How to Create POWER Press Releases & News Announcements For News & Magazine Publishers

Submitting your well-crafted press release or news announcement to newspapers and magazines is a bit like standing behind the red velvet rope, hoping you have what it takes to make it past the doorman and gain admittance into an A list event.

The competition for press release and 3rd party news announcement space in magazines and newspapers is fierce  Only the best press releases make it to the newspaper editor's or magazine editor's desk, much less into the hands of the general public.

So, how can you rise above all others press release competition out there? How can you make your own press release and news announcement gleam in the eyes of the publisher? All you need is a dash of researching skills, a pinch of creative talent, and a sprinkle of news and magazine media insight, and you've whipped up a blue ribbon recipe for a results-oriented press release.

The news and magazine media mindset is one of why should I publish this? Is it really news or an ad dressed up as news? What filters through the desk of a newspaper or magazine  editor to the pulse of South Africa is whatever he or she deems newsworthy. Scandals. Tragedies. Triumphs reign supreme. From international terrorism to Cousin Cathy's canine hero, the media hold all the cards when it comes to what we do and do not know.

Newspaper and magazine editors also decide, to a certain degree, the influence each story has on the public by the size of space they assign to it. Readers are obviously going to focus on a half-size, front-page newsworthy feature article more than they will a 10-line press release blurb buried in the back of the local section. Placement is crucial because it determines how close your news will get to the readers eyes.

Fortunately, news sells. So garnering attention for your press release will be a little like a sales pitch to newspaper or magazine editors, without the blatant advertising ... but believe me that's what you want; FREE ADVERTISING from your press release. Sound impossible? Not when you consider how the news and magazine and public relations media mindset operates.

News is, perhaps, the most rapidly changing industry in existence. One minute, a world leader is an internationally respected figure, and in seconds, CNN or some other 24-hour news circuit has leveled his career with devastating just released news information. The power they wield is most definitely a force with which to be reckoned.

Think of the Expenses scandal involving British parliamentarians or Jacob Zuma's press publicity.

Top South African Newspapers to Submit Press Releases to

Beeld ... Boksburg Advertiser ... Business Day ... Business Times ... Cape Argus ... Cape Times ... Citizen ... Citizen Newspaper ... City Press ... Daily Despatch ... Daily News ... Daily Sun ... Die Beeld ... Die Burger ... Die Son ... Die Weslander ... Engineering News ... Ep Herald ... Herald ... Independent Newspapers ... Mail & Guardian  ... Middelburg Observer ... Natal Witness ... Natal Witness Online ... News24 ... Pretoria News ... Sowetan ... Sowetan Newspaper ... Star ... Star Newspaper ... Sunday Times ... Sunday Times Newspaper ... Sunday Tribune ... Sunday World ... The Sun... The Citizen ... The Herald ... The Star ... and many more

Editors are faced with a stack of news release  items every day, with only a limited space to position themThe submissions on their desks rank in order of importance, and from that list, comes the height and width of your column. In order to have a larger piece of the pie, you need to make sure your press release is unique, timely, and important to the newspaper audience.

Depending on the relevance of your information, some editors may take the time to rework your release into a suitable style and format for their publication. Don't give them any reason to choose someone else's press release over yours.

South African Magazines & Publishers to Submit Press Releases to

Bike Sa ... Book Publishers ... Car Magazine ... Car Magazines ... Car Reviews ... Car Sales Magazines ... Cosmo ... Cosmopolitan ... Cosmopolitan Magazine ... Daily Dispatch ... Farmers Weekly ... Fashion Magazine ... Fashion Magazines ... Fhm ... Fhm Magazine ... Financial Mail ... Getaway Magazine ... Glamour Magazine ... Gq ... Huisgenoot ... Hustler ... Hustler South Africa ... Journalism ... Junk Mail ... Junkmail ... Junkmail.Co.Za ... Kick Off Magazine ... Landbouweekblad ... Longevity Magazine ... Loslyf ... Magazine ... Magazine Subscription ... Magazine Subscriptions ... Magazines ... Mags ... Media ... Mens Health Magazine ... Menshealth ... News ... Newspaper ... Newspapers ... Paper ... People Magazine ... Print Media South Africa ... Publications ... Publisher ... Publishers ... Publishing ... Rooi Rose ... South African Magazines ... South African Publishers ... Sports Illustrated ... Tafelberg Publishers ... True Love Magazine ... White Pages ... You Magazine ...

Space is valuable, whether its in the form of print, time on the radio or television. If you want to advertise your product or services, you'll have to pay a hefty price. This is where the importance of creating an unbiased press release enters. Editors will decide if they want to allow your press release free space, in the form of a news story, or if they'll reject it, and make you purchase an ad block instead.

There are certain rules to play by when dealing with your media contacts. Courtesies and common sense both play an important role in how they view your news. And don't forget to take into consideration the local tone and flavor of your own communities press.

If, however, you are gearing your release to a local audience through a community press market, then do all you can to develop and maintain a rapport with the person or individuals who make the decisions on whether or not to give your item the columns and inches you so desire. And never, ever address your press release to an editor who no longer works for the company. Take a few seconds to read the latest masthead to find out who the current editor is, and then send it to the right person making sure to spell the first and last name correctly.

If you're on friendly terms, the editor might give you inside information or direction on why your press item was denied space in the next issue. As a contributing reporter, which is what a press release writer is, you're an extension of the news department. So learn everything you can about how to be a team player with each organization. Request their stylebook, or ask if they adhere to any particular news format.

If, however, you discount the style of the paper or other media company, then your value diminishes because you've actually added work to their already hectic schedules. If you disregard the pertinent formatting and style functions, then the paid staff has to redo the work you've already sent in, whether its deciphering and typing your handwritten release, or reorganizing the information so that it can easily be edited and cut where necessary.

Many papers have a small staff, leaving extra work for the editor, such as sorting through the news, choosing photographs to accompany the stories, and plenty of time-consuming administrative tasks. The easier you make it on the editor, the more likely you'll see your headlines. If you've followed the basic rules for the publication, you've made the process quicker, allowing the editor to concentrate his or her time on other important issues.

Alternately, if you show little respect to the editor by writing your press release in longhand, and demanding, or assuming that it be in the next issue, you'll be met with barriers, and will likely ruin your chances that they'll even consider your next submission.

News departments, chained to a volley of strict deadlines, simply do not have the time or manpower to sift through a horde of varying contributor styles and formats. Therefore, it is in your best interest to follow the publications submission guidelines when sending in your news. If you don't, you run the risk of having your submission thrown away without any consideration from the staff. Busy editors wont waste time editing for style if they have to rewrite your entire piece, not when another submission might be similar in worthiness, and have the right style for their publication.

Take the time to investigate your target media conglomerates. Find out the structure of who makes the decisions on what goes in, and, just as important, what stays out of the publication. When you get this information, use it to your advantage.

Go to the library and research back issues of the publication. Find out what items they've deemed newsworthy in the past, and see what tone, or voice, the reporters used. If you can tailor your style to something similar to what the existing decision-maker has accepted for publication in the past, chances are you'll be on your way to seeing your item in print.

Some media have their style incorporated right into their name. The Republican Times, for example, tells you right upfront that a liberal article on a pro-democratic issue probably doesn't have too good of a chance to make it into print.

Who owns your target publication? Many mainstream media are owned by very large, profitable, and powerful corporations. Be aware that if you're a competing company, you might not be accepted for the sheer fact of who the big boss is.