Notes

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

There's plenty of research showing that young companies - weighed down by the business enterprise of simply running a new business - pay scant attention to PR, yet that's just what they must be doing from the very start to get their 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 products or services are there and permitting them to know why they must be interested. It's about getting column inches in newspapers and magazines and fulfilling the adage that an inch of good editorial is worth a page of advertising. It's about making your sales easier.

Issuing press releases is really a mainstay of basic PR. It's how 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 affordable professional, this activity need not cost the earth).

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

Another 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 once you have something topical and newsworthy to state (but remember: everything you consider topical may not be of interest to the wider world or even to journalists). All releases need a strong 'hook' - in other words, an angle that will appeal to editors and give your story a good potential for gaining coverage.

So, what will be considered newsworthy? For starters, perhaps you're launching a new service or product? Or opening a new 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 product or service has particular benefits and applications that may interest your market segment and generate interest. If whatever you're launching is technically innovative or it's being marketed in an unusual or high profile way, you could have the basis of a release. In this case, be sure to don't fill your release with unnecessary jargon or marketing-speak which could alienate journalists, such as for example "the price effective, integrated, seamless, one-stop-shop treatment for meet all of your business needs." Tell people what it is you're actually offering. The aforementioned example is full of 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? Get involved in a sponsorship deal? Have you received an accolade or won a business award? If so, the trade press may be interested.

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

When you're seeking newsworthy stories, don't forget 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 local press might decide on a quirky human-interest story.

Whatever the reason for your announcement, remember this rule of thumb: another pizzeria on a high street full of pizzerias will not gain many column inches, no matter how good the pizzas. But a pizzeria offering the hottest jalapenos in the UK, singing waiters, Italian cocktails with every meal or three for the price of two (or something!) might just. 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 headlines for events to hook into. Is it possible to 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. Perhaps you have conducted research that gives you statistics you could release?

Finally, if more info with exactly the same story, write multiple releases instead of issuing one generic release. An announcement focusing on the metallurgy used to create your new selection of stainless steel cooking pans would be of interest to the trade press. However, it wouldn't be considered too thrilling by the approach to life 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 journalists in each industrial sector and geographical region, and have a lot of care to target the right journalists with the right releases. If you are distributing your release yourself, a few hours' homework can pay enormous dividends.

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