How to write a press release that will get published.

By Beth Myers Landbo, Director of Marketing, Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation

Press releases can be a great way to get your new or small business a little bit of well-deserved attention. There are many articles on the web and in print about how to write a press release or news release, but I have found that many are unrealistic about what a news source will print or broadcast, or they do not pertain to media in smaller communities. I will try in this article to give you information that is helpful to you within the perspective of Fond du Lac County from my experience as both a marketing professional and a news bureau chief.

Make sure the subject is truly news. Before you begin, ask yourself if what you are writing is truly newsworthy. You may not experience much luck trying to get coverage for your President’s Day sale event. If you are opening a new business, adding jobs to a current business, offering a free educational workshop or have won an industry award, however, you will find the media a little more apt to give you some space.

Keep the format simple. There are many suggested templates for a news or press release. I find the easiest to list the name of your company (including a logo if you care to, but this is not necessary), your name, contact information and the date you are releasing the information at the top of the document. Then put an easy-to-understand title and then your copy. A Microsoft Word or similar document is best so the copy can be easily cut-and-pasted if sending it out for print media. Be aware that many special fonts do not transfer from computer to computer if not converted to .pdf, so it is best to stay with a simple popular font such as Times New Roman or Arial. You can end the piece, if you wish, with a short paragraph about the company. Again, simple is best – name of your company, what you do, how long you’ve been in business and where you are located.

"If there is one essential piece of the puzzle when it comes to writing releases that will get published, it is keeping your copy objective."

Keep it objective. If there is one essential piece of the puzzle when it comes to writing releases that will get published, it is keeping your copy objective. I have seen a number of releases that begin something like “ABC Company, the world’s best maker of widgets and by far everyone’s favorite choice for silver widgets, will be hosting an open house….” While I’m sure the owners of ABC Company feel they are indeed the “world’s best” and “by far everyone’s choice” unless they have third-party surveys to back up that information, those statements are better left for marketing material rather than news releases. Statements such as this will have a negative effect on your efforts in a number of ways.

1) It won’t run at all. The news outlet will discount your release immediately as marketing materials.

2) It will run late. The staff at the news outlet will be forced to pull out “marketing speak” and replace with objective statements. Media people are generally very busy and overworked. Anything that causes them extra work will likely not be published as quickly as something they can cut, paste, and run.

3) Future materials may be subject to skepticism. You want to get a positive reputation with media outlets when it comes to your releases. Anything that causes them to stop and question your material may lead to your release to not get the top spot on the pile the next time around.

And don’t forget the basics of covering the five W’s and H – Who, what, where, when, why and how.

Know your audience. This is an age-old saying in journalism for a reason. It is very important! Those reading about your company in an industry magazine will be different than those hearing about it on the local radio station. Be sure to think about the audience on the receiving end of your information before you ever start writing, and then write appropriately so that you are giving them information pertinent to them. If the release is for a the local paper of a branch office, be sure to note in your copy what the connection that community has to your company. Your opening line shouldn’t read that you are based in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, for instance, if you are sending it to the paper in the city where your branch office is located. Always make the connection for the reader (and the editor!).

Send it to the right person. A calendar item such as an open house may go to a completely different email address than a story about your company adding 50 new jobs. Be sure to spend a few minutes doing research or making some calls to find how the best person to get your information.

Tell them how to contact you. Last but not least, be sure to tell the recipient of the information as well as the editing desk who they should contact and how. The contact you give the newsroom at the top of the release may be different than the contact you are giving the readers within the release. Give multiple forms of contact if you can – phone, email, website, etc. Those who want to find out more information about your event or story shouldn’t have to dig to discover where or how they can learn more. Again, do the work for them and have it right there.

These simple tips should give you a head start on getting your story to hit the paper or the airwaves and getting your company (the best darn widget maker on the face of the earth!) the coverage it deserves.