Cathy Stucker - The Idea Lady

Attract Customers and Make Yourself Famous

Press Release Writing that Makes Sense

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Your press release will not be effective if it doesn’t make sense to readers. Avoid jargon and get your message across.

A large corporation put out a press release which included the following “quote” from an executive:

“(This acquisition) will enable us to accelerate significantly our existing information technology strategy. It will enhance our capabilities and critical mass in systems integration, widen our IT skills and create revenue synergies in many of our core competencies.”

“Accelerate significantly?” “Create revenue synergies?” Does anybody really talk this way? I hope not.

The “core competency” (sheesh!) of marketing is communication. Often, writers use jargon because they think it sounds more impressive than simple language. But readers won’t be impressed if they can’t understand what you’re talking about. Do you think it makes you seem smarter? Isn’t it more intelligent to make sure your message gets through to its audience?

A professor once published a scholarly paper in a journal in which he proved that the universe does not exist. It was a joke, loaded with a bunch of meaningless buzzwords and overworked phrases. No one noticed that it was a joke. They were so used to seeing page after page of jargon, that apparently no one even read it or tried to figure out what he was saying. They just published it.

Do you want people to read and understand your message? Communicate it in simple language and keep it short.

Dear Editor. . .

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Have you ever disagreed with something written about your industry in a newspaper or magazine? Have you ever read anything that was just plain wrong? Instead of just tossing the offending reading material across the room, write a letter to the editor.

Letters to the editor not only provide you with a forum where you may share your perspective on an issue, you also can use a letter to bring attention to yourself and your business. Although most publications are resistant to writers using the letters section for self-promotion, your professional credentials may be published if they lend credibility to the point of view you express in your letter. If nothing else, you may get your company name mentioned.

When I had a letter published in Inc. Magazine I was identified with my business name, IdeaLady.com. Although I did not notice a flood of traffic to my Web site as a result, you never know who may happen to read my letter, visit the Web site, and become a customer.

Although I’ve only written about a dozen letters to editors in my life, I’ve had most of them published in publications ranging from the Houston Chronicle (three times), to Forbes magazine to the Wall Street Journal (twice) and others. You can increase the chance that your letter will be selected by following a few simple guidelines

Take a position. You can be for something or against it, but pick one. Do not try to lay out both sides. State your position and why.

If you are responding to an article they published, mention the article and date.

Do not cover multiple issues. Stay focused.

Do not use profanity or engage in name calling. Be professional and polite.

Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation, even in e-mail.

Get your letter in while the issue is still hot. Most publications accept letters via e-mail. Look for an e-mail address on the letters page, or at their Web site.

Keep it short. Some letters must be long, but most can be kept short. That makes it easier for the editor to use your letter, and increases your chance of getting some of the limited letters space. To tighten your writing, take out unnecessary words such as very, so, really, and other vague qualifiers. Even if you keep your letter short, understand that the editor my still make cuts.

Some comments are too long to fit the letters to the editor format. If you have a long commentary, consider submitting an “op-ed” or essay. Not only do you get more space to explain your point of view, you will generally get a byline with a brief explanation of your credentials. And, you may even get paid.

If the publication has guidelines on its Web site, follow them. They may specify that you must include full contact information with your letter, or specify a maximum length.

Watch for opportunities to comment on issues related to your industry or expertise, then fire off a great letter.

Be in the Trade Publications Your Customers Read

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Trade publications can get you free publicity where it really matters: where prospective customers will see it.

Your publicity dreams may include being featured in Forbes, Fortune, Time, Inc., and other magazines read by millions. Appearing in those publications can boost both your ego and your business.

A feature in Nailpro may not have the same cachet, but if your clients are nail salons, you should be there. Trade magazines and newsletters give you exposure where it counts—with your potential customers.

You may already know of some publications in your industry, but you can learn more about them and discover new ones in media directories at your library. Standard Rate and Data Service publishes information about magazines’ demographics, circulation, ad rates, etc. Writer’s Market, Gale Directory of Publications and others will provide lots of leads.

Remember that you are not necessarily interested in publications that are read by you and your competitors, you are looking for those read by your potential customers. Another way to locate magazines and newsletters of interest to your target market is to ask your current clients which ones they value.

When you find information about a publication with which you are unfamiliar, request sample copies and writer’s guidelines. Then, study them to see how you might be able to fit into their editorial needs and provide information of use to their readers.

Send press releases to announce news. Do you have a new product their readers need to know about? Do you know something that can help them be more successful? You may get a blurb or a story out of it.

Offer your products for review. Books, tools, technology and other products are reviewed in many trade publications.

Write articles for publication. You may get paid for the articles but, whether free or fee, you should insist on a byline that identifies you and your company and includes contact information, such as a phone number or web site URL. Reprints of these articles can also be used in your media kit and in proposals, or simply mailed to clients and potential clients.

Send a letter introducing yourself and describing your background and areas of expertise. Let them know you are available for interview when they need information about the topics on which you are an expert. They may run a profile of you, or contact you for a quote within an article. If they have a feature where readers submit questions to be answered by experts, offer yourself as one of the experts.

Suggest a column. You may be able to land a monthly column by sending a few (three to six) sample columns to the editor, along with a description of your vision for the column.

Look for other opportunities to get your information published. Does the magazine run case studies? Maybe your company can be featured, or you can share a client’s story (with the client’s permission, of course). Do they run contests or polls asking readers to comment on an issue or problem? Respond. Write letters to the editor. Consider the publication’s current features and see how you can fit in and benefit their readers. 

Meeting the Press

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When being interviewed by media, it is tempting to do a ‘brain dump,’ and give them as much information as you can. This can backfire, though. 

Faced with an information overload, the journalist has to pick-and-choose through all the data to construct her story. She probably has room only for a few of your points, and she may not choose the ones that you would like.

Politicians understand this. When they do interviews, they focus on ‘talking points.’ The politician prepares by selecting three or four points they want to get across during the interview. The preparation allows them to get their message across clearly and succinctly.

You should do something similar to this to prepare for your encounters with the media. In Media Training 101: A Guide to Meeting the Press, Sally Stewart recommends that you have five focused and concise Key Message Points.

Key Message Point #1 is a general statement about your company. It might include facts such as how long you have been in business, what you sell, or where you are located.

Key Message Point #2 gives financial information. For example, revenues, growth percentage or number of units sold. Don’t overload on statistics. Choose something easy to understand.

Key Message Point #3 identifies your target market. What characteristics do your customers share? Are they consumers or businesses? Are they in a specific industry? Are they located in the same geographic area? What need do they have that your product or service fills? You might also mention your share of the market, if it is impressive.

Key Message Point #4 addresses the company’s future growth. Are you expanding into foreign markets, creating new products (or identifying new uses for existing products) to appeal to new types of customers, opening a new location or adding more employees?

Key Message Point #5 can be anything not covered in the other four points. It is a way to point out the uniqueness of your company. You might mention awards or other recognition your company has received, the specialized training or experience of your staff, or whatever you would want customers and the public to know about your business and what makes it special.

Avoid hype and advertising slogans in your points. Keep them simple and direct. Focus on the facts. Make your message easy for both the journalist and her audience to understand, and easy for you to remember and repeat them naturally.

As your business evolves, your Key Message Points will also change. Stewart recommends reviewing them in six months to add or delete points as needed. Of course, any major shift in your business will also require that you review and revise your message.

Once you have your Key Message Points, you are prepared for an interview at any time. This is important, because you won’t always have a lot of advance notice of an interview. In some cases, you will have only minutes (if that) to prepare. With your Key Message Points you will know what to say–and when to stop talking.

Recycling Publicity

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magazines.jpgAfter sending several press releases, you finally got a nice article in your local newspaper, a trade journal or a national magazine. Or perhaps you were interviewed on radio or television. You got some of your 15 minutes of fame. Now what?You may think that once the show is over or the publication is no longer on the newsstands, the value of your appearance ends. However, there are many ways to keep your publicity working for you.

First of all, if there is a call to action in the story you will hear from people months or years after the story ran. Always ask the interviewer to include information on how their audience can get something free from you (e.g., download a free report from your Web site) or how they can order your product. I often receive orders from customers who saw an article that appeared more than a year earlier. Although there is no guarantee that your call to action will get in the story, ask.

Here are some additional ways to continue getting results from publicity successes, long after your moment of fame. [Read more…]