Then write you release to sell that photo. Most editors are looking for art to go with anything canned to lay out a page.
I agree with J. Reeder. Give them the whole package, especially camera ready pix or artwork. Make it as easy as possible for the staff person to use your stuff. Be sure to include a hook, a compelling reason for the editor/media person to read you release. If he/she won’t read it, it certainly won’t get printed. Your target reader must be that editor, not the public.
In a metro like Charlotte, it may be difficult to get to know someone at the newspaper. but if you can make an appointment, ask them to tell you what gets their attention.
Then the next time, write your release with that in mind. Send it on both e-mail AND snail mail. Good luck.
Just pick up the phone and call the newspaper. It could be you’re not meeting their deadlines. Or you’re faxing the press release when they want it e-mailed, or vice versa. One paper didn’t use a great story I sent them because they never got it– their e-mail was down. The best way to find out why they’re not using your press releases is to simply ask.
Are you approaching the right reporters who actually cover your beat?
Are you delivering a news release that has a captivating headline, a gripping first paragraph (lead, or “lede” as some journos spell it), and pulls the reader right in–yet doesn’t cross the line into hype?
Do you provide all the necessary information, and a web link for more detail, photos, etc.?
Have you tried any kind of follow-up?
I have a lot of resources on how to do this on my frugalmarketing.com website, BTW, and I also have written hundreds of press releases for clients. You may find my book Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World particularly helpful. It’s got a huge section on how to write great press releases.