I *was* going to go through the trouble of breaking down for you how to write your own press releases. In fact "Anatomy of the Press Release" as a post title has been on my editorial calendar for several months now.
BUT...in following up on a NYT story this morning—"Need Press? Repeat: 'Green,' 'Sex,' 'Cancer,' 'Secret,' 'Fat'"—I ended up at the website for PR Newswire and discovered that my brilliant idea has not only already been done, albeit named as "Anatomy of a News Release," but also done in a full-color PDF with actual diagramming, no less.
I'm sure I can still add more value to this topic, especially in how to how to use keywords in the body of your release and why to keep your quotes short and to-the-point, but I'll attempt it at a future date when I'm done licking the wounds of my bruised ego.
In the meantime, get started generating ideas for your business's press releases on your own. Each of the words on this list was cited in the NYT article as useful in getting editors' attention, so brainstorm headlines and subheads with the following:
toxic
long-term health risks
safe
easy
trick
breaking
green
environment
foreclosure
breakthrough
And, in addition to subscribing to "Ditch the Dusty Widget" and getting small business advice, stories, resources and inspiration via email, you can also sign up for PR Newswire's "Small Biz PR 101" newsletter.
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3 comments:
So when one creates a press release, who do they actually "release" it too?
You mean *after* you hire a great copywriter to edit it for you and make it shine, right?
No worries, my friend. There will be lots more posts about do-it-yourself PR.
Some companies like mine (Vertical Insight) offer very affordable copy writing services, copy editing and press release submission for small businesses. These services are always customized too based on the needs of the client. So no one is ever bound to more or less than what they want and/or need.
By the way, Tara, thanks so much for the read. It was great and I throroughly enjoyed it.
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