Christine Slowinski of the Girl Scout Council in Waukesha, Wisconsin writes with a helpful reminder about writing news releases: "I created a release based on a national Girl Scout study that defined what girls are afraid of. Initially, my headline was "Girls and Safety: National Institute Releases Study Linking..." (by that time I lost them, … [Read more...]
Use other people’s days, weeks, months of the year
Publicity Hound Genevieve Frederick of Paw Publishing in Carson City, Nevada wrote to me to comment on the importance of piggybacking off other people's days, weeks and months of the year.
"The American Kennel Club celebrates Responsible Dog Ownership Day on September 17. I was able to get a big article and photo in the Carson City local … [Read more...]
Don’t use letterhead for press releases
Publicity expert Paul Hartunian says there's no reason you can't write a succinct one-page news release.
His advice makes sense. Scientific studies inside newsrooms have shown that reporters and editors spend an average 5 seconds reading a news release before deciding whether to use it or trash it.
Why, then, do so many … [Read more...]
Business Wire waves its annual fee
--Business Wire is waiving its annual $120 membership fee starting January 1. That means you only have to pay a fee if you want the company to distribute your news release, or provide other services. Business Wire also will reduce rates on premier multimedia services.
Talk badly about your competitors
Too many Publicity Hounds are much too nice when introducing a new product or service that's heads above the one offered by the competition.
Afraid of stepping on toes, they issue a bland news release with glowing quotes from the CEO about the wonders of the new offering. But never once do they mention what makes it better than the … [Read more...]
Mustard museum fights Reader’s Digest
What do you do when youve been hammered by the almighty Reader's Digest?
Thats what happened to the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin when an article in the December issue placed the Mustard Museum on its list of "5 Museums Not to Plan Christmas Around."
"Want a fun vacation?" the article asked. … [Read more...]
Newspaper editors’ pet peeves
When I worked as a newspaper editor for more than 20 years, I had my own pet peeves about people who were clueless about working with the media. They included: --Idiots who called to complain, "You've written about my competitor three times but you've never written about me!" --News releases that didn't list the name or phone number of a … [Read more...]
Use AP stylebook when writing releases
Smart Publicity Hounds know about the Associated Press Stylebook, "the journalist's bible."
It's the 427-page, spiral-bound book, organized liked a dictionary, that journalists throughout the world consult when they need to know the correct acronym for a government agency. They … [Read more...]
News release screams for an accompanying photo
I just read a scrumptious news release about an unusual new package used to hold a well-known brand of food.
(The brand will remain anonymous to protect the guilty.)
The copy provided a detailed description of the package and gushed about its unusual shape, and how it shimmers and shines when the package is moved.
The … [Read more...]
Less is more when contacting the media
Inexperienced Publicity Hounds make the frequent mistake of inundating media people with too much information. For example:
--Sending an unsolicited media kit along with a pitch letter, with grand illusions of the journalist spending hours poring over your materials. (Dream on).
--Sending an unsolicited book, with hopes that a … [Read more...]