Publicity tools explained (& how to write a press release)
By Paul Green
Press release: A story about you or your business that you send to the media
Factfile: A document that answers all the basic questions about your business
Press photo: An original, colourful and bright photo to attract more interest to your story
The biggest mistake made by people trying to get free publicity is to believe that using the tools of the trade alone will promote their business.
Just as owning a spanner doesn’t make you a mechanic, sending out a press release won’t necessarily get you publicity.
Publicity is all about great stories. And a press release is simply a tool used to sell your story to the media. It doesn’t matter if you get the press release wrong, as long as the story is right.
Press releases tend to follow the same format, to make it easy for the media to quickly get the information they need out of it.
Firstly, make clear it’s a press release by writing that at the top. Date it, and write that the press release can be used immediately (or give an embargo date if you want to time the release to a specific event).
Next up, an attention grabbing headline. Just as newspapers use a great headline to catch attention, you’ve got to do the same with your press release.
And a good opening paragraph is essential. News editors will often decide whether to run the story – or bin the press release – on the strength of the opening paragraph.
In the main body, spell out your story, making sure you cover every aspect of the story: who what where when why.
Quote someone commenting on the story (that would normally be you!). And at the end write a section called ‘Notes to editors’. Give them your contact details if they want to arrange a photo or do an interview with you.
To accompany your press release, you should always make a factfile on your business available. Any time a journalist wants to know anything about you, you can pass the factfile to them. Smart businesses make this factfile easily found on their website.
Make sure you answer all the basic questions about your business. List your key staff with a brief biography on each. Write a short history on your business. Don’t do more than a short paragraph on each. In fact try to keep your factfile to one page in total.
The other main tool available to you is a photo. A great original shot can add a whole new element to a story.
If you can take half decent photos, it’s worth doing so and sending them with press releases. Few businesses do, so you will stand out. Digital photography makes it cheap and easy to take loads of photos, and you never know when a newspaper or magazine may use one. Even radio stations can use photos these days, on their websites.
Email a very low resolution jpeg with your press release, and tell the editor that a high resolution jpeg is available if they want it.
