Press releases are a useful tool for announcing news and for keeping your name in the mind of the news media.

But you can’t build a successful publicity campaign on press releases alone, for the simple reason that very few press releases ever make it into the paper.

You may think that your press release contains terrific, useful news, but you share that belief with the other three hundred people that sent their press release to the newspaper that day. If newspapers used every press release they got, paperboys would lose their jobs—the morning paper would have to be delivered by forklift.

Reporters are inundated by press releases. Some get 60 press releases a day—and on a good day they have time to write only two stories.

There’s a smarter way to garner free publicity that will build your financial planning practice. Rely instead on developing the tools and tactics I teach in my articles and seminars. Practice contacting reporters informally and writing intelligently about your topics.

Don’t lump yourself in with the dozens of press release submitters who receive but a brief glance from reporters, and hardly any chance of garnering publicity. Share your expertise with the media in creative, common sense ways.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele’s MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

Public relations is all about credibility and trustworthiness. If you don’t practice PR, then you are likely to be incredible.

Some of the elements of a PR program include research, media relations, publicity, special events, employee relations, client relationship management, crisis communication, trade shows/conferences, community and government relations, and corporate identity. PR helps you shape internal and external opinion about your organization with an eye toward building support among your key "publics."

What can you expect from PR if it is done correctly?

- Boost Credibility. Media coverage or word-of-mouth from the right people heightens your credibility much more than an ad ever could.

- Build Trust. People trust what they are familiar with. A proactive PR program that gets and keeps your name in front of people can be the first step in building that trust.

- Generate Leads. Positive publicity for your products and services can generate sales leads for you to follow up.

- Word-of-Mouth. By increasing awareness of your company, people and products, media coverage provides fodder for the word-of-mouth machine.

- Shape Attitudes. From employee communication to publicity, PR tactics can be used to tell your story convincingly to key publics.

- Refine Customer Service. Those who believe PR is about one-way, top-down spin doctoring - I hope - are relics of the past. Two-way PR, in which the company actually solicits and listens to customer feedback, can provide the kind of edge companies need today in this age of commoditization.

So, don’t be incredible. Make PR an integral part of your business strategy.

Harry Hoover is managing principal of Hoover ink PR, http://www.hoover-ink.com. He has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Brent Dees Financial Planning, Duke Energy, Levolor, New World Mortgage, North Carolina Tourism, VELUX and Verbatim.

Big corporations like General Motors and Coca-Cola spend thousands of dollars on press kits with specially-designed folders, full-color stationery, digital photos and lots of other goodies. Does this make a reporter more likely to do their story? In my experience, the answer is no.

Regardless of the appearance of the information, there are two basic things in a press release that lead to free publicity. Useful information, and several different contact methods.

A reporter almost expects a big company to have flashy press information. But they certainly don’t expect or even want it from you.

Cut unnecessary costs by skipping the fancy, flashy press kits with glitter and ribbons. It rarely helps.

Instead, invest time in coming up with information that will appeal to the reporter and to her readers. Useful information gets – and keeps – a reporter’s attention much better.

And after you compile that information, make sure that it’s going to be easy for the reporter to find you when they want to use the information. Every piece of paper or email you send the media must have your contact information: phone, fax, mail, web site address, and e-mail. Putting it on the outer folder, or top sheet alone, just isn’t enough.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele’s MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

Although I still believe there is a place for advertising as a brand maintenance or brand affirmation tool, I am convinced that to build a brand today, you need PR. At one time advertising did build brands. But this was in a simpler America. That America, sadly, is no more.

I’ve been re-reading The Fall Of Advertising & The Rise Of PR, by Al and Laura Ries, and it is their book that has moved me from suspicion of advertising’s demise as a brand-builder to conviction.

As the Ries’ say, “Publicity is the nail, advertising is the hammer.” What does this mean? It means that your PR effort helps make your message believable so that your advertising will have credibility when it hits.

Typically, companies want to hit the market hard and make a lot of noise. Advertising allows you to launch quickly, control the message, and have your message in as many media as you have the money for. However, that does not mean your message will be believed. The louder advertisers yell, the less likely I am to believe them. How about you?

PR takes time and does not necessarily work on your schedule. Planting new ideas or changing minds is a slow process. When your PR program rolls out over a longer period of time, prospects have time to adjust their attitudes. Brands that take this approach are longer lasting, too.

Chevrolet, for years the number one auto brand, was still number one in ad spending in 2001. It spent $819 million dollars – 39 percent more than Ford spent. That year, Ford outsoldevrolet by 33 percent. Since 1997, Chevrolet has outspent and undersold Ford. Chevrolet spends $314 per vehicle and Ford spends $170 per vehicle. Do you think advertising is working for Chevrolet?

Kmart, embroiled in financial difficulty for years, had revenues of $37 billion and spent $542 million on US advertising in 2001. Wal-Mart spent $498 million and garnered four times the revenue: $159 billion split between its Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores. The average Wal-Mart store does $46 million in sales each year while its Sam’s Club average store sells $56 million. Sam’s Club does almost no advertising.

Those are old brands, you’re saying. What about some newer brands, Harry?

OK, let’s look at Pets.com. Remember the dog sock puppet that starred in their commercials? It won awards, but not sales. In six months Pets.com had $22 million in revenues and spent four times that much on advertising. Off-base advertising creativity at work.

The Body Shop was built totally by publicity. No advertising at all. Starbucks, until recently, did virtually no advertising. It has built a brand through good PR efforts. Starbucks’ annual sales are around $1.3 billion, while advertising expenditures over 10 years, have totaled less than $10 million.

Finally, what advertising agency do you know that has built its brand with ads? Things that make you go “hmm.”

Harry Hoover is managing principal of Hoover ink PR, http://www.hoover-ink.com. He has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Brent Dees Financial Planning, Duke Energy, Levolor, New World Mortgage, North Carolina Tourism, VELUX and Verbatim.

Ideally, you will have two types of quotes in your press release. A quote from yourself is mandatory. To give your release extra impact, get a quote from a third-party.

Quoting yourself may seem unnatural to you at first, but it’s what every reporter expects. Your quote should be about the information in the press release, not about how great you are. As I always say, the key to getting publicity is to build your story around information, not around yourself.

A good quote: “This tip is the single best advice for homeowners,” said local attorney Nicole Jones.

A bad quote: “I am the best lawyer in town,” Ms. Jones said.

If you are having trouble coming up with a quote, try interviewing yourself. I often use this technique when I need to come up with an appropriate quote. Think, "What would a reporter ask me?" Probably something about why you are doing what you are doing, what the significance of it is, or how it will change the lives of your readers.

It’s often helpful to quote (with consent) clients, customers, colleagues, other experts in your area who complement your story. It shows the reporter there’s more to the story than some hot air blowing their way. And it makes it easier for them to assemble a complete story.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele’s MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

Layout
1.   1-2 pages in length.
2.   Double-space.
3.   1.5 to 2 inch margins.
4.   Use company stationary with logo and slogan.
5.   Avoid bright or dark-colored paper.
6.   Center "News Release" at top.
7.   Place a "release date" under "News Release".
8.   On second page, type "page 2".
9.   Use company stationary with logo and slogan on page 2.
10. Leave out "release after" date on second page, all
      else should be the same.
11. At end of press release, type "-30-" or "# # #".
12. Include both black & white, color, and a variety of font
    sizes (but no more than four).

Format
13. Inverted pyramid (biggest point or major message first).
14. Straight to the point at the beginning.
15. First and second paragraphs devoted to your main
      message.
16. Secondary information comes AFTER main message.
17. No pussyfooting around, be clear up front, at the very
      beginning.
18. Don’t go on and on.
19. In the third section, establish a connection with you.
20. Use a problem/solution format.
21. Comparing and contrasting ideas can be inside the
      problem/solution format.
22. Be careful of your facts, spelling and grammar
23. Only one news release per e-mail or envelope.

Information to Include
24. Newsworthy information, not sales copy
25. All the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How elements.
      Their order depends on level of importance.
26. Enticing headline which summarize the material/news.
27. Photos if available, or where they can be accessed
      in press section of your web site.  No stock images.
28. No cover letter.

Distribution
29. Don’t send press release out in a mass e-mailing
30. Don’t pester contacts
31. Editors will not distribute anything sloppy, difficult
      to read, or understand.
32. Mail release by first class mail.
33. Don’t use any type of labels, including your return
      address.
34. Add "PRESS RELEASE" and "Release Date:" on outside of
      envelope.
35. Places to send press releases: writers@[magazines];
      writers@[newspapers]; trade journals in your industry;
      print magazines on the topic; online agencies that
      distribute news releases.

(c) Copyright 2004, Catherine Franz.  All rights reserved.

Catherine Franz, a Certified Professional Coach, specializes
in infoproduct development.  Newsletters and additional
articles available:  http://www.abundancecenter.com
blog: http://abundance.blogs.com/

Use journalistic style

Reporters are busy. Just like you.

So when you write anything for the media, be concise and tight.

Short, simple, sentences. Lively. Ridiculously short. Even if they seem to violate those fourth-grade grammar rules about complete sentences.

Save big, sophisticated words for impressing old English teachers at school reunions. To get free publicity from the media, use common words.

It’s OK. Trust me. It’s how they write. It’s what they want. Shows ‘em you understand their jobs.

Keep everything short. Not just sentences.

The whole press release should be short – one page, or two at most. Honest.

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, one of this nation’s enduring literary masterpieces, is only 278 words. Surely you can entice a reporter’s attention with less than 400 words, which is about one page.

Hold the adjectives and the jargon

Be lively and colorful in your writing. But avoid the hype. Adjectives in a release doom you to the trash box. “Unique,” “Exceptional,” “Remarkable,” “Cutting-edge”…. All they say to a reporter is, “toss me.” Better: let the facts – your story – speak for themselves.

If there’s anything reporters hate more than hype, it’s jargon. Reporters have even created web sites to vent their frustration about this. Avoid hackneyed words and phrases like "solution" or "best-in-breed." Use plain English. Like Lincoln did.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele’s MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

Want to get radio interviews and coverage in print
publications to sell more books?

Master the art of writing magnetic media releases
that attract attention of editors and publishers.

A media release (which also goes by its former
name, the press release) is a one page, double spaced, single-sided document designed to transmit news about books, products, and people.

Because of its official sounding name, authors often
make the mistake of sounding like Sgt. Friday of the TV show "Dragnet" when they write the release, and make it Too fact oriented.

Don’t forget that real live people, editors and
producers, must pull the release from the fax machine and be motivated to read it.

Motivating Editors and Producers to Read Your Release
In today’s world, getting editors and producers to
actually read your release is a challenge. Every day,
people tap into the possibilities of free publicity and are becoming proactive in getting their voice heard.

As the producer of a lifestyle TV show, I receive
upward of two hundred releases a week. However,
only a small percentage are both appropriate for the
show and grab my attention.

Below are 10 tips to help you write releases that get your message heard.
1. Write an attention grabbing headline.
Realize that your headline must immediately
"hook" a busy producer or editor at first glance.
If your headline doesn’t hook them, they won’t read
further.

2. Be certain that your book is appropriate for the target audience.

Do not send a media release about your romance novel to a radio show that interviews only nonfiction authors. Wishful thinking is well and good, but realize that shows KNOW their target market.

3. Realize that there is a difference in format when sending a release by email and by fax.
A faxed release and release sent by mail can be
identical. However, an email release requires careful
crafting to get right and is an art onto itself. The key
concept to remember is twofold. First, the subject line spells the difference between the release being opened or deleted. Second, you must target delivery of the email release carefully, or you risk being banned forever to the recipient’s "bozo" file.

4. Be certain to include key information in a book
release such as your ISBN number, publication
date, page count and binding, and if you like
a small .jpeg of the cover.

5. You can increase your chances of
being booked on a radio station if you offer
to give away books on the show in your
release.

6. For media releases aimed at reviewers,
include information on how they can
get a book to review by email or fax.

7. Do not follow up to see if the recipient
received the release. If this is a show or
publication you are keenly interested in,
call them with "new information"
designed to create more excitement
in featuring you.

8. Keep a notebook with you and
jot down names of appropriate media
contacts as you read publications and
hear radio interviews.

9. Journalists and producers need you
and your news, but will lose respect if
you hammer them with releases that
don’t apply to their market or beat.
Discriminate.

10. Keep a "swipe file" of
clever advertisements or headlines
you can refer to when you need
a creative boost.

copyright 2004 Marisa D’Vari All rights reserved

Byline
     Download a free 79 page Special Report on how to Build Buzz for your business with free publicity at http://www.BuildingBuzz.com. Regularly $19.95, FREE in honor of Shameless Promotion month.

A term you’ll hear in newsrooms, in editing meetings, in Journalism 101, but almost nowhere else, is "inverted pyramid."

The "inverted pyramid" style is the goal of every newspaper reporter, and, if you want free publicity, it should be the goal of your press release as well.

What is an inverted pyramid? It is the structure of the press release. It simply means that you should put the most important or enticing information in the first few sentences of your press release, and then unfold the rest in descending order of importance.

For example, if you are announcing a new financial planning product or service, put that up front:

"A new financial planning service will help local families increase their retirement savings."

Unfortunately, many people have a tendency to put less important information in the first sentence of a release. For example:

"Chet Thompson, CFM, a financial planner located in Glendale, today announced a new service called ‘PlanWise.’"

What’s more important? Your name, your location, and the name of your service, or the fact that it will provide a better retirement? All of your contact information is important, and should be in the release, but it’s not as interesting as what your service will do.

Reporters scan a release quickly: burying your "best" stuff near the bottom always backfires. A press release isn’t a mystery novel—you aren’t going for a surprise ending.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele’s MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

You worked hard to get a story on your business in a popular
website or your local paper. Don’t let your efforts ends there –
here are seven tips to help you maximize your online and offline
publicity:

1) Reprint, Reprint, Reprint!

A favorable article on your company or products is marketing gold
- it implies that the publication or website has given its
endorsement. The best part is that you can enjoy the benefits of
this "third party endorsement" long after the article has
appeared.

If you want to re-print an article from an offline publication in
its entirety, you must get permission from the publication.  Most
publications have special re-print departments to help you.

The same rules apply for stories appearing on websites.  To re-
print, take a screenshot - make sure to include the logo of the
media outlet.

If there is a particularly juicy section of the article that
you’d like to highlight, make sure to use a "blow-up" quote to
enlarge and separate it from the rest of the article.

2) Add it to Your Website

What better place to drumbeat your newly acquired media placement
than your website.  If you get a lot of publicity, set up a
special area (for example, "As Seen In") to display your
placements.  For a great story, highlight it on your homepage.
Susan Blair does a nice job of displaying her publicity successes
in her "Articles" section at http://www.blairenterprises.net

Note: if a publication displays your article on its website, make
sure to link to it.  Remember to check your link often - media
websites constantly change.  Better yet, take a screenshot of
your article including the publication’s logo, and place it
permanently in your "As Seen In" area.

3) Stop the (Electronic) Presses - Mention Your Placement in Your
Ezine

If your business has a regular ezine, by all means let your
subscribers in on your publicity success.  It’s human nature to
be attracted to a popular, successful business or a famous
person. "Celebrity" status is very valuable in and of itself.

4) Email Existing or Potential Clients

Impress your existing or potential clients by tooting your own
horn with an email alerting them that you’ve been published or
seen on TV!

Use the power of PR to your advantage. Advertising is clearly
understood as coming directly from the sponsoring business and,
as a result, is usually taken with a grain of salt. An article
initiated (or "placed") by publicity efforts is viewed as the
product of the reporter who wrote it - an objective, third party
observer whose positive comments about your business will carry
great weight. For more information on PR versus advertising, go
to http://www.publicityinsider.com/questions.asp

5) Pitch it Again, Sam!

Take your story angle to a different publication or website -
make sure to bend the angle to match the publication’s editorial
slant or specific reporter’s column.  DO NOT mention that the
story appeared in another publication.  Why let a reporter know
your angle has already been reported?  If it’s newsworthy, the
story will stand on its own.  To learn how to make a story
newsworthy, go to: http://www.publicityinsider.com/freesecret.asp

6) "Internal" PR

Place your article in a handsome frame and hang it in a visible
area of your office’s waiting area. The story adds legitimacy to
your business and provides entertainment for your waiting
customers. If you don’t have a waiting area, put the article
behind your desk facing your visitors or in your meeting room.

Make sure to distribute the story to your employees and suppliers
to build loyalty and company pride.

7) Other Suggestions

* Sales Brochures, Direct Marketing Materials & Trade Show
Handouts - Like advertising, claims in self-produced brochures &
mailings are taken with a grain of salt. But, if a credible
publication makes those same claims on your behalf, make sure it
gets "front page" placement in your sales materials.

* Speech handout: - One way to keep your speech working for you
long after the chairs are folded up is to distribute your article
with your business card and company information to all attendees.

* Business card: - Place an important quote from your article on
your business card.

Bill Stoller, the "Publicity Insider", has spent two decades as
one of America’s top publicists.  Now, through his website, eZine
and subscription newsletter, Free Publicity: The Newsletter for
PR-Hungry Businesses http://www.PublicityInsider.com/freepub.asp
he’s sharing — for the very first time — his secrets of scoring
big publicity.  For free articles, killer publicity tips and
much, much more, visit Bill’s exclusive new site:
http://www.PublicityInsider.com