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Please send your press release to Microsoft for review. In order to
ensure efficient processing of your press release, we ask that you
adhere to the following guidelines:
- To keep your relationship with Microsoft clear in print, refer
to yourself as:
- A Microsoft Certified Partner
- Part of the Microsoft Certified Partner program
- Accepted as a member of the Microsoft Certified Partner program
- Do not refer to yourself as:
- A Partner with Microsoft in the Solution Provider Program
- Having a partnership with Microsoft
- Authorized by Microsoft as part of the Microsoft Certified
Partner Program
- Certified by Microsoft as part of the Microsoft Certified
Partner Program
- Present your information in a factual and journalistic style
compatible with the needs of a journalist.
- Try to keep the length of your release to a maximum of two
- three pages. Always keep in mind that this is a press release
with news-related information and not a product brochure or a
marketing piece about your services.
- Do not include Microsoft's boilerplate or Microsoft press contacts
on your release.
- Do not use superlatives, hyperbole or terms such as "the leading
company . . . " unless they are substantiated by a quote or data
from a reputable source such as an analyst or research firm (e.g.
Gartner, Forrester).
- Send your release to gregb@wagged.com
once you have a draft approved by your company. Forward via e-mail
as a Microsoft Word document so we can use Word's Track Changes
feature to track the editing.
- Please be sure to send your MICROSOFT CERTIFIED PARTNER
ID# with your press release so that we may quickly verify your
status during the legal review.
- Allow two - three days for the release to be reviewed
by Microsoft and returned to you.
Please note that releases requiring extensive legal review (e.g.,
those including numerous claims about a product, etc.) may take
slightly longer.
A corporate boilerplate is always the very last paragraph of a release,
and is designed to help editors understand the nature of your company.
The boilerplate provides background detail on the company and may
include the company mission, a description of the company's products
or services, who the company targets as customers, and a list of office
locations.
Microsoft's boilerplate is included below as an example. To view a
recent Microsoft press release in its entirety, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/todaynews.htm.
"Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader
in software for personal and business computing. The company offers
a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through
great software - any time, any place and on any device."
There are a number of potential reasons to issue a press release for
your company. In this document, you are provided with a Microsoft
quote that you can use in announcing your status as an MICROSOFT CERTIFIED
PARTNER. You may draft, and request approval of, a Microsoft a quote
for other news releases, such as a release regarding news of a Microsoft
solution you have developed for a customer. Following are suggestions
about occasions when your company may want to consider issuing a press
release:
- Your company has just been named a member of the MICROSOFT CERTIFIED
PARTNER Program
- You have just increased the number of Microsoft Certified Professionals
on staff
- You have just developed a unique Microsoft technology solution
for a customer with high local or national name recognition
- Your company is announcing a significant milestone (e.g., issuing
an IPO, extraordinary growth/profits, etc.)
In order to provide journalists with detail that will increase the
likelihood of your announcement gaining coverage, recommended messaging
points are provided below:
- Why your company is successful - discuss product line, quality
of service, technical expertise, company growth
- How your company plans to benefit from the MICROSOFT CERTIFIED
PARTNER program - lead generation, market recognition, access
to leading-edge technologies, access to internal Microsoft resources
- What this means to your customers - expanded, reputable services
and/or product line, knowledgeable employees
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2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Term
of Use.