Your company just launched a new product… you finally printed your self-published book… you hired on a new executive… They are all common topics for press releases, but are any of these actually newsworthy?

Unfortunately, there are few clear-cut answers. The media is not only a subjective business, but a fickle one too. However, there are steps you can take to help hedge your bets.

* Explain how your event affects other people, customers, companies, local area, nation, or the world. Your company launching a new product is great to you, but what about other people?
* Use the press release to explain how your company’s new service is reacting to or on the forefront of an overall industry trend. Also mention if this new development is going to alter the way your particular industry does business.
* Are there newsworthy people involved in your company’s event? Magazines have long known that famous faces sell magazines. Do you have a saleable person involved? Even if it’s just a local celebrity, name and face recognition can go a long way.
* Does your new book release address a recent political event? Can you provide a fresh look at a newsworthy topic? Making yourself an expert will definitely get you more interviews and appearances.
* Are you promoting or advocating for a cause? Do you contribute a percentage of the profits to a charity? Does your company sponsor a fundraising event? This is almost always a newsworthy tie-in.
* How will this new executive effect the bottom-line for stockholders? Did the merger, restructuring, or consultant streamline your company resulting in a higher profit margin? Explain what this means to the general investors, financial professionals, and company stockholders.
Basically, you have to think past the end of your nose. Why does your company news matter to the outside world? Although some journalists will certainly connect the dots on their own, it’s best to cut to the chase and do it for them.

Remember that although the ultimate goal is to get promotion for your company, you also have to give the journalists the story angles that they need for their readers, viewers, and listeners.

If all you send out is an advertisement in the format of a press release, you will get a call from the sales department at the newspaper asking if you would like to take out an ad. You likely will not get a call from the journalist looking to write a story.

A good PR firm can help project the right image for your business. Here are some suggestions for choosing an agency that matches your needs.

Step One
Determine the role of PR in your marketing strategy. For example, do you want to communicate with the public during a crisis situation or establish relations with investors?

Step Two
Determine if you want the PR firm for long term, strategic planning or one-time, specific projects.

Step Three
Determine what you can spend, and make a budget.

Step Four
Research PR firms. Ask press people who work in your industry and who you respect for recommendations. Consult other business colleagues and industry associations. Refer to O’Dwyer’s Directory, an industry standard, for a list of PR firms. Finally, try the yellow pages or do an Internet search.

Step Five
Ask PR agencies to send background material, conduct a phone discussion, or call them in for an informal meeting.

Step Six
Set up interviews with several candidates; ask for a proposal after explaining your needs.

Step Seven
Meet with them. Check if they have a local office. Assess their working style and test for personality fit, which is very important.

Step Eight
Ask for a client list and see if the firm will deal exclusively with your company in your industry, if it has relevant client experience, and if it has been able to maintain a good number of clients on a long-term basis.

Step Nine
Check references with clients similar to yourself.

Tips & Warnings

• If you know what you want out of a PR firm, you’ll have a much better shot at selecting one that meets your needs.
• New PR firms are less expensive than well-established firms but have fewer resources.
• Take your time - choosing the right PR firm can be critical to long-term success.
• Most PR agencies will ask for a three- to six-month commitment.
• If you liked the people making the PR presentation, ask if they will be handling your account. Oftentimes, senior consultants will pitch the account but use junior employees to do the work. Ask to meet the team you will be working with.
• Be Warned! Hiring a PR firm is expensive.

Creating a press release - format, writing and submission tips.

“What is a press release?

In terms of marketing, it’s basically just a story that may interest the general public or a market segment relating to your business or organization. The format is a cross between an article and an ad - very similar to the ‘adarticle’ strategies that I’ve written about before. A press release tends to be more objective than promotional copy and is often in interview format. The usual marketing hype is definitely a no-go zone.

A press release is submitted to media distribution outlets in the hope that they will run with the story or request an interview. Press releases are the lazy way that news services gather stories :).

What are the benefits?

Rapid coverage:
As news is all about currency; the chances are that your press release will be published very quickly if it appeals. After submission, expect some initial results within 24 hours.

Ongoing promotion:
Most services archive releases; so it’s an ongoing form of promotion. Search engines may pick up on the release when it is published on other sites. This creates another avenue for people to find you and to possibly improve your search engine rankings through link popularity factors.

Journalists love search engines; so even as your release becomes dated, you may be still contacted by them in relation to other stories they are working on.

Credibility:
If a respected media outlet or industry authority picks up your news item and publishes it, the readers of that service will immediately feel that your company is credible - an element vital in turning leads into clients.

Extra content for your site:
Any release that you create can also be included in a separate section on your site. It creates a good impression on your visitors and clients, provides ready information for journalists who may stumble upon your site and acts as excellent search engine fodder.

What’s considered newsworthy?

Well, it’s definitely not just telling everyone how great you and your products are.

Items that would be considered newsworthy include:

Your business sponsoring a charity event.
Implementing/developing a new product that addresses a specific need.
Merging or partnering with another well known business
Gaining a contract with a large company.
Results of research you’ve carried out
Awards and industry/community recognition

Format and content

The format and pitch of a news release is vastly different to traditional promotional copy. Terms such as “visit us today”, “buy me now” or “discount prices” will see your press release headed straight for the recycle bin, as will WORDS IN CAPITALS and the unnecessary use of exclamation marks.

The best way to learn the format you should aim for release is to watch your local news or read a paper where a company is being mentioned in a positive way - steer clear of Enron stories :).

After reading/watching/listening to this kind of coverage for a while, you’ll notice similarities.

Especially effective items you should include in a press release:

Quotes from a company representative - interview style is very effective.
Statistics - people love stats!
Information relating to how, what, when, where and why.

Press release format

The format of a press release is quite straightforward:

Release instructions
Include in a few words directives  as to when the information can be released e.g. “For immediate release” or “for release on October 30, 2003″

Headline
Short, attention grabbing line. Do not use exclamation marks, marketing hype or references to selling.

Summary
An extension of the headline and consolidation of the body. Just a couple of sentences outlining the major points.

Body
Always start the first sentence in the following format:

City, State (or country), Month, Day, Year -

..then launch into the story itself. Ensure that the date you use is current when submitting. Media outlets won’t want what would appear to be old news. Keep your sentences short and use paragraphs every 5-6 lines if possible. The body should not exceed 500 words.

Further information
Where readers of the press release can gain further details e.g. your web site.

About
Include a sentence about your company.

Contact information
This is usually for the use of the company whom you are submitting to. Include:

Contact Person
Company Name
Phone
Fax
URL
email address

Remember to skip a line between sections and save in a generic format, such as a plain text file.

Resource compiled from Taming the Beast Web Marketing Guide > http://www.tamingthebeast.net/articles3/press-release-tips.ht

Good Luck!

Newsworthy press releases help your business. What if you could get traffic and better rankings, too? The four easy steps outlined in this article help you get results

Newsworthy press releases that are optimized with keyword-rich content are invaluable to your business. If properly optimized, press releases add the potential for increased traffic to your site from clients searching for your product and business, provide improved rankings overall and in News search engines, and increase your chances of additional press.

They may even enhance backlinks (links back to your site). Press releases also increase your brand awareness.

Once you release the press release over the wire, make sure to publish it on your website as well for double the impact. Not only is this smart for optimization purposes, it is good PR strategy as well.

Here’s How to optimize your release for the search engines:

Why not get extra benefits from your press release? Add four simple steps and have a search engine optimized press release. It’s simple. Follow the normal process for writing a release with the following additions:

1. Research keywords for your target audience/subject matter
2. Add keywords to the press release to create keyword-rich content
a. Add keywords to your H1 header tag
b. Add keywords strategically within your press release copy
c. Add keywords in links back to your site
3. Make sure density levels are appropriate (I recommend an 8-15% overall density)
4. Make sure your optimize the first 250 words of your content

“The following information will assist you when writing a news release for distribution through the PRWeb press release network. A well crafted press release captures the attention of journalists and is optimized for distribution over the Internet, through e-mail and over PRWeb’s specialized network feeds.

Pay Attention to the Content of Your Press Release

When we talk about content, we refer to the news story you are telling. Keep the following points in mind when writing your press release.

Is your news “newsworthy?” The purpose of a press release is to inform the world of your news item. Do not use your press release to try and make a sale. A good press release answers all of the “W” questions (who, what, where, when and why), providing the media with useful information about your organization, product, service or event. If your press release reads like an advertisement, rewrite it.

Start strong. Your headline and first paragraph should tell the story. The rest of your press release should provide the detail. You have a matter of seconds to grab your readers’ attention. Do not blow it with a weak opening.

Write for the Media. On occasion, media outlets, especially online media, will pick up your press release and run it in their publications with little or no modification. More commonly, journalists will use your press release as a springboard for a larger feature story. In either case, try to develop a story as you would like to have it told. Even if your news is not reprinted verbatim, it may provide an acceptable amount of exposure.

Not everything is news. Your excitement about something does not necessarily mean that you have a newsworthy story. Think about your audience. Will someone else find your story interesting? Let’s assume that you have just spent a lot of effort to launch a new online store. Announcing your company’s opening is always an exciting time for any business, but the last thing the media wants to write about is another online store. This is old news and uninteresting. Instead, focus on the features of your online shopping experience, unique products and services. Answer the question, “Why should anyone care?” and make sure your announcement has some news values such as timeliness, uniqueness or something truly unusual. Avoid clichés such as “customers save money” or “great customer service.” Focus on the aspects of your news item that truly set you apart from everyone else.

Does your press release illustrate? Use real life examples about how your company or organization solved a problem. Identify the problem and identify why your solution is the right solution. Give examples of how your service or product fulfills needs or satisfies desires. What benefits can be expected? Use real life examples to powerfully communicate the benefits of using your product or service.

If you are reporting on a corporate milestone, make sure that you attribute your success or failures to one or more events. If your company has experienced significant growth, tell the world what you did right. Show the cause and effect.

Stick to the facts. Tell the truth. Avoid fluff, embellishments and exaggerations. If you feel that your press release contains embellishments, perhaps it would be a good idea to set your press release aside until you have more exciting news to share. Journalists are naturally skeptical. If your story sounds too good to be true, you are probably hurting your own credibility. Even if it is true, you may want to tone it down a bit.

Pick an angle. Try to make your press release timely. Tie your news to current events or social issues if possible. Make sure that your story has a good news hook.

Use active, not passive, voice. Verbs in the active voice bring your press release to life. Rather than writing “entered into a partnership” use “partnered” instead. Do not be afraid to use strong verbs as well. For example, “The committee exhibited severe hostility over the incident.” reads better if changed to “The committee was enraged over the incident.” Writing in this manner, helps guarantee that your press release will be read.

Economics of words. Use only enough words to tell your story. Avoid using unnecessary adjectives, flowery language, or redundant expressions such as “added bonus” or “first time ever”. If you can tell your story with fewer words, do it. Wordiness distracts from your story. Keep it concise. Make each word count.

Beware of jargon. While a limited amount of jargon will be required if your goal is to optimize your news release for online search engines, the best way to communicate your news is to speak plainly, using ordinary language. Jargon is language specific to certain professions or groups and is not appropriate for general readership. Avoid such terms as “capacity planning techniques” “extrapolate” and “prioritized evaluative procedures.”

Avoid the hype. The exclamation point (!) is your enemy. There is no better way to destroy your credibility than to include a bunch of hype. If you must use an exclamation point, use one. Never do this!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get Permission. Companies are very protective about their reputation. Be sure that you have written permission before including information or quotes from employees or affiliates of other companies or organizations. Any dispute resolution will favor the other company, meaning that your press release may get pulled.

About your company. Your press release should end with a short paragraph (company boilerplate) that describes your company, products, service and a short company history. If you are filing a joint press release, include a boilerplate for both companies.

Formatting Your Press Release

How you present your news is just as important as its content.

Mixed case. NEVER SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE IN ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS. This is very bad form. Even if your release makes it past PRWeb’s editors (highly unlikely), it will definitely be ignored by journalists. Use mixed case.

Correct grammar usage. Always follow rules of grammar and style. Errors in grammar and style affect your credibility. Excessive errors will cause your press release to be rejected by PRWeb’s editors.

Word processor. Write your press release on a word processor instead of composing online. Writing online will not achieve best results. Take time to do it right. Write, print, proof read. Rewrite, edit.

No HTML. Never embed HTML or other markup languages in your press release. Your press release will be distributed over a wide array of networks. Including such formatting will negatively impact the readability of your press release.

More than one paragraph. It is nearly impossible to tell your story in a few sentences. If you do not have more than a few sentences, chances are you do not have a newsworthy item

Summary paragraph. PRWeb asks you to include a one-paragraph summary. Some distribution points only receive your headline, summary and a link to your press release. If you fail to include a summary paragraph, you may reduce the effectiveness of your press release.

Do not include your e-mail address in the body of your release. We have a special place during the submission process for you to include your e-mail address. If you include your e-mail address in the body of your press release, you run the risk of receiving spam. This is because your e-mail address will be available to the public. Spiders routinely scour the Internet harvesting e-mail addresses for spammers. Provide your e-mail address only in the space(s) provided during the submission process.

Ticker Symbols. Never include ticker symbols of other companies without their express written permission.

Compiled from PR Web Direct.