I have read a few of your media releases recently and it seems you are a little confused as to how one of these simple documents should be structured. Perhaps you have not been in the industry for long and simply weren't aware of a couple of the following points (although, I have only been a public relations professional for three years and all of the PR students I know are familiar with the following guidelines. Ah well, maybe we are the exceptions to the rule...) Or maybe you weren't given the media release 'talk' when you were younger. Let me point you in the right direction...
1) The journalist you are sending these releases to receives a million, squillion emails a day. You need to capture his or her attention within the first few seconds of them glancing at the story or all is lost. A title that takes more time to figure out than the Da Vinci code is not going to go down well. The journalist probably won't even bother opening the document.
2) Every student in PR school is taught that the first paragraph must sum up the story. Even if you can convince our lovely journalist to open the file, stuffing the first five paragraphs with meaningless fluff will not compel them to read any further. I appreciate your attempt to alter the way all good media releases have been written since before the beginning of time but it's just not working is it?
3) Typos, typos, typos. Is it really that difficult to send out a media release without it being smattered with bad spelling and grammatical mistakes? I've heard that in-depth proofreading- by both yourself and other people in the office- can be helpful....
4) Media releases should always be sent out under the client's name, not the name of your consultancy. The aim is to get coverage for the brand you are representing, not for yourself.
5) Issuing your release after 5pm is not a particularly sensible idea. Mornings are the best time to get in touch with journalists. Otherwise, it is quite likely that your release will end up in a big black hole and it will never be read. Although, seeing as you do not adhere to the previous four points, maybe that is a blessing in disguise.
If you are still a little muddled, do not despair. There are plenty of 'how-to' guides on the internet or you could ask a PR student for some advice? Maybe you should have a read through this guide before you next attempt to put together a media release.
Warmest Regards,
A Fellow PR Company
1) The journalist you are sending these releases to receives a million, squillion emails a day. You need to capture his or her attention within the first few seconds of them glancing at the story or all is lost. A title that takes more time to figure out than the Da Vinci code is not going to go down well. The journalist probably won't even bother opening the document.
2) Every student in PR school is taught that the first paragraph must sum up the story. Even if you can convince our lovely journalist to open the file, stuffing the first five paragraphs with meaningless fluff will not compel them to read any further. I appreciate your attempt to alter the way all good media releases have been written since before the beginning of time but it's just not working is it?
3) Typos, typos, typos. Is it really that difficult to send out a media release without it being smattered with bad spelling and grammatical mistakes? I've heard that in-depth proofreading- by both yourself and other people in the office- can be helpful....
4) Media releases should always be sent out under the client's name, not the name of your consultancy. The aim is to get coverage for the brand you are representing, not for yourself.
5) Issuing your release after 5pm is not a particularly sensible idea. Mornings are the best time to get in touch with journalists. Otherwise, it is quite likely that your release will end up in a big black hole and it will never be read. Although, seeing as you do not adhere to the previous four points, maybe that is a blessing in disguise.
If you are still a little muddled, do not despair. There are plenty of 'how-to' guides on the internet or you could ask a PR student for some advice? Maybe you should have a read through this guide before you next attempt to put together a media release.
Warmest Regards,
A Fellow PR Company
1 comment:
Maybe we should start a fundraising camapign. Not to eradicate illiteracy in the third world but to eradicate illiteracy at 'cough cough' PR.
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