Making a press release has a lot in common with pitching a story to a live media person. But there is one bit of confusion we are ready to stamp out. You do not make the news, the journalists do. This means provide the seed and let the media build the story. Understanding how the media goes about their job is a great help in preparing a sound approach.
Rohit Bhargava provides smart insight in these 2 recent postings: What PR People Should Know About Journalists and
What Journalists Should Know About PR People.
“I’ve started to realize many things about the world of public relations that most journalists know and many PR professionals are blissfully unaware of.” – What PR should know…
Here are some ideas for your consideration:
A) The news release or monthly announcement listing, intended as a tool to sell your product/destination to your users or clients, is not a press release to the media. The media do not buy, but they sure can smell a smart angle on how your gismo fits a culture and this at Internet distances (It is naive to think that all journalists live in a newsroom). This is saying: pitch the sizzle not the steak. The qualifiers could be: the fun, the unusual, the overtly blatant, the emotional, the surprising, the humorous, the untouchable, the stuff you cannot easily describe but that hits a vibe.
B) Never run out of story angles. BE CREATIVE or fire your agency, if they are not! Remember, it is not your product or destination that fails, it is often how you talk about it that needs re-polishing, Easy to say, but how? Try this: brainstorm using the “stickies” method.
“One idea per sticky note (the bonus of using a sharpie is that one idea is about all you can fit on it). Just unleash as many ideas as possible and get them up on the wall.” – Kris Jordan.
C) The smart pitch: one story, one great angle, one paragraph.
(The journalist writes, RIGHT!) Rethink your role, you have to brief the journalist, not entertain. This is the very reason why the CleanPix pitching tool is named PressBrief. OK, you have more than one story and another angle, big deal… write more briefs. Each story has to stand on its own, they should not all smell like sardines coming from the same can. Think of them more as fancy desserts, served one per plate! Remember, your story may only be used partially, and the journalist may even forget to mention you. I think that is like the proverb: “you may have to slay a few dragons before you meet prince charming” — so never lose your cool over a few bursts of flames. Keep at it relentlessly, free media coverage pays off plenty for your efforts.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 at 6:06 pm and is filed under General, Great ways to use CleanPix, Tips and Comments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Making a press release is like serving a fancy dessert
Rohit Bhargava provides smart insight in these 2 recent postings: What PR People Should Know About Journalists and
What Journalists Should Know About PR People.
Here are some ideas for your consideration:
A) The news release or monthly announcement listing, intended as a tool to sell your product/destination to your users or clients, is not a press release to the media. The media do not buy, but they sure can smell a smart angle on how your gismo fits a culture and this at Internet distances (It is naive to think that all journalists live in a newsroom). This is saying: pitch the sizzle not the steak. The qualifiers could be: the fun, the unusual, the overtly blatant, the emotional, the surprising, the humorous, the untouchable, the stuff you cannot easily describe but that hits a vibe.
B) Never run out of story angles. BE CREATIVE or fire your agency, if they are not! Remember, it is not your product or destination that fails, it is often how you talk about it that needs re-polishing, Easy to say, but how? Try this: brainstorm using the “stickies” method.
C) The smart pitch: one story, one great angle, one paragraph.
(The journalist writes, RIGHT!) Rethink your role, you have to brief the journalist, not entertain. This is the very reason why the CleanPix pitching tool is named PressBrief. OK, you have more than one story and another angle, big deal… write more briefs. Each story has to stand on its own, they should not all smell like sardines coming from the same can. Think of them more as fancy desserts, served one per plate! Remember, your story may only be used partially, and the journalist may even forget to mention you. I think that is like the proverb: “you may have to slay a few dragons before you meet prince charming” — so never lose your cool over a few bursts of flames. Keep at it relentlessly, free media coverage pays off plenty for your efforts.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 at 6:06 pm and is filed under General, Great ways to use CleanPix, Tips and Comments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.