Small Business Owners should send press releases out at least once a month to local newspapers, cable TV, local magazines and radio stations. You will be surprised how often they get published or air time. After doing this a while you can figure out what types of news get the best results. Some typical and simple press releases can be new employee hirees, new accounts with large local corporations or non-profit endeavors you are assisting with.

All press releases should be typed double-spaced with two clicks between each word. This makes it easy to read and retype. This saves aggravation for the person retyping it into their word processor. You should use Arial font because it is easy to read and 13 to 14 point font size. This is because many newspapers will scan typed material into their computers these days and it makes it easier for their optical character recognition software (OCR) to read it. They will change the font later anyway to match whatever font they use in their newspaper.

You can fax a press release to them but we recommend dropping it off if you have time and it is convenient. You can also wash cars while you are there. Once again you will save them OCR headaches because things come out blurry on a fax. The very best is to e-mail it to them because it’s already in their computer ready to be edited by their staff. The easier you make it on them, the better your chances of getting your press release or news item published.

After you get to know the editors over many months you can email them directly. Eventually you want to think about getting to know the local program directors on a first name basis also. I had run a small business for 20 years before I learned how easy it is to keep your name in the local media. We spent hours and thousands on advertising, when our competitors simply sent in small snippets of information each week. Think about it. Be a winner in your small company.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

A musician spends years honing his craft. He writes world-class songs and performs them in a manner that moves his listeners to tears. He records a demo tape and sends it to record labels. He gets a contract and becomes rich, famous and adored.

The lesson: demo tapes are the secret of becoming a famous musician.

Wait, you say, the demo tape was just a tool, just his way of conveying his talent. It’s his ability as a musician that got him the contract and made him famous.

You’re right, of course. He could have become just as famous if a record executive saw him in person, or heard about him from a friend, or as a result of a variety of other events.

Which brings us to the press release.

Somehow, the press release has taken on a magical reputation as the alpha and omega of publicity. Wanna become rich? Send out a press release. Wanna become famous? Press release. Wanna get on the cover of Newsweek? Press release.

Publicity "gurus" are springing up all over the Internet touting the press release as the answer to all marketing ills. Just knock out a release, mass e-mail it to journalists, sit back and wait for Oprah to call.

It’s a cruel joke.

Here’s the reality: the press release is no more important to your potential of scoring free publicity than the demo tape was to our musician friend. If he had no talent, if his songs sounded like garbage, the best recorded demo tape in the world wouldn’t get him signed. Ditto for the publicity seeker. If you don’t have a story to tell, your press release is utterly worthless.

I’m not knocking the press release — it’s an important tool. But it’s just that: a tool. It’s not the first thing you need to think about when it comes time to seek publicity. In fact, it’s one of the last. And it’s not even absolutely necessary (I’ve gotten plenty of publicity with just a pitch letter, a quick e- mail or a phone call).

If you worship at the shrine of the press release, it’s time to rearrange your priorities. Here, then, are the things that are MORE important than a press release in generating publicity:

1. A newsworthy story. This is the equivalent of our musician’s talent. It’s the very basis for your publicity efforts. Without it, your press release means nothing. To learn about how to develop a newsworthy story, take a look at http://publicityinsider.com/questions.asp and scroll down to "Is my company/website/life really newsworthy?"

2. Learning to think like an editor. Oh, what an edge you’ll have in scoring publicity over all those press release worshippers once you learn how to get inside the head of an editor. Give an editor what he wants in the way he wants it and you’ll do great. I’ve got an entire article on the subject at http://publicityinsider.com/freesecret.asp Go there now and absorb it all. Trust me, it will make a world of difference.

3. Relevance. Tie in with a news event, make yourself part of a trend, piggyback on a larger competitor’s story, but, by all means, make your story part of a picture that’s bigger than just your company. Stories that exist in a vacuum quickly run out of oxygen.

4. Persistence. Sending out a press release and waiting for results is lazy and ineffective. If you really believe in your story, and you believe that it’s right for a particular media outlet, you need to fight to make it happen. Call or e-mail the editor to pitch your story BEFORE sending the release. If one editor says no, try somebody else. If they all say no, come back at them with a different story angle.

Getting publicity involves so much more than just sending out a press release. Treat it as seriously and with as much respect as our newly minted rock star treats his craft and you’ll be well on your way to success.

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

When is your best advertisement not an advertisement? When it’s a press release.

In the competition for consumer attention, a well-written press release is one of your most valuable marketing tools.

Why is it vital to put yourself in the news?

Because most of us attend differently to the news than we do to advertisements. We make certain assumptions about the news, for example, that it is important, simply because it is news. We count on news editors and publishers to carefully sift through potential story leads and choose only the most relevant to report.

Many of us attribute a higher level of credibility to a news report than we do to a commercial claim. We accept (even expect) a degree of “spin” in advertising that we won’t tolerate in a news report.

And the majority of us simply pay more attention to the news than we do to advertisements. Other than maybe during the Super Bowl, when is the last time you heard someone say, “Oh, good— the commercials are on now”?

A press release puts you on the front page of the public mind. It is an opportunity to build name recognition and generate interest in your company without delivering a sales message. If you’re not sure that you have anything newsworthy to report, think of a press release as a chance for the general public to go beyond your front door and to get to know your company and its employees.

Use a press release to announce:

• Formation of a new partnership or division
• Corporate citizenship or community involvement
• Launch of a new product, service or capability
• Company anniversary or milestone
• Recent awards, certifications, publications or patents
• Sponsorships, grants or educational opportunities

Successful marketers cultivate symbiotic relationships with the press. News editors and publishers need content; your business needs exposure. Relevant, well-written press releases are a way to establish yourself as a resource in your industry and to confirm your company as one to watch.

Quality interactions with the media generally lead to more quality interactions with the media, which leads to quality interactions with potential customers. Learn to harness the power of the press release and you too can enjoy the benefits of permanent press.

Copyright ©2005 by Dennis and Sally Bacchetta. All rights reserved.

Dennis Bacchetta is a Marketing Professional who writes on a variety of topics, including emerging technologies.

Sally Bacchetta is an award-winning sales trainer and freelance writer. She has published articles on a variety of topics, including selling skills, motivation, and pharmaceutical sales.

You can contact her at sb14580@yahoo.com and read her latest column on her website.

As a business, non-profit or association manager, do you see the value in doing something positive about the behaviors of those important external audiences of yours that most affect your operation?

Do you see the value in persuading those key outside folks to your way of thinking?

Do you see the value in moving them to take actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed?

Then you must see the value in good public relations that alters individual perception leading to changed behaviors among those key outside people. And further, that helps managers like you achieve your managerial objectives.

If you see those values, you also see PR’s REAL value. And you are a lucky manager!

Truth is, you probably should expand your view of public relations to emphasize the behaviors of your unit’s key outside audiences rather than publicity placements, special events, brochures and press releases.

Why should you go to that trouble? Because the people with whom you interact every day behave like everyone else – they act upon their perceptions of the facts they hear about you and your operation. Which means you should deal effectively with those perceptions (and their follow-on behaviors) by doing what is necessary to reach and move those key external audiences to action.

Luckily, your own carefully tailored PR plan can make the job a lot easier. I’m talking about a plan like this. People act on their own their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

Take a few minutes to consider what might result from such activity. Community leaders beginning to seek you out; prospects starting to do business with you; customers making repeat purchases; rising membership applications; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; welcome bounces in show room visits; and new approaches by capital givers and specifying sources not to mention politicians and legislators viewing you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

Who will do this specialized kind of work? Your own public relations people? Folks assigned to your operation? An outside PR agency team? But regardless where they come from, they need to be committed to you and your PR plan beginning with key audience perception monitoring.

Be certain that the PR people assigned to you are serious about knowing how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. They must accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Go over your PR plan with them, especially how you will monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. For instance, how much do you know about our chief executive? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

If the budget is available, don’t hesitate to use professional survey firms in the perception monitoring phases of your program. But remember that your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

With the right PR goal, you should be able to deal handily with the most serious distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring. Your new goal could call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor dead in its tracks.

Now you must take pains to select the right strategy, one that tells you how to move forward. Keep in mind that there are just three strategic options available to you when it comes to handling a perception and opinion challenge. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. Since the wrong strategy pick will taste like onion gravy on your key lime pie, be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You don’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

While it’s tough to write tight and strong, you must write such a strong message and aim it at members of your target audience. Because crafting action-forcing language to persuade an audience to your way of thinking is tough work, you need your first-string varsity writer because s/he must create some very special, corrective language. Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to correct something and shift perception/opinion towards your point of view leading to the behaviors you are targeting.

Now it’s time to select the communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. You can do this after you run the draft by your PR people for impact and persuasiveness. There are dozens available to you. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

As you may be aware, a message’s believability can depend on the credibility of the means used to deliver it. So you may decide to unveil it before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

Requests for progress reports signal you and your PR team to begin a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session can be used again. But this time, you will be watching carefully for signs that the problem perception is being altered in your direction.

Occasionally, momentum will slow, but you can always speed up matters by adding more communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies.

Thus, what you really want PR’s value to accomplish is to persuade your most important outside stakeholders to your way of thinking, then move them to behave in a way that leads to the success of your unit.

end

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1175 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2005.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

You can if, as a business, non-profit or association manager, you can honestly say you are doing something positive about the behaviors of those important external audiences of yours that most affect your department, group, division or subsidiary.

And particularly so when you persuade those key outside folks to your way of thinking, and move them to take actions that allow you to succeed.

In its simplest form, of course, what you are doing is helping achieve your managerial objectives by the simple tactic of altering perception leading to changed behaviors.

And there’s a reliable guideline that supports that notion: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving- to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is usually accomplished.

I call that guideline the fundamental premise of public relations from which a variety of satisfying results can emanate. For instance, community leaders beginning to seek you out; capital givers or specifying sources starting to look your way; overdue bounces in show room visits; prospects starting to work with you; membership applications on the rise; customers starting to make repeat purchases; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; and even politicians and legislators starting to view you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

First things first, you’ll need to get your public relations people on board this public relations bandwagon. They must agree with the vital necessity to know how your outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Be especially certain they accept the reality that negative perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can damage your organization.

Schedule a special sitdown with PR staff to run through just how you plan to guage perception and monitor opinion among your key outside audiences. Go over the questions to be asked: How much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

It’s fortunate for you and I that our PR people are already in the perception and behavior business and can be of real use for the opinion monitoring projects. You always have the option of using professional survey firms, but that can wind up costing real money. But, whether it’s your people or a survey firm who handles the questioning, the objective is to identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, and misconceptions.

One of the aberations you discover will stand out clearly as your corrective public relations goal – it could easily be to clarify the misconception, spike that rumor, correct the false assumption or fix a variety of other possible inaccuracies.

Simplifying matters is the reality that you can meet that goal only when you select the right strategy from the three choices available to you. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. Using the wrong strategy is about as satisfying as using horseradish on your grits! So please be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You wouldn’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

Here, you may come to see this chore as the toughest part of the job — write a persuasive message aimed at members of your target audience. Yes, it’s always a challenge to put together action-forcing language that will help persuade any audience to your way of thinking.

By all means, pick your best writer for this assignment. You need words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to shift perception/opinion towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors you desire.

With message writing behind you, you need to identify the communications tactics you need to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. Insuring that the tactics you select have a record of reaching folks like your audience members, you can select from speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others.

Another reality in this business is that the credibility of the message can depend on the credibility of its delivery method. Which could lead you to deliver it in smaller meetings and presentations rather than through a higher- profile media announcement.

As it becomes obvious that a progress report will be needed, you and your PR team will want to undertake a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session can be used again. Now, however, you will be on alert for indications that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

In the event of a slowdown in program momentum, PR program such as this usually can be accelerated by adding more communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies.

Trusting your PR program to deliver the bacon is really a matter of persuading your key external stakeholders to your way of thinking, then moving them to behave in a way that leads to the achievement of your managerial objectives and the success of your operation.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.

Robert A. Kelly © 2005.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net

Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

Anything that lets managers achieve their managerial objectives is a winner.

It’s a bullseye when the right public relations alters individual perception leading to changed behaviors among key outside audiences.

How that comes about is the story of the day!

As a business, non-profit or association manager, you’ve got to do something positive about the behaviors of those important external audiences of yours that most affect your operation. Especially so when you persuade those key outside folks to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

As it turns out, the trail has been blazed before you came along. Consider this: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is usually accomplished.

What that does is allow you to move beyond a preoccupation with special events, brochures and press releases, and attend to the perceptions and behaviors of the very people who could hold your professional success as a manager in their hands.

That kind of success can come in many shapes and sizes. Consider these: welcome bounces in show room visits; rising membership applications; community leaders beginning to seek you out; prospects starting to do business with you; customers making repeat purchases; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; and new approaches by capital givers and specifying sources not to mention politicians and legislators viewing you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

Here, division of labor rears its ugly head. Just who will do this sort of work? An outside PR agency team? Folks assigned to your operation? Your own public relations people? But regardless where they come from, they need to be committed to you and your PR plan beginning with key audience perception monitoring.

As with any manager, you need to talk to your public relations people in order to be certain that those assigned to you are clear on why it’s vital to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. They must accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Review with them how you plan to proceed, especially how you will monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. For instance, how much do you know about our chief executive? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Public relations people follow the money too, so, if the budget is available, don’t hesitate to use professional survey firms in the perception monitoring phases of your program. But keep in mind that your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

Establishing the right kind of PR goal will let you prevail over the worst distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring. In fact, the new goal will probably call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor dead in its tracks.

Selecting the right strategy is truly key. I talk here about a strategy that tells you how to move forward. Please remember that there are just three strategic options available to you when it comes to handling a perception and opinion challenge. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. Since the wrong strategy pick will taste like peppermint sauce on your spare ribs, be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You don’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

Tough job or not, someone on your PR staff must write a strong message and aim it at members of your target audience. Because crafting action-forcing language to persuade an audience to your way of thinking really is hard work, you need your first-string varsity writer because s/he must create some very special, corrective language. Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to correct something and shift perception/ opinion towards your point of view leading to the behaviors you are targeting.

One of the less complex jobs is selecting the communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. You can do this after you run the draft by your PR people for impact and persuasiveness. There are dozens of tactics available to you. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

By the way, since a message’s believability can depend on the credibility of the means used to deliver it, you may decide to unveil it before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

When the subject of progress reports arises, please take it as a signal that you and your PR team should begin a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session can be used again. But this time, you will be watching carefully for signs that the problem perception is being altered in your direction.

Things can always slow down. If program momentum does slow, you can always speed up matters by adding more communications tactics, and increase their frequencies.

But the fact remains that the quickest way PR can help managers is for the effort to persuade their most important outside stakeholders to the manager’s way of thinking, then to move those folks to behave in a way that leads to the success of the manager’s operation.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.

Robert A. Kelly © 2005

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net

Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

A Press Release is a captive story that can be about a person, a business or organizational group that is submitted to the media. The distribution of a release can be targeted to media outlets in newspapers, TV, radio stations, magazines and global newswire networks. Like with any other form of marketing, a well-submitted press release will give added publicity and creditability to an individual or a business.

Journalists look for newsworthy stories that they can use in their publications. Newsworthy simply means a story on current issues or events that have an appealing interest in today’s news.

Some examples of this can be:

* Stories that cover the launching of a new business.

* Solution and problem solving reports that deals with the current market trend.

* New products or services that impact today’s business.

* Research and findings on the latest business trends.

* Partnerships with other businesses.

* Sponsorships that you are affiliated with and contributed to.

* Achievements/awards that you have received recognition for.

Press releases are not to be confused as an advertisement to sell your products or services. An advertisement is to get your customers attention, whereas with a press release you want to capture the attention of the journalist.

The idea is to write a press release that generates a current interest to the media. If a journalist finds your story newsworthy, they are sure to feature your story.

The best way to start out is by researching some of the media websites first. One of the media websites that is worth checking out is Prweb.com. Their site is easy to navigate through and provide some very useful information on submitting a release. The idea is to visit a few of the media sites to understand their guidelines before you submit. It would also be beneficial to view several of the press releases on their site to get a better perception on writing your own. You will find that most press releases are between 400 and 500 words.

Once you have the concept, organize and put together all the information you will be using on a piece of paper. Make sure you are using current information with topics that have new and compelling interest (journalist are not interested in old news).

Make sure to illustrate your release with only solid facts. Emphasize on the benefits and key points in your story line.

If applicable, give examples, quotes, and testimonials. Do not use any bold statements, hype or sales pitches.

Proof read your release several times. Correct any grammar mistakes or misspellings.

How To Submit A Press Release:

Obviously your first step would be contacting the media. This can be through local media groups within your area, or through the Internet for worldwide distribution.

Submitting a press release is done by mail, fax or email. You can simply check with the editors to see what their requirements are for submitting your release.

Use journalist that are targeted to your business market. You can accomplish this by researching some of the past stories published by the editor.

Note; if you find editors that accept a release through email, it’s important to put your release into the body of your email and not as an attachment.

When submitting a press release, the way you format your release can play a crucial role on whether a journalist picks up your story.

An example of a format that is commonly used, would be as follows:

1.) Type in “For Immediate Release” or you can specify the date you want it released for a different time period.

2.) Create a headline that would attract an interest.

3.) Add your contact information here. Your name, company, phone number and your URL.

4.) City, State and Date followed with your opening paragraph answering all the questions to who, what, where, why and when.

5.) Your next paragraph should cover the details of your story, which should highlight your first paragraph. If applicable, include quotes or endorsements from other business associates that have used your products or services. This will build creditability to your story (be sure to get approval prior to adding this).

6.) Followed by a short summary highlighting your key points to your story.

7.) A short company profile about your business.

8.) At the bottom, put in three (3) ### signs or “End” to indicate the end of your press release.

Final Note:

Be sure to add your contact information including your telephone number with your release. If an editor finds your story newsworthy, he may contact you for an interview or possibly just to attain more information on a follow-up story.

To look for newswire networks where you can submit a press release, go to http://www.ahomebusinessopportunity.net/pressreleases.htm for our complete list.

John Kovacs is the CEO and founder of “A Home Business Opportunity”. His website mainly focuses on supplying free marketing tips, resources and support for home startup businesses and Internet marketing. To get a step-by-step guide in building an online business, visit http://www.ahomebusinessopportunity.net

When a reporter is wowed, intrigued, surprised or captivated by your press release, you can be pretty sure you’ll get some media coverage. And for most businesses, positive media coverage is worth its weight in gold. The bad news: Although truckloads of news releases fill reporters’ inboxes every day, few of them are dazzling, or even interesting.

As a former editor, I speak from experience when I say that most press releases end up in the garbage can. But don’t let that stop you from sending them — a well-written news release can generate more publicity and goodwill than you could ever accomplish with a paid advertisement. To help keep your release out of the garbage and get it in print, start by following these five guidelines.

1. Make it newsworthy. Releases should be used to announce news, and they should only be sent when something truly newsworthy is happening at your company. Don’t send releases that sound more like advertisements than news; they’ll get tossed immediately. (However, newsworthy events may happen more often than you realize — see the Resource Box below for ideas.)

In keeping with the news format, eliminate any superfluous language or outrageous claims (don’t describe yourself or your products as “wonderful,” “amazing” or “unbelievable”). Is your release written in language that would appear in a story in the newspaper or magazine you’re pitching? If not, it might sound like fluff rather than news. Make it clear from the beginning what your news is and why it should matter to the reporter and his or her readers.

2. Tell a good story. Although you’re sharing hard news (I hope), your press release should still be interesting to read. Even though your readers are media-types who do this for a living, they still like to hear a good story. Draw in your readers with a creative introduction and interesting language. Find new ways to say ordinary things. Read magazines, newspapers and books and pay attention to the stories that interest you and keep your attention. Then try to mimic those techniques and styles when writing your own releases.

3. Target your audience. As with any writing project, keep your audience in mind when you’re writing. The editor of a small-town newspaper has different interests than the editor of a trade journal for CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Choose the media outlets that would be most interested in your release and send it to them. For best results, you might even send each person a unique version tailored to their interests. And always send your release to an actual person — rather than sending a release to a general news desk, find out which reporter covers your industry or the type of news you’re sending and send it directly to him or her.

4. Develop a relationship. Once you’ve located the reporters who cover your industry, start developing relationships with them. Call or e-mail to introduce yourself and find out if they prefer releases to be faxed, e-mailed or mailed. Be respectful of their time and the harried pace of their work, but don’t be afraid to check in occasionally to follow up on a press release or let them know how much you enjoyed a recent article. Don’t just rely on them for fr*e publicity; find out what you can do for them and do it — one-sided relationships never last. Be easy to work with and willing to accommodate their needs, and they’ll be much more interested in covering your news.

5. Be consistent. Your communication with the media must be ongoing in order to get their attention. One release sent in a vacuum will probably not yield a lot of results. If reporters are unfamiliar with you or your business, it won’t be a top priority for them to cover your release. However, if they’re accustomed to receiving (actual) news from you and you’ve made an effort to forge a positive relationship with them (see #4), they’re more likely to a) actually read your releases, and b) publish them, or at least keep you in mind as a resource for future stories. If you really want to take advantage of the possibilities press releases can offer, keep hanging in there.

Nancy Jackson, owner of The WriteShop, helps companies better market their products and services with powerful written communications including Web content, newsletters, brochures and publications. Subscribe to her free monthly newsletter at www.writeshoponline.com.

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.

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