WHY DOESN'T THE EDITOR LIKE YOUR NEWS RELEASES?
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Free Download - HITTING A MOVING TARGET By Andy Marken |
During the past few months, and at recent trade shows, I
heard many editors complain about the quality of news releases they receive via fax, e-mail and s-mail from the people in the industry -- manufacturers
and dealers s as well as some of the ridiculous
things people do to try and get them published. I can only
assume that this important means of communication with a firm's
many publics doesn't get the care and attention it deserves. In
addition, poor, incomplete news releases and publicity practices
insult a good editor's intelligence as well as do the firm more harm
than good.
To verify the complaints, I talked with business and industry editors. Most of
them said that they receive an average of 500 to 800 releases a
week. Almost three-fourths of the releases are so weak or
amateurish they go directly into the wastebasket.
Other commonly voiced complaints about publicity handling
in general included:
* People who feel they have to hand-deliver or overnight a release to an
editor to make certain that he or she gets it
* People who insist on reading a release over the phone to an
editor
* People who simultaneously give a release to every
editor at a single publication
* People who call to make certain that the editor received the
release or to ask if it's okay to send him/her a release
Complaints also included meaningless personal notes
accompanying a release, excessively long releases, people who
request that no changes be made to the release copy, people who
want clippings of the printed release, and people who make no
bones about pointing out the fact that their client or firm is
also an advertiser.
Now, I can't say that we're free of guilt in all of these
areas, nor can any other good public relations professional.
Actually, we're a lot like the hard working editorial pro ... we
work hard to place an item that we feel is newsworthy. But that
is a far cry from the dealer, manufacturer or anyone in the industry who
feels he or she has a hidden talent for writing and placing a
"masterpiece" for the company.
A Powerful Tool
Good publicity or news release handling can be a powerful
part of a company's total public relations program. It can get
information on the firm's hardware/software developments,
services, personnel changes and financial reports where they will
do the most good ... in the magazine or newspaper. In addition,
it can be the springboard for a major article on the organization,
its products/programs and direction.
An organized, well-executed publicity program that is inte-
grated into the firm's total effort can reap handsome results.
It can:
* Make readers aware of the company, its programs and
capabilities
* Pave the way for the sales force
* Help explore potential new markets
* Build relations with present customers
* Attract quality personnel to the firm
With all of these benefits, why is a firm willing to
jeopardize its relationship with the editors by giving publicity
so little attention?
If attention is given, it is often overdone by sending the same release to 200 or 300 magazines as well as every ezine around. I should
note here that I can't think of a single product in any part of this
industry that is of interest to readers of 300 business and trade
publications. Yet, I have heard of several occasions where
overzealous individuals cast releases to the four winds with the
hope that someone, somewhere, would print them!
Basic Guidelines
During the years that we've worked closely with editors,
I've had an opportunity to see the reams of releases that pass
their desks. For the most part, the releases uniformly lacked
any spark of writing excitement, comprehension of news style, or
the solid information that really gets an editor interested.
But how can people provide information that will be used?
It is quite easy for anyone who practices publicity and public
relations to read the magazine and gauge the editorial requirements of a given
publication or group of publications. Then, if you're worth your
salt, you can provide news releases that will be published
because they have the style, content and necessary current angle
to satisfy these requirements. It goes without saying this isn't
all that's needed to get company information into print, but it
is a step in the right direction.
Here are some basic guidelines our organization follows
when preparing news releases for the press:
1. Write the release simply and factually, and make certain
that you tell the full story as succinctly as possible. Then stop!
2. When the story dictates, prepare background and biographical
material that gives facts rather than personal "puff." Back-
ground material is meant to inform editors, not flatter
management.
3. Photographs should be real, with sharp contrasts, not
retouched ad shots. Make certain that the cutline explains
the photo and ties into the release.
4. The release should contain the name and telephone number of
the person who should be contacted for additional informa-
tion. In fact, it might be a good practice to add the home
telephone number and email address so the editor can contact you when the news
is hot in his/her mind. If they let the story cool down,
you might lose a better write-up.
5. If the release is on a brochure or catalog, include a copy.
It can make good source material for future articles and give
the editor more information to work with.
6. Write the release with the specific publication's reader in
mind. Your people tailor their information to the
interests of their prospects. That's the way you should
prepare releases for editors. Often, when we prepare a
release for a product that has a number of applications, we
write separate copy for each class of publication. Properly
done, the results can be dramatic.
Research and Development
There is usually a lot going on in a dealer organizations and office equipment/supply company that is of interest to an editor, and the good
"stuff" isn't delivered to you on a silver platter. The
individual in the company who is responsible for public
relations activities has to be like a good reporter and dig out
the information. Then, whoever is writing the publicity must
determine what is of value to the company, editor and reader.
Next, you have to think the subject through, looking for every
angle and interesting aspect. Sometimes more than one story can
be developed from a single announcement. Finally, the writer has
to write the release for specific reader audiences. Everyone has
different areas of primary interest, and if you want to reach
them you have to talk in their terms ... on their ground.
No portion of a company's public relations or communica-
tions program can do more to support the company, its products
and its services than good publicity. Still, it requires skill
and attention if it is to win the approval of the editor ... and
his/her readers.
However, if the firm isn't looking for this approval, a
clerk or junior member of the organization can be assigned the
task of handling publicity and news releases. But it has always
been my opinion that good publicity deserves attention because it
can contribute to the sales of goods and result in profits for
the firm.
If I'm wrong and publicity doesn't deserve attention, I
wish resellers and others would quit asking why editors don't
like them and don't use thier releases!
##########
WHY DOESNT THE EDITOR LIKE YOUR NEWS RELEASES - To learn more about this author, visit Andy Marken's Website.
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