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A customary 'hard copy' press release is a
brief document generally one to three double-spaced type written
pages announcing news about your organization , product or service
to media professionals.
E-mail
press releases are usually shorter in length than their print
counterparts. The majority of electronic news releases sent are 500
words of text organized into five, short two to three sentence
paragraphs.
E-mail
software allows the user to set limits on the size of messages it
will download. Since many individuals do not change the default
limit on their e-mail software, long messages can be truncated.
Clients sending extremely lengthy electronic news releases is
discouraged.
Information such as photographs, bios of organization management,
white papers and other supporting documents usually included in a
printed media kit may be published online where reporters may access
them easily at their convenience, or can be added as attachments.
If your
organization, for example, has completed an online survey of
Internet surfers, include a brief overview of the results in the
electronic press release then follow that paragraph with the URL or
home page address where complete survey results are published or how
they may otherwise be obtained. The URLs for screen shots of your
Web site and products may also be included in the news release.
Some
reporters have limited online access. As a courtesy, always include
a contact method for reporters who prefer to have materials mailed
to them by conventional means.
Sending
supplemental information files through e-mail attachments is not
acceptable when contacting a reporter initially.
Information to Include in a News Release
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A
compelling e-mail subject header and headline.
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A
first paragraph that covers the five W's: who, what, where, when
and why.
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Electronic contact information including an e-mail address for the
press contact and Web site address of the organization. Reporters
working on deadline will often choose to call a organization
representative rather than wait for a reply by e-mail. Be sure
that in addition to e-mail contact information a phone number for
the press contact is listed.
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The
mention of key clients or endorsement from a 'non-biased' source
like university professor or software reviewer. You should have
permission from those sources to use their remarks in your press
release.
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A
short paragraph at the end of the release containing background
information about the organization. This might include a synopsis
of the activities of the organization, how long they have been in
business, and any area of expertise. If the press release is about
a book or entertainer then cover career high-points.
Story Tips
Electronic PR does not differ from conventional PR in that one's
ability to write and organize information well is rewarded with
press coverage. However, the one-two punch of a creative subject
header for your message and a clever "spin" to your news rings extra
loud in a crowded inbox.
Many
journalists respond to clever writing and news releases that
describe how a new product or service is a solution to a business or
consumer problem.
Pointing to a new business, consumer or health trend is another way
to position a story.
Another
popular method for obtaining press coverage is to ride piggy-back on
a breaking news story by alerting the media to your client's
expertise on that particular subject.
Like
the Rolling Stones say, "Time is on your side." Be prepared to act
fast if you sense a PR opportunity. Time the sending of your news
release right and you can receive a windfall of publicity. That's
where a service like ours can help.
How to
Format a Release
1) The first line of the e-mail message should
read: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE in all caps. This lets the reporter know
the news is authorized for publication on the date they receive it.
2) Allow one spacer line then write a headline
using a combination of lower case and capital letters. Keep your
headline to ten words or less. Do not write the headline in all
capital letters because it is harder to read using e-mail software.
3) Allow another empty line for spacing, then
begin the text of the release as we show with the city and state
followed by a dash. All releases must include a date since reporters
do not always use releases immediately.
4) There are a number of conventions for line
length of electronic press releases. Formats press
releases to the style most universal among e-mail readers.
5) Include press contact information below the
text of the news release. A reporter reading your release should be
able to make a decision about your story in the first screen of the
e-mail message. Don't waste that space with contact information.
They will scroll down to find out who to contact if they want to
follow-up with you.
6) Finally, close the document with the
characters -30- or ### which are style conventions that let the
reporter know they have reached the end of the story.
REMINDERS
Don't trust your word processing program to
catch errors in grammar and spelling. Have a few individuals read
the release before sending it to a reporter or news agency.
Additionally, remember that press releases are
sent by e-mail and not everyone uses the same software. For that
reason we do not use HTML tags, bold type or color text which may
not transmit consistently across all computer platforms.
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