Tips of the Trade to Make Press Release Headlines Hook the Readers

Writing a press release is a tricky combination of advertising and unbiased reporting. Somehow, you find yourself responsible for getting your company or clients name accepted by the media and in front of the publics eye.

The position you're in requires to accomplish two totally opposite tasks: Spin your story so that it projects a positive light on your client, and deliver a completely neutral news report to your media contacts.

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All the while, you're expected to do both of these things at the greatest benefit to the intended audience. When people turn on the news on the radio or television, or pick up a paper, they're expecting quality, fair journalism and pertinent information about the events that are going to somehow affect them directly.

Now everyone's aware that certain editorial staff has their own slant on politics and world issues. But we all expect those opinions to stay on the editorial page, not find their way into the actual news that were assuming to be true to the best of the publications knowledge.

A press release is generally coming from a company or organization that has something to gain from the public knowing about its details. The only thing that will get your item into print is the level of worthiness it has to the target market.

The best way to determine the worth of your news is to look at it from the outsiders point of view. Try on the shoes of the average citizen in your community, and find what interests them and affects them the most. This is exactly what the publications editor is concerned with, so do your research.

First you need to consider who it is that your targeting. Are you announcing a new industrial plant that will open up 800 new jobs in the small community? Then your audience will be vast, requiring less research and specification on your part on how to approach them.

Are you holding a blood drive to help the local blood bank raise its dangerously low reserve levels? Then your target will be narrower. It will affect community-conscious individuals who are open to volunteering for this type of assistance.

Everything you write should somehow be connected to your audience. In order to accomplish this goal, you have to show and tell them how each and every detail will affect their lives either now, or in the future.

If you're writing a press release about a recipient of a local award, it will be great for the recipient, but makes little difference to the rest of the community as far as news is concerned.

Next, decide what key issues you want your audience to know and act upon. Do you want them to be aware of an upcoming development in the area? Or is the company trying to bolster its image with those who are already sceptical of them to begin with? Find one or more vital elements and focus on delivering those with a punch.

If the responsibility has landed upon you to simply gain coverage of the company, but you have no firm direction to work upon, then find out how many different paths your news could take, and then act upon the most influential ones, and those with the widest appeal.

If the client has many community activities throughout the year, and is launching products on a regular basis, choose which pieces of information are paramount, and then write about it, not all of your activities will be guaranteed space in the publication. In fact, keep in mind that editors cant give you your own client column each week, so pick and choose wisely on the topics you wish to send in.

If the company plans to release upcoming information about a new product r service they are offering, refrain from being too technical in your article. Keep the terminology simple, describing what the product or service will do, and how it will improve the readers lives in some way.

Don't explain the details about how the statistical studies results led to an overhaul in the way you do business. Save that for your advertisements. Stick with the who, what, when, where and why, divulging the specifics of those questions, so you'll stay within the boundaries of need-to-know information.

The worst problem editors encounter when sifting through the stack of soon-to-be discarded press releases sitting on top of their desk is that most simply aren't newsworthy. They lack all or most of the qualifications of being news: new, local, unique, relevant, and significant.

As the press release coordinator, it is your job to find the most newsworthy items your company is related to, and build on that topic. Certain items, such as the postal departments clerk being promoted to assistant delivery person, is simply more suitable for a company newsletter or other in-house publication source.

An editor is going to look at that piece of information and wonder, Why is he (or she) sending that to me? You've then succeeded in wasting his time, and possibly aggravating him not something you want to do if you ever come upon a really vital tidbit that might actually be important in his eyes. If he remembers your first submission, he might toss it in the trash before he even spends one second looking at the title.

Consider the timeliness of your release to the public. Are you trying to report about your new resume writing services when the unemployment rate is at an all-time high? That could be construed as positive or negative, so spin it accordingly ad in the best interest of the public.

Organize your message. Readers aren't going to be happy if your message jumps around the page without a central theme. You want each audience member to grasp the intended focus of your thoughts, not arrive at a variety of conclusions because you didn't develop your key ideas succinctly.

Bear in mind that your average news audience is middle aged, married, and a white-collar worker who normally spends 20-30 minutes a day focusing on the news. If a person reads one media form of news, its likely that they also pay attention to other forms as well.

However, since the schedules of white-collar workers (and blue-collar as well) are overloaded these days, the news is normally consumed on the run. As such, if you write your press release in a confusing, or too-formal tone, the reader will quickly move on to another story and skip yours altogether.

Don't pile too much data onto your readers than they can handle. Your company might want to express twenty different things that are coming up in the near future, but the fewer items you put before your audience, the more likely they'll be to act upon them in a way that you hope they will.

Its not necessary to force the reader to search for clues about your message. It may seem cute, or stylish to write in a way that hints about several different topics, but keep in mind that your job is to deliver news, not a mystery. Your reader may end up frustrated and leave your article for a more organized one. Get to the point quickly, and add details later on.

Don't talk above your readers head. There's no need to write using complicated words, such as erroneous, when you could just say wrong. Cater to education backgrounds of all levels. Remember many schools use media publications as learning tools.

Simplify words, sentences, and paragraphs, but don't feel like you have to dumb down your news. Just avoid long, unfamiliar words that may make your reader pause for clarity.

Follow the mindset of Andy Rooney, whose commentaries are heard weekly near the end of each 60 Minutes segment. In his book, Not That You Asked, Rooney says his suspicious of writers who use words such as launder when they mean wash, or inexpensive, when they mean cheap. He's perplexed at how writers cant just be satisfied with the word now, insisting upon using currently, instead.

Avoid flowering your language so that each sentence overfills and drowns your reader. Shorter sentences are more powerful and catchy. Length does not guarantee a higher level of professionalism.

If anything, it detracts from it. Shorter sentences alleviate clutter, and relay your message to the audience faster. The more unnecessary words you eliminate, the better your chances of garnering the space you're competing for in each publication.

Watch carefully for any adjectives you use in your press release. Like any other news item, you're expected to send in an unbiased piece of information. Make sure you avoid writing words like best, only, exciting, or dull.

Instead of saying:

The mayor lives in an expensive house.

Say:

The mayors house is estimated at R500,000.

If you do have to include an opinion in your press release, usually at the request of your client, be sure to attribute it to someone other than the media publishing the story.

Its fine to say:

This is by far the best product we've released to date, said Corporation Xs Vice President, Steven Smith, of his companies soon-to-be-launched software.

Refrain from stating its the best without using a specific quote.

Try not to alienate your audience. Don't use stereotypes, whether they be sexual, ethnic, or otherwise. Aside from avoiding basic title taboos, such as mailman, fireman, etc., its also best to avoid touchy societal subjects.

These include reporting on a woman's marital status or physical appearance. Always ask yourself if the same information would be relevant if you were reporting about a man. You don't want to alienate half of your audience by unintentionally insulting them.

In review, write for your audience by following three basic guidelines:

• Write Simply

• Write Clearly

• Write Fairly

Ask yourself these questions to see if you've written from the consumers point of view:

• Is my press release easy to understand?

• Have I used any adjectives to describe the focus of my content?

• Are my employment titles gender-neutral?

• Have I geared the document towards a topic that most of the community will appreciate and want to read?

• Is my timing good - or bad - for disclosing this information?

• Have I answered all of the basic questions my audience is might have once they finish reading this piece?

• Is it clear to the reader who the source of this information is so that if he or she wishes to learn more about the client, they'll easily know who to contact?

• Have I written in a succinct manner so that the audience will be able to grasp the message without having to spend too much time deciphering it?

• Have I focused on the most pertinent information my client will want to pursue in the next six months to a year not wasting editorial time with unimportant events?

If you've worked through all of the complexities above, then your press release should read like a true news story, and not resemble that of a biased, puff piece. If possible, have someone else take a look at the story and see if they notice any instances where it looks as if someone who works for the company or organization has written it.

Following these criteria will endear you to the community as an ethical and unbiased presenter of information. And it just might produce positive results for your press release campaign, too!

Tips of the Trade to Make Your Headlines Hook the Readers

There's a fine line between a lead, a headline, and a slug in the world of submitting your news information. For the purposes of a press release, the three items are basically one in the same, or at least, have the same affect as one another when put before an editor for consideration. If you're sending in your work with a stunning headline, be forewarned that the editorial department will probably change it before it hits the newsstands.

You can, however, tempt the editor into giving your press release heavier deliberation if you present him with a first impression that makes him curious about the rest of your story.