writing a press release

[thekitchendesigner]

has anyone got any tips on writing a good press release to try and appear in trade mags?

my services are business to business so trade magazines are my targets!

cheers

[gapgb]

The general rules are:

Dont talk about yourself.
Talk about the benefits (not the features) of what you're offering.
Try and think of an angle that will make it interesting to the editor of the mag. They're the ones who you're trying to impress.
Send a picture if you can. The more interesting the better.
If you can double up with a customer testimonial trade mags love them.

Remeber they're getting hundreds of these and you're trying to beat the rest to be published.

If you can ring them up and talk about your story, see if they have any features coming up which you can slot into.

Good Luck

[meredith]

I bought the book guerilla pr from amazon, really good read...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/088730608X/qid=1133803061/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/202-6554157-1291021

[10 Yetis]

Why not have a look at some bigger companies press releases? They usually post them on the media section of thier websites?

If all else fails and if you are really desperate :) have a look at the news section on my site where I have old press releases.

http://www.10yetis.co.uk/news.html

hope this helps.

[thekitchendesigner]

Thanks to you all for your help!

Guy - some good points to go by there. i have gathered some testimonials for a revamp of the website so these could come in handy when writing. Is it best to keep it to one page?

pictures are no problem for me as i produce photo-real CAD perspectives, so could work that in somehow.

'meredith' - thanks for the recommended book, could be a good xmas read!

Andy - thanks for the link. desperation hasnt kicked in yet but i'll have a look at your website. do you know of any ways to stand out in the way the press release is presented, i.e. rather than just a4 paper - or is that the safest way to get a mention?

thanks once again people!

Mark

[10 Yetis]

mark,

Well, in all cases don't post it. The majority of journo's bin paper releases as they don't have time to write them up from scratch. It is always best to send in email format, either in a plain word doc, or in the body of the email itself.

This means you also have greater chance of havingchunks of the release itself used in an article (especially for local papers) rather than it being summarised by a journo.

Hope this makes sense.

[gapgb]

Mark, most pr is relatively short (200 to 300 words) unless a longer piece has been agreed in advance with the editor. For trade mags it's quite possible to speak to the editor and if you've got a good story or burning industry issue they will often ask you to do a longer piece. This is then more like an article for them but is still great PR for you, and it's still free.

Internet pr tends to be the other way round and the many tech people on the forum can probably advise better on this. Generally the more text the better which I can only imagine is to make the pr more visible to search engines. Constant use of key words and phrases is also good.

Some mags charge separation fees for printing photos by the way. You don't have to accept them but they may not run the photo or the piece. They are normally in the region of £80 to £100.

I agree with Yetis on the email / post point but have been caught out by one old fashioned trade mag who prefered the opposite. Their reason was that it was easier to scan hard copy than open and read tons of emails. Re-typing wasn't an issue for them. Also with photos hard copy was easier for them. If you're keen to be in a particular mag just give them a ring and ask them how they prefer their releases presented.

Oh and by the way dont be upset the first time you see a release which has been turned from your beautifully worded masterpiece into 2 lines of gibberish. They love to cut them up to fit the space.

Guy

[thekitchendesigner]

good advice guy, many thanks.

i have tried one before and did send it by post so this time i will try the email route. all email adresses are listed in the mags in question.
i suppose if you catch their eye via email it can be followed up with posted content should they wish.

the thing that concerns me about sending through as an email is a) if i send it through as attachment (word doc) would that not put them off through risk of a virus? and b) would simply writing it as the body of the email look a bit unprofessional?

same question linking to yetis response too!

Mark

[gapgb]

I would hope as they get hundreds of these a week they will be pretty well protected but you're right sending people viruses will make your pr unpopular. We once had a service engineer locked in a room for 8 hours in Australia because they thought he had a virus on his pc.

And I agree a word doc is better than having it in the email text. In fact you should create a PR template for this and future releases, giving your contact details etc. I usually put a small company description at the bottom of my clients templates so you dont have to re type it each time

Guy

[thekitchendesigner]

thanks people for your advice!

i shall use this to go and prepare, and hopefully post back here for all to view and comment on.

M

[Amber]

the thing that concerns me about sending through as an email is a) if i send it through as attachment (word doc) would that not put them off through risk of a virus? and b) would simply writing it as the body of the email look a bit unprofessional?


Journalists are used to receiving press releases the body of an email, and that's the way they prefer to get them, so they won't think it unprofessional at all. The big no-nos, as 10yetis has pointed out, are snail mail, fax or .pdfs, all of which force them to retype it. Make it as easy as possible for them to just copy and paste :)

[billhilton]

Although it's a bit of a tricky one, I'm with gapgp on the print/email thing. If you're submitted through PRweb.com or similar then obviously it's got to be electronic.

Beyond that, you have to make a judgement about the type of mag you're sending it to. Most modern setups would probably prefer email; Amber is right that the guiding principle of sending out a PR is to make the journalist's job as easy as possible.

But email is so easy to delete. It's also easy to delete and list as spam, and you don't want to get blackholed for your pains. A printed release is harder to ignore and easier to read. The decision will be most often be based on whether it's actually a good story, less often on the format its in, and then only if the print deadline is very close. It doesn't take a good journo more than five or ten minutes to type out 400 words. So try to find out their deadlines and send stuff well in advance.

Like I said, I usually make a decision on a case-by-case basis.

[thekitchendesigner]

ok.

my next question would be this (sorry to keep asking - never done this before and want to make a good impression!)

I was planning to base my release on how technology can be used when designing (kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms), and how my range of virtual services can benefit businesses in this sector. Think of it as Virtual Assistant/PA meets freelance design, something which is a new concept to the industry i am in. e.g. combined use of internet for proofing, interactive live presentation, VOIP for communication, online design and a range of presentation options.

the problem i'm having is how to turn this into something that could get used without talking about myself (as mentioned in another post)

is the subject i was planning to use adequate 'fodder'??

i also have a website revamp planned over xmas which will include a redesign, plus addition of loads of new content/services - could this 'event' be used?

any comments most welcome!

[10 Yetis]

Mark,

Kinda depends on your target media.. are you after regional, trade press or consumer... or both?

I would suggest a good hook would be to maybe use the technology to design a kitchen for free for a small charity or alike? You could then use this for your press release and it would be a good vehicle for you to talk about how the new technology works.

For a trade/consumer mag it would be good idea to find a few photogenic case studies of kitchens and people you have helped. The media love a good case study.

Of course, another option, if you are looking for coverage in trade or consumer mags would be to contact one of the reporters and ask if they have a Forward Features list (sometimes referred to as a "FF" list). This is a list they put together of all the future articles they are going to be writing over a set period of time.

This gives you an opportunity to find an article that you can either be quoted in or in some instances, even write.

I hope this helps, I am now off to carry on wrapping bloody Xmas presents.

And just to go back to the email or posted press releases, I have never sent a paper release since the early 90's. I consider it a waste of the price of a stamp. Also, I have never met a regional, trade mag, consumer mag or national media outlet that has asked for a paper copy.
I have seen the future and it is tinternet... go electric my friend, go electric. :D

[gapgb]

If you have something that's genuinely new and other people dont have then dont get too hung up on the talking about yourself thing. But for example:

You mention you use 'VOIP for communication' as a feature of your offering. Well so what? Is the person reading your PR in 'Kitchen Designer Monthly' or whatever going to be able to relate that feature with any benefit to them?

Always look at your PR from the readers point of view, we are all selfish and want to know what's in it for me. Otherwise we get bored and move on.

[thekitchendesigner]

i've done a fair bit of research in trying to find something similar to what i have set up, and had no luck. i have come across 2 companies that copied my website (most word for word!), who were offering a design service, but their websites were dire and they didnt have much of a presence. one doesnt seem to be live any more.

i have been proving for most of this year that what i have works, and now i have some good clients & work under my belt i want to shout about it from the rooftops, as such! OK so VOIP isnt a brand new concept, but using it on the website allows clients to call for free, reducing costs on the phone (there can be a lot during design work), keeping their lines free for customers and it keeps in line with the interactive way the website works. it will also allow clients to call out of hours at no charge.

everything on the website (current and revised for January) is geared towards making the clients life easier, benefitting their businesses from various angles and adding a new dimension to design. i believe the concept of thekitchendesigner.com is new, and that there is nothing comparable out there.

i have noticed one or two articles this year in the trade mags noting how kitchen businesses dont use the internet to sufficiently promote and expand their business. Hopefully thekitchendesigner.com can help!

[gapgb]

and now all the benefits are explained the reader is more interested, sounds like you have something which would make several releases not just one. Dont try and put too much in. There's nothing wrong with writing several releases, just send them out in a staggered manner over several weeks or months depending on the publication cycle of your target mag

Good luck