Many conventional media channels and organizations will have set procedures for accepting press releases. These may be published on their web sites and may involve email or fax submissions.

In some cases, to avoid being buried alive in paper and text, many media channels will guard their email ids and fax numbers – you may have to call them and ask for their news desk contact details. Some may not accept direct press releases at all other than from accredited sources.

This route may prove tedious and perhaps not hugely successful (unless you have REAL news) and you’ll certainly have to make a lot of phone calls and/or send lots of emails and faxes.

Do it yourself – New Media

You can do something broadly similar through the various forms of ‘new media’.

Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook plus even Youtube, now all have a role to play in publicizing an event or situation. They are often described now as media sources in many respects.

It is possible to exploit this although the tools and techniques may differ depending on the site/service. Remember that unlike the conventional press release, these targets allow the easy incorporation of images, graphics and video.

However, there is far from universal agreement that these other sources actually constitute ‘media’ and the efficacy of using them for various forms of ‘press release’ is open to dispute. The position appears to be evolving rapidly.

Internet News Sites

There are media channels that exist only (or primarily) in the electronic world – Google News is one such example.

The readership of such sites is potentially phenomenal and they may be prime targets for your press releases – but getting onto them isn’t easy.

Many won’t accept direct press release submissions and instead trawl the net for press releases that catch their attention.

There are specialist ‘news distribution’ web sites that have been set up to sit there for the sole purpose of catching the attention of these trawls as they go around. They often consist almost entirely of press releases of one sort of another and the Google and other trawls will occasionally pick up these press releases from them for incorporation into Google’s own news site.

Accessing News Distribution Sites

Some of these sites provide membership and chargeable services for the publication of your press releases. You simply upload your releases and hope that the site will be able to attract the interest of passing trawls specifically to your release.

Some of these sites offer SEO (search engine optimization) services designed to theoretically make your release more attractive to the search engines. The service providers may also advise on SEO content techniques in the writing of the press release itself.

However, this is an area of, at times, acrimonious debate. The extent to which SEO optimization, as opposed to rich newsworthy text, remains effective in attracting trawls is highly debatable.

Choosing the right distribution site is key as some may have little real chance of ensuring that your release breaks through into the real media domains.

Press Release Services

There are a large number of companies specializing in various aspects of press release support.

Some of these offer services that are essentially those of authoring alone. That may be of value if you don’t have confidence in your ability to use good journalistic language.

More commonly, they also specialize in release distribution. This involves them, for a fee, distributing your copy to a potentially large number of press distribution sources of the type outlined above. This may also again include SEO optimization services.

Once again though, their effectiveness is open to discussion and an objective view of their success rates is not always easily assessed in advance of using their services.

Although the costs of their services are typically relatively modest, it may still be advisable to seek personal recommendation and references before making a final decision.

Full PR Services

If you are looking for national press penetration or even substantial local press coverage, it may be worth thinking about a full-blown PR service approach.

One function of the conventional PR Company is to exploit their existing contacts in various areas of the media so as to give you the best chance possible of getting your release syndicated and used.

This approach typically is based far more on relationships and expert knowledge of media services that it is on the finer esoteric points of SEO in the hope that this attracts a passing trawl.

Although the success rates here may be far higher than through other channels, of course, the downside is that the costs may be significantly higher. Successful PR companies tend not to come cheap!

Summary

In the final analysis, short of you managing to come up with a press release that is truly awe-inspiring in terms of its newsworthiness, getting your material published in prominent forums may not be easy.

Few people doubt how useful it can be to have your press release published somewhere that large numbers of people actually get to see it, but there is less universal agreement on the best way to achieve that.

All the above methods and techniques may have a part to play as you move up the sophistication ladder and perhaps your financial resources grow.

Even so, at times it may be prudent to think through carefully what it is you are trying to achieve and when – this may in some cases lead you to the conclusion that an advertising campaign may yield more predictable benefits.

Distributing information through press releases has a long history.

The origins are disputed but probably go back to at least the 19th century USA.

Originally used as a way of trying to control and manipulate the release of bad news about a company or situation under the auspices of ‘damage limitation’, today they are more commonly associated with pro-active positive communications.

Widely used by PR firms, there is ongoing controversy and much cynicism over the nature of many press releases. They and their distributors are often accused of trying to pass off puerile advertisements, self-aggrandizement and ‘positive spin’ that nobody is interested in as, in fact, genuine wide-interest press releases.

This may be unfair as many reputable organizations actually use press releases in a sincere capacity to communicate openly and objectively the situation within their field or organization etc. Trying to achieve a degree of positive publicity in the process is part of the art form called writing a good press release!

Formats

Over time a de-facto standard has arisen around the content and format of a press release. This is not always followed but if a press release is to stand any chance of being noticed then it has to be recognizable as a press release.

The typical format is a short sharp piece of text where the emphasis should be on economical language and maximum impact.

As a general rule, the longer a press release appears at a first glance then the less chance it may have of ever being read or syndicated.

Ideally, it should contain a structure along the lines of:

Confirmation of the release date (e.g. “immediate” or “embargoed until”)
A one line big-impact headline
The date and location of the construction of the release
The body text with information delivered in an inverted pyramidal structure (see below)
The boilerplate (details about the company or individual making the announcement)
Background notes
Either “ENDS” or “####” to signify the end of the press release (archaic today but still sometimes useful to show that there isn’t a page 2 that’s been lost).

Journalistic language – pyramid structures

A general principle of journalistic language when writing press releases or news articles is that information is presented in the form of an inverted pyramid.

In other words, you should concentrate on getting the key impact message and most important ‘hit’ of your text in the first paragraph or two.

Subsequent paragraphs can then contain the information that is perhaps less critical to your objectives, such as background etc.

It’s important to get this right because in reality, very possibly only the first paragraph or two of your press release is likely to ever get read.

Press Release – A Sample

Here is a crude and over-simplified example.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chief Executive of Imaginary Company Co – RESIGNS

New York City, 21st May 2017.

Today Mr Joe Anybody has announced his resignation from the board of the Imaginary Company Co. He will leave his post on 21st June 2017.
Ms Mary Anne Nobody will take over the role of CEO effective 22nd June 2017.
Mr Anybody has cited health reasons for his resignation and said that he leaves both his position and the company, with deep regret.
Ms Nobody has been with the company for 15 years and has extensive executive management experience. She has said that she welcomes the challenge of the CEO role but obviously is saddened by the reason for Mr. Anybody’s departure.

For further information please contact:

Corporate HR and Media Relations Dept

Imaginary Company CO

NYC – Tel. Fax. Email:

Notes:

The Imaginary Company Co is the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of imaginary products. Formed 50 years ago, it is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and has an annual turnover in excess of $1.5billion US.
Ends

Distribution

At one time press releases were faxed to the main media organizations and distributing organizations often exploited relationships with journalists to ensure that their release was ‘noticed’.

This still continues today to some extent but the position is now more diverse and more complex.

Clearly a press release originating from a household name individual or organization or one that contains major newsworthy information, will very probably get noticed and perhaps syndicated through media channels simply by virtue of its nature.

However, this is unlikely to be the case for the majority of modern press releases and today rather more awareness is required of the subtleties and techniques associated with various channels of distribution including the Internet and SEO.

Press Releases

The press release is essentially a communication form.

It is typically a short page or two of text often written in a semi-standardized format.

It is sent to various media outlets, usually with the hope of attracting journalistic attention and subsequent publication through media channels.

The objectives – principles

People or institutions often wish to communicate to as a wide a number of other people as possible. This may be in terms of the absolute number of people reached or, more typically, to certain target groups of individuals.

Mass mail-shots (including email distribution etc) are time consuming and have, at best, a questionable success rate in terms of achieving target group penetration.

Some forms of large-scale communication activity are also now environmentally controversial due to paper wastage or are socially controversial, such as telephone sales campaigns and unsolicited emails etc.

This poses a challenge for organizations wishing to mass-communicate and many increasingly see the press release as one method of getting a communication ‘out there’. This is based on the reasonable assumption that people are more likely to read media stories and publications that corporate mail shots etc.

The objectives – specifics

A group, individual or organization may wish to issue a press release for numerous reasons:

Genuine news communication for interest;
Packaged delivery of news to the media in at attempt to shape or manage media analysis and reporting of it (often in the context of bad or controversial news – this often includes the concept of ‘spinning’);
Simple PR or thinly disguised advertising;
Misdirection – attempting to focus media and public attention onto the subject matter and away from other things;
An indirect communication to shareholders (add confidence, increase share prices etc);
Meeting statutory requirements for public communication;
Etc.

This list is not exhaustive and there are also many subtle variations of the above.

Repositories

In today’s world there are several places where press releases may be placed:
Specialist press release web sites. Some of these may offer direct submission facilities and others are accessible through agencies. They may involve fees.

Some of these may, in fact, have a relatively low ‘hit level’ and careful selection is advisable. In any case, it may be necessary to think about SEO techniques if you’re planning to deposit articles into these forums.
Direct placements. These are effectively close to direct advertisements placed in various paper publications in press release format.

Social networking sites.

Direct media channels (e.g. newspapers or web news companies). These are the conventional media sources though now supplemented by web providers such as Google News etc.

Media reaction – traditional sources

Although it is difficult to safely generalize, many formal and traditional media channels are deeply skeptical about press releases.

The question of true press objectivity is a difficult one but many responsible media organizations will resist any obvious attempts at manipulation or being used merely as advertisement channels or PR mouthpieces for spin-doctors.

In the modern world there is also a press culture that emphasizes independent investigative journalism and which arguably denigrates routine ‘communicative’ co-operative publication.

This fact, combined with the sheer volume of press releases issued, means that it can be difficult to get a press release actually noticed, let alone published through conventional channels.

Random submissions through emails and faxes are typically unlikely to receive much attention and targeted releases through specialist brokers that exploit existing relationships may be a more profitable route.

Media reaction – New Channels

Many of these are, to all intents and purposes, essentially just advertising billboards.
Some may be free-of-charge while others are fee based. The individual providers may offer take-up and hit statistics.

Many are entirely open, but others may have membership requirements. Some may have certain compliance standards that need to be adhered to in terms of press release production.
Some have the objective of attracting direct readership while others are more designed to attract press interest and secondary (more widespread) publication.

If using a service targeted at attracting further media interest, it is advisable to follow the standards and formats that have become an unofficial industry standard for press releases over many years (see other articles in this series for details).

You’ll potentially be competing against hundreds or even thousands of other people, all trying to get their press releases noticed and published.

That may help you focus on some key elements in your writing:

• Newsworthiness
• Quality
• Impact
• Relevance
• Verification / objectivity
• Audience
• Message
• Differentiation.

Newsworthiness

Press releases don’t necessarily have to contain hot news that will change the world but they do have to contain elements that potential readers will not have known previously. This, by definition, makes it ‘news’.

A release that simply announces things that are already common knowledge is just not likely to win much attention.

Equally, announcements that are not likely to be of interest to anyone tend to be hard to sell outside of the immediate environment. Examples here may include minor corporate internal reorganizations and job title changes, very localized news or your own personal pet hobbyhorse or soapbox subjects.

Quality

We’ve discussed in other articles, the channels and techniques available for getting your releases spotted and to first base in the publication chain.

That won’t count for anything if your release is littered with poor grammar and inelegant language. One glance from many recipients and it’ll immediately hit the bin.

Press releases are generally best written in a factual, neutral and moderately terse style – though don’t overdo the macho word-reduction objectives or your text may end up becoming ambiguous and starchy.

Unlike in articles and blog writing, you should avoid the familiar voice apart from rare situations – i.e. no “We’d like to tell you” as this is often interpreted as patronizing in press releases.

There is no excuse for spelling errors and there are courses available to help with the use of journalistic-style language if you don’t already know how to write well.

Impact

Realistically, you probably have, at most, only 2-3 sentences to hook a reader’s attention irrespective of the headline.

Therefore, make sure your text contains a ‘hook’ right up front that will persuade people to read on.
Long pre-ambles, apologies in advance, drifting into precursor-type explanations, starting to cite history and precedent – they’re all big turn-offs in the opening paragraph. Get the hit of your message out fast.

Relevance

Try to make sure that everything in the release is pertinent to the subject matter and the key message. Avoid digression like the plague as little irritates readers (and the press) more.

So, for example, if your press release relates to present day fish stocks in the Gulf of Mexico, be extremely cautious about discussing points of dubious relevance relating to (e.g.) the fishing practices of pre-Colombian peoples.

Remember at all times that a press release is not an essay.

Verification / Objectivity

It’s often said, with some justification perhaps, that every press release is seeking to achieve something – so objectivity is impossible.

Nevertheless, the convention used is that press releases do not try to make overt points (political, racial, financial etc) but instead are a neutral announcement.
Of course, few PR departments can resist the temptation to sneak in some positive spin for their particular cause. Be cautious – many media channels won’t touch releases of that type. An example is the use of language, in an otherwise ostensibly objective piece, along the lines of “this shows their ongoing commitment to environment issues”.

More objectively, this should be written, “they claim this shows their ongoing….” And even so, it should only be used if it is directly relevant to the release.

Remember also that any facts or sources you quote may well be subject to verification. Errors will be interpreted as being (at best) highly unprofessional and evidence of sloppy research.
You may even end up being sued for defamation of character or causing serious commercial damage if you get it wrong. So, double-check everything and get quotes, sources and facts 100% right!

Finally, don’t share your own views. Your personal opinion has no place in a press release so avoid side-swipes, rebukes, praise, sarcastic remarks or personal axe-grinding – however subtle you may think you’re being.

Audience

Comparatively few press releases are aimed at mass-market audiences. Many are based upon some form of target demographic such as over-55 professional males approaching retirement or stakeholders etc.

It is always advisable to try and get clarification of the target audiences and craft your press release accordingly.
This is often just commonsense, such as avoiding highly technical or complicated word and sentence structures unless your target population is professional people with a higher education.
Remember also that just as complicated language may discourage some from reading on, others may interpret overly simplistic language as being patronizing or just plain ‘dumb’.

The message

Many press releases have two communication objectives.

The declared;
The sotto-voce.

A large corporate may have a press release where the theoretical declared message is to say that a new CEO has been appointed. However that sotto-voce intention may be to communicate to readers that there is a new broom in the closet and things are going to change.

When writing a press release, it’s important to understand what exactly IS the key message and to define a strategy of communicating that under the flag of convenience of the “NEW CEO APPOINTED” headline.

This is one of the major challenges of writing an effective press release.

Differentiation

Finally, keep in mind again that your release may be one of a large number.

Many of these will never get published anywhere other than in-house magazines or low traffic syndicated websites etc.

Your challenge is always to think what exactly you’re going to have to do to make yours stand out from the others. Certainly having something newsworthy helps to start with, but after that it becomes something of intuition and the application of at least some of the above techniques.

This site provides information on how to write and distribute a press release to Australian media. We’ll also show you how to get your releases included in Google News, and distributed across social media sites.

Coming soon!