The debate rages on about whether news releases are less relevant than ever. BL Ochman, who used to do a lot of publicity work for her clients, says she stopped writing news releases a long time ago and, instead, prefers chatty, customized pitch letters. (See “How to Write a Pitch Letter More Powerful Than a… Read More
Press Releases
Use powerful subheads on press releases and other copy
Of the five stories that appeared on the front page of today’s edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, my local newspaper, every one of them had a subhead just below the main headline. In today’s edition of the Wall Street, all four stories on Page 1 also have subheads. You’ll probably find something similar if… Read More
How to find freelancers for news releases, media kits and more in a hurry
Within the last several weeks, two projects have been driving me crazy: something I needed written very quickly, and a PDF document of an ebook that I need to update. But the Word file that I used to create the PDF was corrupted. It’s possible to edit a PDF but it’s time-consuming and it would… Read More
Press releases: Dead or alive?
Is the press release dead or alive? Publicity Hounds have conflicting opinions and we want to know yours. Sally Saville Hodge says it’s dead, and she backs up her claim in this article at the MarketingProfs website. Harry Hoover says it’s very much alive and offers this rebuttal. What do you think? Dead or alive?… Read More
The news release is dead
Do you write news releases that require six levels of approval before they can go out the door? Do you labor over every word in your releases, and worry what reporters will think about the lame B.S. quote in the third paragraph—the one the boss insists be kept in? If so, you might welcome the… Read More
Feds should butt out of VNR controversy
The federal government should stay out of the squabble over prepackaged news materials such as video news releases. The FCC is reviewing existing rules and regulations on two types of prepackaged news materials – those involving financial or promotional considerations for broadcasters who air them and those involving “controversial” or “political subjects.” The FCC became… Read More
End-of-summer story ideas
The calendar says spring is here, but if you’re pitching to national magazines, particularly those that work several months out, you should be thinking of end-of-summer stories. They include: –Anything that can tie into Labor Day which we celebrate on September 5 this year. –Back-to-School stories, particulary trends in things such as fashions –Tips from… Read More
Press releases becoming a thing of the past
In this week’s issue of The Business Journal in Milwaukee, publisher Mark Sabljak says in his weekly column that “Press releases, frankly, are old news.” In most cases, he said, the media are looking for exclusive news, not the same old stuff that’s offered to all the other media. That’s particularly true with The Business… Read More
Double-check dates in press releases
Here’s a tip that seems so obvious that you’ll wonder why I’m even mentioning it. But TV personality Connie Dieken says it’s a frequent mistake that will send your news release or story pitch right into the TV station’s wastebasket. Ditto for news releases sent to print media outlets. Too often, the day and date… Read More
Don’t put dates on press releases
Here’s another big boo-boo made by made by many people who write news releases. They put the date the release was distributed right at the top. Why not just include a headline in 40-point type that screams, “OLD NEWS.” In an era where hour-old news is practically ancient history, dating your news releases is just… Read More