Mcancomblog's Blog

PR Pointers for Today’s News! | February 23, 2011

The practice of public relations continues to advance and keeping abreast of the changes especially in relation to the evolution of Web 2.0 means, we have to adapt too.

Here are some pointers to get you going! Remember your releases must be interesting and compelling…from the readers point of …not your own!

• Do your research. Collect information from various sources when constructing your release. During this practice, you may come across an angle that makes your announcement newsworthy and more appropriate for the specific audience you are targeting. What you are searching for is the ‘news angle’ that will catch the editor’s attention. The right angle makes the release much more useful to an editor.
• News happens now. Always write your press releases in the present tense. Present tense establishes immediacy something very essential for newsworthiness. This rule applies even if you are announcing an event that has already occurred.
• Write like a reporter. Remember to “quote opinions and state facts.” Employ a journalistic style to your press releases. Be sure to answer the who, what, where, when and why, using good grammar and traditional sentence structure.
• Shape your story. First, write your body copy. Organize the flow.  When you are satisfied then construct your headline utilizing the main take away message as your headline.
• Share the news! Post your release to your website. Email your targeted editors with a link to the article as well as including the release in the body of your email. Email and Tweet the link to your posted release to your customers, prospects and followers.

Public relations is challenging work. Detailed work. To secure your investment in PR you need a continuous commitment to effect a desired outcome to your marketing communication strategy.