The media is made up of people. And, like all people, members of the press – whether print or broadcast– must be excited by a story before they will be motivated to cover it for the general public.
With so much news out there to cover, a good press release has to do more than hit the high points of who, what, where and when an event will happen. It must also grab the reader’s attention and, more importantly, his or her imagination.
News Releases Grab Readers
Like the first line of an engrossing novel, the first line of a press release should be a grabber. While it is important to avoid too much obvious hype or drama (members of the press are used to seeing right through that), this is the place to let passion for the cause or event shine through. A line or two that succinctly summarizes why an event is worth covering is the best way to encourage the reader to read on.
Writing Advice: Make Facts Easy to Find
Of course, it is vital that a press release contain, early on and prominently, the particulars about where and when an event will happen and who will be involved. Members of the media – like most working people – have a limited amount of time to go through the morning’s mail. If they have to work too hard just to glean the basic pertinent facts, they may conclude that the sender is disorganized or simply unprofessional and the press release is more likely to get circular-filed.
Visual Interest Encourages News Coverage
The most interesting and note-worthy events, from a media standpoint, are those with a visual element. Newspapers and magazines need photographs and television, of course, depends on action. Stories that include photos or photo opportunities tend to garner more attention, so think visual. If the event is something low-key like a ribbon cutting, liven things up with the release of white balloons or the addition of a children’s choir performance.
In general, more people generate more excitement. Rather than stand just the organizer at the podium, plan to have the whole staff up front – wearing red. It may sound somewhat gimmicky but the media is under enormous pressure to compete with game shows and reality TV for viewers. The wise organization figures out ways to help them along – and highlights that information in the press release.
Public Relations: Follow Up for Follow-through
Probably the most effective way to encourage members of the press to pay attention to a press release, and put the event on the assignment board, is to follow-up. Members of the media are not immune from junk mail and the job of sorting the worthwhile news from the time-wasters can be daunting. Even good stories can fall through the cracks.
Send a release within one to two weeks of the event and follow up with a brief, polite phone call to the assignment editor to ensure the release was received and to reiterate why the event is worth covering. If nothing else, a phone call can help move the release – and the event – to the top of the decision-maker’s mind.
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