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I say this after struggling for some years to get any of my press releases published. I stumbled on the most important factor for getting a press release published right *after* my first release got published in a UK Internet magazine. I then decided to piece together all the advice, all the tips and tutorials I'd read, into a single checklist, to make writing my next successful press release easier.
The press release checklist below is the result. Like all checklists, it's brief and to the point. So if you need to understand more about a particular concept I recommend that you read the article Appendix (available in the online version of the article). Remember, good press releases -- i.e. press releases that get published -- are great ways to get invaluable promotion for your business or website. So learning how to write good press releases, and then writing them, is definitely 'worth it.' Read on. Here are the basic steps of writing a press release: => Press Release Checklist
An explanation of these steps follows. (Remember, you can learn more from the resources listed in the Appendix.) => Step 1: "What's Your Story?" 1.1) Find your story, and develop it! 1.2) Position yourself as being different (develop different angles). This means thinking about:
Some suitable news-sources to aid your research:
=> Step 2: Think Like A Journalist 2.1) What reasons would an editor want to publish your news? What benefits do their readers get? Is it relevant? Is it mildly interesting? Is it newsworthy? 2.2) Make the main benefit of your press release the headline. (Your headline has one purpose: to get the attention of the editor, to get him/her to read your release - use the words You, New and/or How To) 2.3) Remember the subtext 2.4) Remember to 'keep it simple stupid'! Write for scannability. Write short, punchy paragraphs. 2.5) Remember to answer these questions: "Who? Why? What? Where? When? & How?" Ideally, answer these questions in your headline. 2.6) Write the press release so it can go into a magazine, with as few edits as possible. (Important!) => Step 3: Mechanics Of Writing A Press Release 3.1) Headline (or title) of your press release is vital - see 2.2) above. (Some say that most of your time should be spent on writing a powerful headline.) 3.2) Your opening sentence continues on from the headline.
3.3) Tell your story in the headline and leading paragraph. 3.4) Use specific, powerful (and true) testimonials - use convincing case studies; use a powerful guarantee, and draw attention to it. 3.5) Make sure you use no more than 5 bullet points. 3.6) Change passive words to active; use the words You; and link selling points. 3.7) For each sentence you write, ask yourself: "So what?". And remove the sentence, if you can't think of an answer. 3.8) Edit your copy ruthlessly, over and over again! 3.9) Finally, make sure there are no attachments, no html, no .DOC files. (Everyone is wary of email viruses these days, including editors!) => Step 4: Example Layout Of A Press Release Here is an example press release layout:
<Title - Headline> -- Benefit
(tell me more, 36-40 chars)
<For immediate release> <Simple contact>
<Sub-heading>
<Leading Paragraph> -- What? Why needed? How it will
help (40-75 words). Include
quotes.
<Main Paragraph(s)> -- Who aimed at (the facts)? Who
cares?
<Final Paragraph> -- Summarise; or call to action
<Full contact details>
(Want to look at an example? Visit the link below
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2003/5/prweb66510.htmNote: this example didn't get much media attention, because it simply wasn't newsworthy enough.) => Step 5: Is Your Press Release Ready?
1) Is your press release published on your website? Phew! That's a lot to take in, I agree! So can you guess what the main problem is, with doing all of the above? ...Your press release will be L-O-N-G (long). => The missing ingredient - K-I-S-S Yes, the vital ingredient to your press release, the one factor that WILL increase the chances of getting your news published is to: Keep It SHORT Stupid (yet another K-I-S-S !) Not convinced? Then, ask yourself these questions:
Keep your press release short, simple as that! So there you are: another promotion tip that *you can* do, to promote your website or business. Just follow the checklist below, to make sure that your next press release gets published:
Get writing that press release now!
(c) Copyright 2002-2004 Steve Nash. All Rights Reserved.
About The Author His Best Tip? Use Site Build It! to develop a profitable business online! Learn more, here! Site-BuildIt.com
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