Technology has made the phone obsolete

We recently hired a contractor who did a great job writing press releases.

But he called us every step of the way to discuss the decisions he made.  

He needed so much hand-holding, we soon realized working with him took more time than doing it ourselves.

We asked him to email us more than once, but it didn’t help.

Bottom line: Even though his work was good, we couldn’t keep him.

As a result, I realized I rarely use the phone to talk to my clients anymore.  

We use email—or text if there’s a media deadline.

The technology not only is faster, but we have a record of what’s being done and what’s needed.

For more information, please visit us at Dell Richards Publicity, www.dellrichards.com    

How NOT to write a press relese

People often show us press releases they’ve written.

Even if the releases have good information, the info in them usually is in the wrong order.

Good releases are mini-news stories with the most important information coming first.

The first sentence doesn’t have the news or what happened that you want published, i.e., local company wins major award.  

The first sentence contains the names of everyone involved. The first sentence should be general: local company, etc.

There are no facts to show why event is important. If the release is about a disease, it should have the number of people with that disease.  

The release is not be targeted to a specific reporter, i.e., local media need local statistics, business media need business details.

The release has too much jargon.

Unless you’re targeting a trade journal, you’re working with a generalist, a reporter who is covering many beats these days.

Even if the reporter knows what the jargon means, they need to translate it for their audience.

Why not make their job easier and translate it yourself?

The release doesn’t have any sources or people to call to get the necessary quotes.

Journalists work on crushing deadlines while fielding hundreds of pitches

If they know you’ll be easy to work with by providing everything they need quickly, they’re more likely to choose your story over another.

And, BTW, the company mission statement goes at the end.

For more information, contact Dell Richards Publicity at (916) 455-4790 or visit our website at www.dellrichards.com.

How to get a story in the media

People sometimes ask us to “write a release and send it out.”

 

When we tell them there's more to it than that, they’re surprised.

Before we send anything out, we collect the facts--the “who, what, where, when and why”.   

We also research statistics and other hard-core specifics that show why the story is important, unique and newsworthy.  

We may need more nitty-gritty for background.

Then, we draft a release, put together a list of sources for quotes and a media list.

After we call a reporter who covers the field to pitch the idea, we send the release and make another call to see if the reporter wants to set up interviews.   

Had the first reporter not been interested, we would have moved on to others.   

After we got one story, we would have revised the release for other reporters.

As the last step, we would email the release to anyone not already targeted.

For more information, call us at (916) 455-4790 or go to Dell Richards Publicity at www.dellrichards.com.

How readable is your writing?

While the Gunning Fog Index was developed in 1952, it is more important today than ever before.

In an age of biz-babble, written language uses more jargon every day—and becomes less easy-to-read as a result.  

On the Gunning Fog Index, a readability score of 12 can be read by a high school student.

For universal comprehension—and the standard journalists aspire to—the goal is 8. Eighth grade.

Annual reports often come in at 26.9 or more.

The lower the score, the better luck you’ll have getting people to read it. 

Journalists will love your releases.    

To lower your score, scratch the three-syllable words. Shorten the long sentences and muster active verbs.

This copy had a Gunning Fog of 8.001.   

To test your copy, go to http://gunning-fog-index.com/ or the Flesch/Kincaid Grade Level at http://www.standards-schmandards.com/exhibits/rix/index.php. 

For more information on Dell Richards Publicity, call us at 916.455.4790 or visit www.dellrichards.com.

How to kill a press release

The easiest way to kill a press release is to ignore the target.

That means not using language journalists use, but using language a professional in the field would.

If journalists smell jargon, they’ll think you can’t speak at the 8^th grade level the media requires and they’ll delete the release immediately.

Jargon can be used for trade journals where technical information is more important, but not mainstream media.

Journalists are swamped and only want the basics in a release.

We constantly remind clients that you can’t tell it all in a pitch.

The purpose of a release is to plant a story idea.

Educating everyone comes later.

You present a problem, back it up with facts and offer a solution, nothing more.

If you allow your knowledge or focus to get in the way of what the producer or editor needs, you’re only wasting everyone’s time.

For more information, call us at 916.455.4790 or go to www.dellrichards.com.

Why wire service releases don't work

Business people often use wire services for press releases.

If you want the information added to the Internet, it’ll do that.

If you want the story picked up by a mainstream media outlet, don’t count on it.

Wire service material often goes into a catch-all mailbox no one checks.

If you luck out and someone opens it, most journalists only scan the first sentence or two.

If the first words say the company is announcing something instead of saying what's going on, they’ll probably delete it.

Releases must have newsworthy information up front—what makes the new product unique or what makes the services utterly different.

Don’t fool yourself. Journalists get hundreds of pitches daily.

Send them what they need or don’t waste your time and money.

For more information, call Dell Richards Publicity at (916) 455-4790 or visit us at www.dellrichards.com.