Notes

PR tips for business
Question: Why should your business issue a press release? Answer: because you have something to say, you would like to say it in public areas and a news release encourages the press to say it for you personally. And because you need 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 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 should be doing from the 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 people that you and your services or products 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 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 news 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 general 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 significance of PR, there's something to be said in favour of paying for professional writing skills. PR writers don't just turn 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 news release?" Certainly, issuing more info -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 might not be of interest to the wider world or to journalists). All releases require a strong 'hook' - in other words, an angle that may appeal to editors and give your story a good chance of gaining coverage.

So, what would be considered newsworthy? For starters, perhaps you're launching a new service or product? 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 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 might have the foundation of a release. In this case, make sure you don't fill your release with unnecessary jargon or marketing-speak which could alienate journalists, such as for example "the cost effective, integrated, seamless, one-stop-shop treatment for meet all of your business needs." Tell people what it really is you're actually offering. The above example is filled with hype but what's the product? An accountancy service? A stationers? An abattoir?

Other company activities could possibly be newsworthy. Have you appointed any new members of senior staff who've a reputation in your industry? get more info or client? Become involved in a sponsorship deal? Have you received an accolade or won an industry award? If so, 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 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 to the stature of one's company and the nature of your event. In case a famous chocolate factory held an open day with lots of freebies, it would be of national press interest. If Bloggs the Grocers held an identical event, the neighborhood paper will be the main target.

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

Whatever the reason for your announcement, remember this guideline: just one more pizzeria on a higher street full of pizzerias will not gain many column inches, regardless of how good the pizzas. But a pizzeria offering the latest jalapenos in the united kingdom, singing waiters, Italian cocktails with every meal or three for the price tag on two (or something!) might just. Sometimes it's even worth discovering an offer of some kind (particularly in retailing) only to garner press interest.

Remember to monitor the news headlines for events to hook into. Can you associate your company with upcoming holidays, public projects, or fads? Statements that may seem controversial, such as for example 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 instead of issuing one generic release. An announcement focusing on the metallurgy used to create your new range of stainless steel cooking pans would 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 think carefully about what you're announcing and who it's targeted at, rather than utilizing the 'scattergun' approach and sending untargeted releases to whichever journalists you happen to find. Professional PR distributors retain up-to-date lists of all journalists in each industrial sector and geographical region, and take a great deal of care to target the proper journalists with the proper releases. If you're distributing your release yourself, a few hours' homework pays enormous dividends.

By Press Dispensary http://www.pressdispensary.co.uk Press Dispensary is really 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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