Media outlets are desperate for quality stories – let’s share yours.
News rooms across the country are under pressure. Individual editors are often responsible for delivering numerous editorial pages and sections every day. Both traditional print and online publications are always searching for great stories.
Writing quality press releases since 1997.
In 1997 I took up my graduate position as a PR junior for a Melbourne agency. My first press release was for the Home Show & Garden Expo. Back then, I mailed the press release with printed photos in the post. It was published in the Herald Sun! I was thrilled and I soon became addicted to seeing words from my press releases in print. Even after all these years, I still find it exciting.
The methods of delivery may be drastically different but the methodology of writing a great press release is unchanged.
In my fifteen year career in public relations I wrote thousands of press releases. I can do the same for you.
The key to writing quality press releases: people.
People is what makes news. The company releasing the new widget is not the story. The people who will benefit is the focus. The human element is what makes a great press release.
The essential elements of quality press releases:
- Newsworthy – it must be a strong news story, otherwise there’s no point wasting your time (I’ll tell you if that’s the case).
- Targeted – it must be written for the target media in mind, not a scattergun approach
- People focused – it must focus on the people that are part of the story, not the brand, the product or the company.
- Structured – following the time honoured journalistic approach of putting the most important elements first.
- Timely – many clients woefully underestimate how early to distribute a press release. You’ve got to give media (especially magazines) plenty of time to publish, because they work weeks and months in advance.