Journalists are notorious for having little to no patience for poorly written press releases. It’s a solid bet that most reporters and editors won’t even bother to open the e-mail if they sense it’s the slightest bit marginal to their beat. They can’t wait to nuke your e-mail.
For PR pros, writing a juicy e-mail headline may be half the battle in grabbing a reporter’s attention. It also helps to know whom you’re targeting and are not just trying to “spray and pray.” However, it may be all for a naught if the press release is poorly written and—in what is fast becoming verboten in the social-media age—too self-serving.
Here are a few tips for avoiding some of the worst mistakes in writing press releases:
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Press releases that are written in salesy, flowery tones will turn off a reporter and the release will immediately be tossed into the circular file. Don’t get bogged down by industry jargon and superlatives, “leading” being the leading culprit.
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Reporters love language. Don’t be afraid to use it, rather than taking a cookie-cutter approach to writing press releases. This entails a celebratory lead, followed by a paragraph describing the product/service/event, along with a quote from a CEO or VP that tends to take up a lot of real estate, but says very little about how the product/service will improve customer relations or help to position the brand against competitors (red meat for journalists).
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Put all of your contact information (including social feeds) in a prominent place in the e-mail, namely above the proverbial fold. It seems like they’re too many press releases sans any contact information or the information provided is a generic phone number or press-related e-mail address for the company. Even if it is a beautifully written press release, if you force journalists to take a few extra steps to reach you when they want to discuss the story, it decreases your chances that you’ll get some bites.
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