There's no such thing as a "one size fits all" release. Smart publicists have variations of the press release model ready to go, depending on the occasion.

by Bill Stoller, Publisher
Free Publicity, The Newsletter for PR-Hungry Businesses
http://www.PublicityInsider.com/freepub.asp

To many marketers, the press release is something of a “one size fits all” proposition. You want to get media coverage, you knock out a press release, send it to some journalists and sit back and wait.

Of course, smart Publicity Insiders already know that’s a prescription for failure. You know that your press release has to have a “hook”, be well-written and sent to appropriate journalists in an active, not passive, manner. But there’s another part of the puzzle that even savvy publicity-seekers sometimes miss — you can’t just write “a press release”, you have to write the right kind of press release.

There’s no such thing as a “one size fits all” release. Smart publicists have variations of the press release model ready to go, depending on the occasion.

Let’s look at some releases suitable for “harder” and more timely news…

The News Release

To some folks, “news release” and “press release” are interchangeable. Not to me. I use the phrase “news release” to refer to a release that, well, carries actual news. Let’s face it, most of what a business has to say to a journalist isn’t exactly “stop the presses” kind of stuff. But, on occasion, something of real significance occurs. A merger, a stock split, a major new contract, winning a national award…something that’s truly timely and important. For these sorts of events, don’t mess around. Craft a solid, hard-hitting News Release that’s written in pure journalistic style (lead includes “who, what, when, why and how”, language is in 3rd person and completely free of hyperbole). Use journalism’s “inverted pyramid” — most important information at the top, next most important info in the second paragraph and so on down.

Tell the entire story in the headline and subhead. Again, don’t get cute — get straight to the point. The headline “Acme Corporation Selected by Pentagon to Supply Troops with Widgets” is far better than something like “Guess Who’s Making Widgets for Uncle Sam?” or something “clever” like that. In the subhead, fill in some details: “$18 Million Contract Largest in Company’s History”. Talk about getting straight to the point! You’ve just given the journalist the meat of the story before she’s even read your lead.

Add a “dateline” (Akron, OH) at the beginning of your lead (first) paragraph. In the dateline, use your company’s home town (or the location where some news has broken. You can be a bit creative here, if it helps maximize your impact. For the above example, you can dateline it Washington, DC and say that “The Pentagon today announced that it has selected an Akron company…”

In distributing the release, use e-mail, fax, distribution service such as PRWeb or PR Newswire, or even overnight courier. The goal is to get it into journalists’ hands on the same day you distribute it.

Executive Appointment Release

Most businesses send out a brief release and headshot when someone new is hired or a major promotion is made. That’s fine, and it will get them in the “People on the Move” column on page 8 in the business section. It’s an ego stroke for the employee, but that’s about it. Savvy publicity seekers use the Executive Appointment release to generate real publicity. Here’s the key — don’t just announce that someone’s been hired or promoted. Rather, explain why the move is significant to the company — and perhaps the market — as a whole.