Hello,
Last Wednesday I introduced the first of my mini-series
about sharing business and marketing tips from my PR expert friend, Rachel
Burks. Rachel is Managing Director of PorcupinePR, a local agency that I frequently work with and where I often end up having
very informative, relaxed chats about business and marketing matters, swapping
tips and advice which I felt would be great to share with you, my lovely blog
readers. If you missed the first in the
series you can catch up by clicking the link here:
This week, Rachel shares a few important basic tips about
getting your press release noticed:
Rachel: “Most journalists receive hundreds of
press releases every single day so it’s important to make sure yours stands out
from the crowd. Follow our top tips and you should be on the right track.
Make sure your story is about
the latest news or trends – the
most recent developments are what a journalist will be interested in so include
this information at the start.
Be different – journalists get sent a constant stream
of ‘non stories’ all day long. Be the first, the newest, the oldest, the
biggest or the smallest.
Grab the reader’s attention – much like the blurb on the back cover
of a book, the first paragraph of your release should be concise and make the
reader want to carry on. Headers are important too, try to think of something
different and witty where appropriate but don’t be cheesy.
Pay attention to the detail – this includes the basics like checking
your spelling and grammar but also refers to including the small details, such
as someone’s age or where they live. Read through your release as if you didn’t
know anything about the story and see if you have any unanswered questions when
you reach the end.
Include a relevant image – news is getting more and more visual
and a release that is sent through with a relevant, good quality press
photograph is more likely to be picked up than one that isn’t. Many magazines
prefer product images on a pure white background to make it easier to layout on
their pages. Images need to be sharply
in focus and at least 300dpi resolution.
Include your contact details – make sure your telephone number, brief
location, website address and social media details appear on the release. It
sounds obvious but you’d be surprised how many people forget to add these.”
Thank you for some more sound advice Rachel. Next Wednesday, Rachel will be sharing some
Tea and Tips with me about How to keep
your friends and fans happy when it comes to social networking. I hope
you can join us.
Best wishes
Angie
