There’s nothing more frustrating than writing a great press release, preparing some amazing photos to accompany it, sending it out – and then it not getting picked up.
But writing the press release is just half the battle. Knowing who best to target, who your audience is and getting journalists excited about your story can make all the difference in achieving great news coverage.
Here, Adam Howlett, Prominent PR’s Media Relations Lead, gives his top tips on getting your press releases noticed.
As a former journalist myself, I remember what it was like when up against deadline being sent a press release out of patch. Generally, journalists are time poor, and don’t appreciate being sent stories they cannot use.
This is why, when creating a press list of contacts to issue a press release to, you need to make sure you are pitching to the right people.
This could be as simple as geography – making sure you target publications that cover the location of your story – but also making sure you are pitching to journalists interested in the subject.
With a few moments of research online, you can find out what types of stories journalists write about, ensuring your press release ends up in the right hands.
Without doing so, you could very likely just be ignored in the future.
The more stories and press releases you pitch, the more journalists you will start to know on a personal basis.
If you bring a great story to a journalist and provide them with everything they need, they will know you are a contact worth keeping.
Make sure to keep these contact numbers – you never know when you might have the perfect story for them once again. In fact, if you play it right, they may be the one calling you asking for their next scoop.
A journalist working to deadline, especially a newspaper reporter, may not have time for a chat on the phone.
In a recent poll conducted by PR week, 92% of journalists who responded said they preferred an email first.
Your email must stand out, so, like a headline, your subject line needs to grab attention.
It is important to understand the audience you are writing for, as well as the publication’s style.
A feature packed with technical jargon may work for the trade press, where readers will already have a firm grasp of the topic, but is unsuitable for a local newspaper.
But remember most good stories are about people and how they are affected by the events around them, so always keep that in mind when writing your press release.
Make sure to give the journalist everything they need to publish your press release.
Include all the information required to write the story, plus some great photos and provide a contact number if they have any follow-up questions.
If you can provide journalists with all the relevant information – on a subject they are interested in and written in the appropriate style – you have a great chance of getting strong coverage.
If you would like to publicise your business and are looking for PR support, call our team on 01473 267126 or email hello@prominent.co.uk.
Share this article:
Call us on: 01473 276126
Email us on: hello@prominentpr.co.uk
