I recently attended a seminar on PR and want to share what I learnt. The following are a few pointers to assist you in producing and submitting a good PR piece.
PR Companies can be expensive so there is no reason you cannot produce your on PR piece if you know how to produce it and who to send it to. The first question to ask before doing any Press Release is ‘will this be interesting to the reader?’ Remember, you are not writing an advert.
Why PR?
- An editorial is believed more than an advert
- It most cases, it’s free
When sending in a PR piece:
- Your headline is to catch the News Desks attention – ie. RSPCA rescue fish from tree
- The first sentence is very important. Make sure it captures the attention and is in clear English with no jargon
- Include where possible quotes and case studies
- Interest the journalist:
- What’s the story?
- What makes it different or unusual?
- What is your message? (one message, not lots)
- Think pictures – this is the deal breaker. They do not want people smiling & shaking hands
- Who is your spokesperson? Give name, contact details and mobile phone number (as you may need to be contacted at any time by the journalist)
- You will not be able to normally include contact details on your PR piece so try to get the Company name or contact details in the photo.
- Keep your PR piece to 300/400 words max
- End the PR piece with the location of the Company, the size of the Company and what we do.
- Email your PR piece:
- Subject box – Put the headline, not ‘PR piece attached’
- Put the PR piece in the body of the email, not ‘letter attached’
- Finish off with ‘here’s a couple of photos to go with it’
Who are you sending your PR piece to and when?
- Send in your storey just after the last press release
- Ring first requesting to send in your PR piece. Get contact and email details
- Try and build a relationship with a journalist
After a Press Release:
- Update your website (including the front page)
- Take a copy of the PR piece and add to your marketing material (either photocopy the magazine or get a copy online)
- See if a follow up could be done (ie how the business has moved forward in 3-6 months time)
Over the next couple of months I am going to be trying to do some PR myself and I’ll let you know how I get on. In the meantime, if you have any queries then please do not hesitate to drop me a line.