Last week I discussed the steps you need to take to come up with a newsworthy angle. Now, we need to put that angle into a media release to send to media outlets and start the process towards generating free publicity. Here’s my 10-step plan to writing a good media release.
1. Get the layout right: You need a headline sentence in bold, followed by an opening paragraph, text that supports your headline and opening paragraph, followed by contact details.
2. Create a great headline: This needs to sum up the media release contents in a concise manner – just as a newspaper headline does. Keep it to one short sentence.
3. Write a snappy opening paragraph. Your opening paragraph can be just as important as the headline in attracting interest from a journalist who may scan this alone and determine whether or not the entire story is of interest. Remember also these words are also indexed by search engines so if you’re putting your release online, add some key words.
4. Support your headline and opener with quality text: The remaining text supports your story and must answer the questions of who, what, when, where, how and why. Write the text in the format used by your target media outlet. For example if you’re targeting a local paper, write it as a newspaper article – the sure sign of a great media release is to read it word for word in the paper.
5. Use quotations. Quote yourself high up in the release – in the second or third sentence. Keep quotes short, sharp and newsworthy (often referred to by the media as a ‘grab’ which summarises the main point of the story).
6. Include an expert if possible. If you can find a third party to support your position it will give you and your release instant credibility and move it away from being a promotional piece into the realm of serious news story.
7. Provide full contact details. Include your name, landline, mobile phone number, email address and web address
8. Try to keep it to one page. More than 1.5 pages and a journalist just won’t read it.
9. Offer images and make yourself available for an interview. Often, a journalist will want to do an interview rather than lifting quotes directly from a media release. A media outlet may be happy to use your images, or they may want to take photographs themselves, so make yourself available
10. Send it out! Develop a list of targeted media outlets, and don’t overlook online PR release sites such as www.free-press-release.com and www.prweb.com
Home Biz Chicks members can access a media release template and detailed explanation here.
© 2009 Home Biz Chicks
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