It's a real shame. If you open most any newspaper in the country
you'll find at least one story you know really didn't need to be
there. It just isn't that relevant or interesting. But somehow it
made it in.
You can't help but wonder if it just happened to be one of those
days when absolutely nothing worth mentioning happened to any one
of the 6 billion inhabitants of this planet. And you know that
isn't true either.
Nothing made it to the news because tons of people around the
world made the first, worst mistake in announcing a news story.
They didn't.
They had information that people around their community, across
their country or around the world would love to know. They came
up with an idea that could revolutionize an industry, but gave up
because the mainstream assured them the only way the press would
listen would be through the very expensive advertising
department. But that's far from true.
Where advertising might cost you money, news typically costs the
newspaper, radio or television station plenty of money to gather.
They pay reporters, correspondents, wire services and anybody
else they can find for good news stories. If you have a great
story to tell, they're more than willing to accept a freebee.
But it needs to be in the right format, while following certain
industry standards. You can find plenty of free advice on how to
format a press release at my web site, located at:
http://www.PressReleasesMadeEasy.com.
If you're looking for a complete, extensive course on
the subject, you can find it at my site on line at
http://www.Hartunian.com/prkit. Among the advice you'll find
there, here are some of the other reasons why great news
stories never get noticed:
1. Many great press releases get tossed, unread, because they're
too long. A program director or editor going through a stack
of press releases won't typically stop to read that 5-page
essay on why some business thinks they have a great product.
Most press releases are double-spaced and fit on a single
page. If you can't get your entire message in that space,
then you might want to consider hiring a professional writer.
Getting past the fluff and color and getting down to the
story is an art. It's worth developing, or at worst, paying
someone else who already has, for their help.
2. Another reason a lot of the press releases are never read is
because they're obviously self-serving. You may feel your new
product is the hottest thing going, but will someone else buy
a newspaper to listen to you brag? Remember, editors and
program managers are in the news business.
If you can't spin what you have to say in such a way as to
make it sound just as fascinating or useful as that juicy
stuff about the upcoming election or that tragedy in the
Middle East then chances are it won't make the cut.
3. Many great stories are missed because they come too well
packaged. A dozen roses or even fancy letterhead are surefire
ways to slap a big sign across the front of a press release
that reads "AMATEUR". Forget about the bribes. Editors know
to watch out for fancy packaging. It typically reflects a
story that needs a lot of fact verification and may or may
not accurately reflect something it promises.
Simple white paper with the correct traditional headline and
format is usually a simple way to make it to the "A" list on
the editors desk.
4. Timing can make or break a good story. Obviously, announcing
your new "Santa's Village" that includes $2 million dollars
worth of animation and the ultimate Disney-style drive
through cars would be a waste of time if it arrived on an
editors desk in the middle of January.
If at all possible, timing your releases correctly can ad up
to a good solid foot inside the proverbial newsroom door.
Many people are in a rush to get their press release out.
I understand. It's exciting. You just wrote your masterpiece.
Now you want the media people to acknowledge it by calling
you for interviews.
But hold on as best you can and consider whether or not you
are sending it out at the best possible time. That could be
the difference between getting the interview or not.
Obviously this list isn't extensive. There's probably as many
"insider tips" as there are insiders, but following these 4
suggestions will definitely put your press release up there
in the top 10% or so of "good guys" that get a decent chance
turning into an interview.
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