April 26, 2004
Make no mistakes | How to avoid the top five errors businesses make in press releases
By Skip King
About 15 years ago, I sat deskside with a busy journalist friend. She opened her mail while we talked.
The stack included at least 50 press releases. She made it through the lot in five minutes. Do the math: She spent less than six seconds per release, including opening the envelope (this gal was a whiz at opening envelopes). At the end, three releases remained on her desk. The rest became landfill.
"Ever do that to any of my releases?" I asked.
"Probably."
"Aren't you worried you might miss something important?"
She looked at me the same way my fourth grade teacher did when I forgot my homework. "If you wanna read them and circle the nugget or two you think might be worth my while, have at it. Far as I'm concerned, if people are too stupid or lazy to figure out what stories I cover ˆ or if they can't get to the point in the first twenty words ˆ then screw 'em."
Except for reporters whose beat, or area of coverage, makes use of the police scanner to find stories, most journalists use releases to come up with at least some of their stories.
But reporters are inundated by press releases. Corporate and agency PR people ˆ to say nothing of small business owners ˆ send out reams of the damned things.
Some are required by law. For example, public companies are required to issue releases when they have news important to shareholders. Releases are also vital when managing serious news, issues or crises.
Journalists generally grit their teeth and struggle through these, regardless of how well (or poorly) they're written. But the vast majority of releases are essentially promotional, and that's where the problem lies.
So how do you keep your precious information from rotting up in Norridgewock? Here are five common mistakes companies make with their press releases. Avoid them, and you just might catch a reporter's eye.
1. Hiding the story
In the newspaper world, this is called "burying the lede." In the PR world, this is simply a huge mistake, because journalists won't wade through a release hunting for the story. You have to tell them what the story is. The place to do that is in the headline (and, if appropriate, the subhead).
If the headers don't catch my reporter friend, the release gets tossed. If they do, she reads the first paragraph. If that keeps her interest, the release stays, and she reads it thoroughly later. It's a common system.
Don't get clever with those all-important headlines. Newspapers use cute or dramatic headlines because they draw reader attention. Press release headers serve the same function, but remember: Reporters are looking for stories, not examples of your wit. Your headline and subhead should tell the journalist what's in the release and why it's important. Anything else and you're hiding the story.
To a journalist, the most interesting aspect of a story isn't necessarily the central element that prompted you to send the release in the first place. Say, for example, that National Semi develops a cool new chip with military applications. By itself, that's of minimal importance to most local readers (and hence, most local reporters). But if producing the chip means 300 new jobs in the Portland area, that's Page 1 news.
2. Sending releases to the wrong reporters
Some companies use a shotgun approach to release distribution, sending them to everyone they can think of.
Back in the days when releases were mailed or faxed, distribution costs encouraged companies to keep their lists reasonable. But with the advent of e-mail distribution, reporters are starting to regard the majority of press releases as what they really are: spam.
If you think that a lifestyle journalist is going to read a business announcement and forward it to the business editor, tighten the cap on your jar of rubber cement. The fumes are getting to you.
At all but the smallest media outlets, specific journalists cover specific beats. You'll get much better results if you determine who covers what and pitch accordingly. At the least, figure out which editor is responsible for a given beat or section, and send to them. If your release gets their attention, they'll assign the story to a reporter.
3. Sloppy writing
Journalists will suffer through poorly written releases if the story is interesting enough. But do you really want to make them work this hard?
The truth is that not everyone can write brilliantly (even a surprising number of PR pros are weak in this regard). Throwing a badly written release at a journalist is roughly akin to showing up for a vacation in Paris without having first learned to at least say "please" and "thank you" in French. It shows a lack of respect, and produces the same result: You'll get ignored.
Journalists write in a very specific style, and the closer you can come to matching that style, the better. Read the papers. The meat is easy to find. The paragraphs are short, and there's no fluff.
Your new widget may indeed be a boon to mankind, but your release should prove it, not say it with frilly flourish. We'll discuss ways to buff your releases in a future installment of this series.
4. Putting out releases with no news in them
It happens all the time, and it's even worse than hiding a story ˆ because occasionally a reporter actually will wade through a release looking for the story, particularly if the release comes from an organization that may be expected to shed light on a current issue.
Companies and organizations tend to think of news coverage as free advertising. It isn't. And some organizations think they should put out a release simply because it's been X number of months since the last time they did.
It's a mistake to let the calendar dictate your release plan. Do some homework and find a real story. Reporters do ˆ and odds are that if you keep your eyes and ears open you can actually locate one, too.
5. Follow-up problems
It's a good idea to follow up with key reporters after sending a release ˆ as long as you're sure that you sent it to the right people in the first place. After all, mail gets mis-sorted, faxes get buried and valid e-mail gets mistakenly deleted along with the Viagra ads.
Don't assume that you can put out a press release and wait for the phone to ring.
Remember, most journalists receive hundreds of releases a week. If it's truly an important release with clear implications for your community, your industry or your market, make follow-up calls.
But don't get obnoxious about it. If you're actually lucky enough to have your target answer the phone, simply introduce yourself, tell them that you've sent a release regarding your story topic, ask if they've received it and let them know you're available for questions. That's all. Don't try to oversell ˆ if you crafted and targeted the release well and the story matches their needs, they'll get back to you.
Did you get voicemail? Again, introduce yourself, give a quick description of the release, ask if they got it and offer assistance if they'd like a follow-up. Two or three days later, you might try again, if necessary. After all, they might have been on assignment. But after that, turn your attention elsewhere. Journalists get at least as many phone calls each day as they do press releases, and they ignore calls for the same reasons.
Next time, we'll take a look at crafting good quotes that journalists can actually use.
The stack included at least 50 press releases. She made it through the lot in five minutes. Do the math: She spent less than six seconds per release, including opening the envelope (this gal was a whiz at opening envelopes). At the end, three releases remained on her desk. The rest became landfill.
"Ever do that to any of my releases?" I asked.
"Probably."
"Aren't you worried you might miss something important?"
She looked at me the same way my fourth grade teacher did when I forgot my homework. "If you wanna read them and circle the nugget or two you think might be worth my while, have at it. Far as I'm concerned, if people are too stupid or lazy to figure out what stories I cover ˆ or if they can't get to the point in the first twenty words ˆ then screw 'em."
Except for reporters whose beat, or area of coverage, makes use of the police scanner to find stories, most journalists use releases to come up with at least some of their stories.
But reporters are inundated by press releases. Corporate and agency PR people ˆ to say nothing of small business owners ˆ send out reams of the damned things.
Some are required by law. For example, public companies are required to issue releases when they have news important to shareholders. Releases are also vital when managing serious news, issues or crises.
Journalists generally grit their teeth and struggle through these, regardless of how well (or poorly) they're written. But the vast majority of releases are essentially promotional, and that's where the problem lies.
So how do you keep your precious information from rotting up in Norridgewock? Here are five common mistakes companies make with their press releases. Avoid them, and you just might catch a reporter's eye.
1. Hiding the story
In the newspaper world, this is called "burying the lede." In the PR world, this is simply a huge mistake, because journalists won't wade through a release hunting for the story. You have to tell them what the story is. The place to do that is in the headline (and, if appropriate, the subhead).
If the headers don't catch my reporter friend, the release gets tossed. If they do, she reads the first paragraph. If that keeps her interest, the release stays, and she reads it thoroughly later. It's a common system.
Don't get clever with those all-important headlines. Newspapers use cute or dramatic headlines because they draw reader attention. Press release headers serve the same function, but remember: Reporters are looking for stories, not examples of your wit. Your headline and subhead should tell the journalist what's in the release and why it's important. Anything else and you're hiding the story.
To a journalist, the most interesting aspect of a story isn't necessarily the central element that prompted you to send the release in the first place. Say, for example, that National Semi develops a cool new chip with military applications. By itself, that's of minimal importance to most local readers (and hence, most local reporters). But if producing the chip means 300 new jobs in the Portland area, that's Page 1 news.
2. Sending releases to the wrong reporters
Some companies use a shotgun approach to release distribution, sending them to everyone they can think of.
Back in the days when releases were mailed or faxed, distribution costs encouraged companies to keep their lists reasonable. But with the advent of e-mail distribution, reporters are starting to regard the majority of press releases as what they really are: spam.
If you think that a lifestyle journalist is going to read a business announcement and forward it to the business editor, tighten the cap on your jar of rubber cement. The fumes are getting to you.
At all but the smallest media outlets, specific journalists cover specific beats. You'll get much better results if you determine who covers what and pitch accordingly. At the least, figure out which editor is responsible for a given beat or section, and send to them. If your release gets their attention, they'll assign the story to a reporter.
3. Sloppy writing
Journalists will suffer through poorly written releases if the story is interesting enough. But do you really want to make them work this hard?
The truth is that not everyone can write brilliantly (even a surprising number of PR pros are weak in this regard). Throwing a badly written release at a journalist is roughly akin to showing up for a vacation in Paris without having first learned to at least say "please" and "thank you" in French. It shows a lack of respect, and produces the same result: You'll get ignored.
Journalists write in a very specific style, and the closer you can come to matching that style, the better. Read the papers. The meat is easy to find. The paragraphs are short, and there's no fluff.
Your new widget may indeed be a boon to mankind, but your release should prove it, not say it with frilly flourish. We'll discuss ways to buff your releases in a future installment of this series.
4. Putting out releases with no news in them
It happens all the time, and it's even worse than hiding a story ˆ because occasionally a reporter actually will wade through a release looking for the story, particularly if the release comes from an organization that may be expected to shed light on a current issue.
Companies and organizations tend to think of news coverage as free advertising. It isn't. And some organizations think they should put out a release simply because it's been X number of months since the last time they did.
It's a mistake to let the calendar dictate your release plan. Do some homework and find a real story. Reporters do ˆ and odds are that if you keep your eyes and ears open you can actually locate one, too.
5. Follow-up problems
It's a good idea to follow up with key reporters after sending a release ˆ as long as you're sure that you sent it to the right people in the first place. After all, mail gets mis-sorted, faxes get buried and valid e-mail gets mistakenly deleted along with the Viagra ads.
Don't assume that you can put out a press release and wait for the phone to ring.
Remember, most journalists receive hundreds of releases a week. If it's truly an important release with clear implications for your community, your industry or your market, make follow-up calls.
But don't get obnoxious about it. If you're actually lucky enough to have your target answer the phone, simply introduce yourself, tell them that you've sent a release regarding your story topic, ask if they've received it and let them know you're available for questions. That's all. Don't try to oversell ˆ if you crafted and targeted the release well and the story matches their needs, they'll get back to you.
Did you get voicemail? Again, introduce yourself, give a quick description of the release, ask if they got it and offer assistance if they'd like a follow-up. Two or three days later, you might try again, if necessary. After all, they might have been on assignment. But after that, turn your attention elsewhere. Journalists get at least as many phone calls each day as they do press releases, and they ignore calls for the same reasons.
Next time, we'll take a look at crafting good quotes that journalists can actually use.
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