PR Traumas
No-one's using my press release!
Dear EarthMonkey
I have a product that’s going to make a huge difference to people's lives. But the press release I’m sending out isn’t getting me anywhere. Why?
From: Steve (entrepreneur, London)
Dear Steve
Your press release should work as a news story first and foremost. If it’s all about you, frankly no-one will care! People want to know about themselves and how things will impact their lives - and newspaper editors will only use stories that please their readers’ self-interest.
So, if you’re marketing a new product, what are you talking about? If your release is all about the product’s intricate features or how you came up with the idea, it’s highly unlikely that anyone will ever want to use it. But if you’re writing about your customers and the problems your product will solve, now you’re telling a human story that readers can relate to.
When you write a press release, you basically have two separate objectives: (1) to tick the editor’s boxes so you get the column inches, and (2) to keep it lively and fresh so the end user will bother to read it.
To please an editor, you’ll need to answer ‘Yes’ to all these questions:
- Can it slot straight into their publication – ie does it match the style of their other features?
- Is the headline arresting – literally stopping you from turning the page?
- Is it really something new? Or at least, is there a new angle?
- Is it credible, with sources you can quote to support any claims?
- Can you supply an exciting image that brings your story to life?
- Is it a story more than a piece of blatant self-promotion?