7 TIps for a killer Press Release

Press Releases are often regarded as the holy grail of marketing. If done correctly they can be a highly effective way of driving enquiries to your business and best of all cost you next to nothing to produce.

Below are 7 tips to help get your press release feature in the local newspapers.

1. You Must Be Newsworthy! The clue is in the name, it's a newspaper no one is going to run you a free ad in their paper. You need to have something that is out the ordinary, some controversial or inspiring. This is more often than not down to you to make yourself newsworthy, your business might of hit and landmark of it's 500 th customer, or be delivering a product or service in a unique and innovative way.
   
   
2. Headlines Are Vital Don't assume that it's the reporters job to right your headline, more often than not the papers will receive dozens of press releases every single day, most of these aren't read past the headline, if you want to spark interest make your headline exciting forcing the reader to want to know more. I often draft 10 - 15 different headlines before settling on the one I want, be outlandish and look at your story from every possible angle - with a bit of practice you'll get the hang of writing that elusive "hook" every time.
   
   
3. Add Human Interest Almost all news has a human interest story. This could be a rags- to-riches tale about yourself, overcoming adversity, building relationships or solving someones problems - the media LOVES human interest, without it your story will end up on the scrapheap.
   
   
4. Be Controversial No one wants to read about something that they already know. Try to challenge established beliefs. For example, you could write about lack of education not holding you back from being a successful business man, or how adopting a highly unusual approach to your business reaped rewards. I had a client who was a painter and decorator and offered a by one get one free deal on painting rooms which gained him a load of publicity.
   
   
5. Keep it Simple Don't get overly technical in terms of jargon about your industry or about your business, remember human interest is key and people will soon get very bored reading facts and figures - try to tell a story in your copy.
   
   
6. Don't Send it in Unannouced If a journalist is expecting your story they're much more likely to read it - no suprises there! A 1 min phone call telling the journalist what you're going to send can work wonders.
   
   
7. Leave it Out Don't tell them everything try to leave juicy questions unanswered, forcing the journalist to call you and get more information. If your headline is catchy and the copy leaves them wanting to know more you can hold the best 'til last and your almost guaranteed to be featured!