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The dos and don'ts of press releases
5/26/2011 9:22:14 AM
In our fast facts society, the press release has become a great way to get information in front of the public. We no longer take time to read books, we just look up quotes from great authors (at least we think they are great authors when we get the quote of the day at the bottom of an email. Who has time to check for sure?) If your business has news, a press release keeps your clients informed about your most recent activities and keeps your name in front of them as well. However, there are certain dos and don'ts when publishing a press release.

Managing press release expectations

One common problem that fogs the thinking of many CEOs is that a press release is a marketing tool that will drive hordes of business sweeping down over the hills like locusts on fields of wheat. All they have to do is make a statement and throw open the doors to make way for all the customers. A press release is not your marketing plan. Most of the time, a press release will give the market short little spurts of awareness. They are not a long-term plan. Don’t get the two confused. News happens too quickly for anyone to pay attention to your press release for very long. They simply read it and get on with their lives. In that one moment, you need to make a clear, concise statement that is worth the viewer's time to read.

Keeping it real

Don’t make outlandish claims about your product. A press release is not an advertisement. It is newsworthy information about your organization. Claims of exclusivity (i.e. the only one of its kind, no other product does what this product does, etc.) will typically not be taken seriously. If you want a news source to publish your press release, it has to have credibility.

Keeping it simple

Stay away from industry insider language. What is a tiff? Depending upon your industry, you may be describing the Tokyo International Film Festival, a Tagged Image File Format, a mineral made up of barium sulfate, or an argument between two people. The language of a press release must be simple and unambiguous. If you need to use terms from your industry, make sure you are defining them. This is where having a well written media kit can help you. Most news outlets have very little time to research and put together a story on your company. If you are expecting a newspaper, radio or TV report based on your press release, you need to have a media kit that describes what your organization does, who the key players are in your business, and the major facts, including a short history of your company. This is supplemental information that, coupled with the press release, can be used to put together a news report or write an article. All of this needs to be in very easy to understand language. You are expecting too much if you assume that a reporter understands your industry jargon.

The gaffe-o-matic I

Press release 101: Make sure you carefully proofread a press release before it goes out. In this day, once something hits the internet, you cannot get it back. Don’t let the haste of getting a message into the hands of the public make you think you can cut corners and not have at least two sets of eyes carefully proofread your message. The office of former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann sent out a press release just before the Christmas shopping began in 2007. The press release gave a hotline number for consumers to report shopping problems. However, two numbers in the phone number were transposed, and the listed number was for a sex hotline! The news release got a lot of attention once the press found out about the mistake, but it was not exactly the type of exposure the Attorney General’s office had in mind. You can never be too careful in proofreading.

The gaffe-o-matic II

Press release 201: No press release should be sent before its time. It is common to write a press release prior to an event actually happening. That way, it can be sent out to news sources immediately after the event takes place. However, make sure this is not released early. For instance, it has been the practice of news gathering sources to write and file obituaries on popular personalities. In 1998, the Associated Press sent out an obituary announcing the death of actor Bob Hope. This happened while the US Congress was in session. When the news was proclaimed on the floor of the House of Representatives, congressmen began to take to the floor to eulogize Hope. C-Span carried the whole incident live. The only problem was that Bob Hope had not died. Shortly after C-Span started broadcasting the Hope eulogy, his daughter issued a statement, "Dad is at home, having his breakfast.”

On the flip side of getting it out too early is getting it out too late. A week old press release is like a week old newspaper. It is in the recycling bin. A month old press release is ancient history. News happens fast. Make sure you are timely with your press releases.

________________________________________

Racy phone number mix-up proves latest gaffe for Dann to handle vindy.com online article November 25, 2007  http://www4.vindy.com/content/local_regional/290373550504466.php

 Premature obituaries, Wikipedia.com  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_premature_obituaries

 The "I Saw My Own Obituary” Society, by Christopher Bonanos. New York Magazine http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/topic/64302/

photo by Vofpalabra

 

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