Notes

PR tips for business
Question: Why when your business issue a press release? Answer: as you have something to state, you would like to say it in public areas and a press release encourages the press to say this for you personally. And because you wish to show your business in a favourable light from the outset and commence the longer-term procedure for building awareness and knowledge of your service or product.

There's a lot of research to show that young companies - weighed down by the business enterprise of simply owning a home based business - pay scant attention to PR, yet that's just what they should be doing from the very start to obtain names and products known. For most businesses, PR isn't about spin or the abstract maintaining of "good relations" with the press and public; it's simply about telling individuals who you and your services or products are t here and permitting them to know why they must be interested. It's about getting column inches in newspapers and magazines and fulfilling the adage an inch of good editorial will probably be worth a full page of advertising. It's about making your sales easier.

Issuing press releases is really a mainstay of basic PR. It's the way you start the ball rolling with the press. The good thing is, if approached in the right way (whether you do it yourself or use an inexpensive professional, this activity do not need to cost the earth).

But do remember that you're presenting your organization to the public. A release that's poorly written, with grammatical or spelling mistakes, or filled with jargon, or long-winded and unfocused, can perform you more harm than good. Given the importance of PR, there's something to be said in favour of spending money on professional writing skills. PR writers don't just come out good English: they know how to structure a news release and present facts in a way that appeals to busy journalists and grabs their attention.

The next question is: "When should I issue a press release?" Certainly, issuing releases willy-nilly, at whim, is no good. The time to make a business announcement is if you have something topical and newsworthy to state (but remember: everything you consider topical is probably not of interest to the wider world or to journalists). All releases require a strong 'hook' - quite simply, an angle which will appeal to editors and give your story an excellent chance of gaining coverage.

So, what would be considered newsworthy? For starters, perhaps you're launching a fresh product or service? Or opening a fresh branch? Or you're launching a spin-off venture from scratch? Whatever it is, it must be presented as offering something reasonably new and interesting, not just as a "me too".

Hopefully, your service or product has particular benefits and applications which will interest your market segment and generate interest. If whatever you're launching is technically innovative or it's being marketed within an unusual or visible way, you could have the foundation of a release. In cases like this, ensure you don't fill your release with unnecessary jargon or marketing-speak that could alienate journalists, such as for example "the price effective, integrated, seamless, one-stop-shop solution to meet all your business needs." Tell people what it is you're actually offering. The above example is filled with hype but what's the merchandise? An accountancy service? A stationers? An abattoir?

Other company activities could be newsworthy. Have you appointed any new members of senior staff who've a reputation in your industry? Won a large contract or client? Become involved in a sponsorship deal? Perhaps you have received an accolade or won a business award? If that's the case, the trade press may be interested.

Forthcoming events can offer ideal material for announcements. Are you currently holding any open days, speakers' panels, rallies or debates? Charity events or donations from your own organisation to good causes are worth highlighting, as are initiatives that benefit the wider community. If celebrities or public figures are involved, your newsworthiness will increase. The amount of interest will relate with the stature of one's company and the nature of your event. In case a famous chocolate factory held an open day with plenty of freebies, it could be of national press interest. If Bloggs the Grocers held a similar event, the local paper will be the main target.

When you're seeking newsworthy stories, remember one of your best assets - your personnel. Have any employees been recognised for outstanding achievements? Do they will have unusual hobbies? Have they received any unusual requests or orders from customers that your company has fulfilled? The neighborhood press might opt for a quirky human-interest story.

Whatever the reason behind your announcement, remember this rule of thumb: just one more pizzeria on a high street filled with pizzerias will not gain many column inches, regardless of how good the pizzas. But a pizzeria offering the latest jalapenos in the UK, singing waiters, Italian cocktails with every meal or three for the price tag on two (or something!) just might. Sometimes it's even worth coming up with an offer of some sort (particularly in retailing) simply to garner press interest.

Remember to monitor the news for events to hook into. Can you associate your organization with upcoming holidays, public projects, or fads? Statements that might seem controversial, such as stating your organisation's stance on a volatile public issue, might gain coverage. Have you conducted research that gives you statistics you can release?

Finally, if you're targeting different press sectors with exactly the same story, write multiple releases rather than issuing one generic release. An announcement focusing on the metallurgy used to generate your new selection of stainless steel cooking pans will be of interest to the trade press. However, it wouldn't be considered too thrilling by the lifestyle press and women's magazines.

You need to be cautious in what you're announcing and who it's targeted at, rather than using the 'scattergun' approach and sending untargeted releases to whichever journalists someone happens to find. Professional PR distributors retain up-to-date lists of all the journalists in each industrial sector and geographical region, and have a great deal of care to target the proper journalists with the right releases. If you're distributing your release yourself, several hours' homework can pay enormous dividends.

By Press Dispensary http://www.pressdispensary.co.uk Press Dispensary is a professional UK-based press release writing and distribution service that delivers news to the media along with other opinion formers quickly and affordably.
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