Now that the press release is ready to go - it's time to let it do its work, but first you need to do your work. Do you know the right contact to send the release to? Are you sending it to the right address, fax, or e-mail? Are you sending it to the right editor or producer? Do you know whether that particular media contact prefers to receive snail mail, faxes or e-mail? If you are sending a business-oriented press release to a magazine, you don't want to send it to the beauty editor. So, take the time to do your homework. Study the masthead, which is located in the front of every magazine and lists who the various editors are and what sections they edit. Or better yet, call the magazine and ask who you should address the release to. There are companies that sell media information, but often it's worth taking some time and making phone calls. Editors and segment producers are constantly changing; it's a business in constant flux. Media lists can be very helpful, but keep in mind you still need to make the calls, chances are that many of the names and numbers on your lists are out of date, before you even receive them.
You don't have to approach all of the media at once. Come up with a select list that you want to approach, a list of your initial target media. You may want to start off approaching no more than ten or fifteen media outlets. If you are faxing, check to make sure you have the correct numbers. If you are mailing, confirm the address same with e-mailing. Also, invest a few dollars in stationery. After all that work, you want it to look as good as it reads, as it goes out the door.
Some media contacts prefer to receive short concise e-mail pitches. Others simply delete e-mails from unknown senders as they arrive. It pays to call and find out before e-mailing a particular contact. When e-mailing make sure that you never send an attachment. Add your information to the body of your e-mail. Too may media contacts have received viruses by opening attachments sent from unknown sources. If the media contact requests an attachment, by all means send it, otherwise, don't even consider it.
Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008
The PR Release Is Done - Now What? - 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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