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1993-11-26
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GETTING PRESS RELEASES PRINTED
Writing a good press release and mailing it to the right
people is usually the quickest and least expensive way for any
business to generate a lot of new customers and orders. Yet, the
majority of businesses don't write or make available to magazine
or newspaper editors a single press release.
What a lot of businesses don't realize is that many magazines
and newsletters depend on these press releases to fill their pages.
And all you have to do to get you press release printed in some
publications is to mail them one.
We've used a lot of press releases back when we didn't have
enough money to buy advertising. And we still use them today,
for every new product we put on the market. Over the years
we've learned that when writing a press release, these are our
main objectives:
1. To get the press release accepted by the magazine editor and
printed In the publication.
2. Once printed, to get the press releases read by people who get
the magazine.
3. To get the desired reaction from people who read the press
release and are potential customers. (We define the desired
action before we write the press release.)
As you look at the following examples of press releases
(available in the book--see last chapter), notice how many of them
do not look like a standard press release at all. Instead they
look like articles. And this is intentional. We've discovered
that writing a press release that looks and reads like an article
from the magazine has a good chance of ending up as a featured
article in the magazine.
When this happens, not only do we get lots and lots of free
publicity, we usually also get an author's fee for the article.
That's right, they run the press release/article...and pay us for
writing it!
Here's how to go about writing a press release that will make
you money.
Guide to Getting a Press Release/Article Printed
1. Identify magazines and newsletters whose readers are
specifically Interested in the product or service your press
release will be about. Avoid the general interest publications
that cover a wide range of subjects and target just the
publications that reach your potential customers. (Look in
Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters and the SRDS Consumer and
Agri Media directory for The best places to put your press
release.)
2. Once you've identified a particular magazine or newsletter
that reaches your audience, call and get a sample copy of the
publication.
3. With the Sample copy of the publication in hand, look through
it and identify all the press releases or press release/
articles printed in it
4. Using the sample press release or article already printed in
the selected publication as a guide, write your own press
release. structure your press release so it closely resembles
ones already printed in the publication. Include all the
elements found in the Printed release. This includes photos,
typestyle, total length of Press release, length of headline,
everything.
5. Once you've written and proofread your press release, print
it out in a format that fits in the magazine. This is so
you'll have an idea of how it'll look if the magazine accepts
it. If the press release is too long or too short, fix it.
You want to be sure your press release/article is just right
for the magazine.
6. After you've done all this, print the press release on your
laser printer using your best paper, attach a high quality
black and white photo, write a short cover letter, and send
the press release to the editor of the publication.
7. Repeat this same process with several other publications.
General Notes:
1. On all press releases (but not on articles) include the phrase,
'Review copies available'. This gives the editor a chance to
decide to write a full review of the product. Don't do this
on articles though, they should be the equivalent of a review
for the product anyway.
2. Always include a photo with the press release. We go to great
lengths to pose the photo in a manner that is most likely to
appeal to potential customers.
3. Always send a press release in a 9 x 12 envelope, with a
cardboard insert to keep it from being bent.
4. Always call the magazine and identify the proper spelling of
the name of the person the press release article should be
sent to.
5. Always be prepared to answer questions about anything printed
in the press release. The editor may call, and if the press
release is printed customers will call. Always treat these
calls like they are the most important ones you'll ever get.
Because they are.
GOOD LUCK!