Make sure to keep your press release tight and concise - no rambling - and remember, when it comes to effective public relations, think in terms of headlines. There is a reason that USA Today, People magazine and MTV are successful. They give us quick, easy-to-digest stories and programs. Our's is a society that likes the fast-food approach to information. Package it nicely, make it interesting, make it short, don't take a lot of our time and we'll read it, watch it, or listen to it. Be smart, and use that same approach when pitching story ideas to the media.
Don't fool yourself into thinking that because you're only writing a one-page release, you can knock it out in half an hour. A good press release can take quite a bit of time to write. As with all writing, the hardest and most important part is the editing. Your first attempt may be three or four pages long. Don't worry about it. Write your first draft without any concern for space, punctuation, or style. Concentrate on the facts and information. Once you have the basic story down, start editing it, cutting it down. Can you say something in a sentence instead of a paragraph? Do you really need to give all that information? It's not easy. Write in headlines - you are not giving them the story - you are giving them the idea. Don't try to rush it. Take your time. Put it aside for a couple of days, then reevaluate it. Can it be improved? I've spent days on certain one-page releases. Remember, think in terms of headlines. You're looking to grab the reader's attention.
And, speaking of headlines, always make sure to start your press release with a headline that is centered. I always bold my headline and make it a larger point size than the rest of the copy. What makes for a good headline? Anything that will make them read on. You only have a very limited number of words to work with, so it can take some time to come up with the right one. Sometimes it's fun to be clever or use alliteration, but be careful, you don't want to be too cute. Be imaginative, not precious. Make it interesting.
Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008
The PR Headline Game - To learn more about this author, visit Anthony Mora's Website.
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Anthony Mora
(Visit Anthony's Website)
Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. is a Los
Angeles-based public relations firm that
focuses in the areas of media relations,
image development and media training.
Anthony Mora Communications regularly
places clients in major media outlets,
including Time, Newsweek, Oprah, the New
York Times, CNN, the Today Show, the Wall
Street Journal and hundreds of other media
outlets. Through media placement, you are
not presented within the context of an ad
or commercial. You're not positioned as
an ad but as the news.
President and CEO, Anthony Mora, has been
featured in: USA Today, Newsweek, The New
York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The
Wall Street Journal, The BBC, CNN, E!
Entertainment Television, Entrepreneur,
Fox News, MSNBC, and other media. He has
written three books, the most the most
recent, a how-to on PR called Spin to
Win.
For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMor
a.com
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