Carolyn’s workshop is simple and practical and most importantly gave me the tools to work through with my team, which has enabled us to pull together a great marketing plan. The impact on our business has been remarkable. We are focused on the things that matter and we have prioritised our wish list and are using our limited resources much more effectively. I have more confidence in my own marketing ability and have set a clear direction for my business.
Chantelle Hodgson
Mabuzi
Writing a powerful media release
I was having a conversation with a small business owner last week who was complaining he’d been wasting a lot of time writing media releases that simply weren’t getting picked up by the media. I asked him to send me a couple so I could take a look. One glance revealed some fundamental problems. Firstly that he didn’t have a plan or an angle and secondly he was missing the following essential ingredients of a powerful media release…
Writing a great media release is both an art and a science. You probably already now that it must be newsworthy and devoid of ad talk, but here are some other top tips to writing a powerful media release;
* Write Media Release at the top and date it.
* Use a powerful headline to summarise the story.
* Cover the who, what, where, when, why and how questions in the first couple of paragraphs to encourage the journo to read on.
* Refer to hot topics/issues that are relevant and may have occurred in the media recently.
* Mention your name and your company name early in the release.
* Be clear and concise and use simple language. Avoide clichés and jargon.
* Try to keep the media release to one page.
* Use quotes from yourself or others featured in the article.
* Use a large font and double-spacing if possible.
* Write from the perspective of the audience and the benefit to them.
* Write in the third person, referring to yourself by name, rather than I or we.
* Make the story local and highly specific to the reader, viewer or listener.
* Remember to write the release with the media in mind. How you write for TV, print and radio will all differ.
* Include statistics and research findings if appropriate.
* Offer a photo opportunity or include brilliant photos or film footage to accompany the release.
* Finish with a paragraph that positions your business appropriately and demonstrates your expertise and experience.
* Include your contact details and website and offer an interview.
* Ensure you have a third party check it for flow, grammar and punctuation.
And the last tip… make sure you have something worth telling people about! If you don’t, you’ll be wasting the journalists time and squandering future opportunities when you do have big news to report!
Writing a great media release is both an art and a science. You probably already now that it must be newsworthy and devoid of ad talk, but here are some other top tips to writing a powerful media release;
* Write Media Release at the top and date it.
* Use a powerful headline to summarise the story.
* Cover the who, what, where, when, why and how questions in the first couple of paragraphs to encourage the journo to read on.
* Refer to hot topics/issues that are relevant and may have occurred in the media recently.
* Mention your name and your company name early in the release.
* Be clear and concise and use simple language. Avoide clichés and jargon.
* Try to keep the media release to one page.
* Use quotes from yourself or others featured in the article.
* Use a large font and double-spacing if possible.
* Write from the perspective of the audience and the benefit to them.
* Write in the third person, referring to yourself by name, rather than I or we.
* Make the story local and highly specific to the reader, viewer or listener.
* Remember to write the release with the media in mind. How you write for TV, print and radio will all differ.
* Include statistics and research findings if appropriate.
* Offer a photo opportunity or include brilliant photos or film footage to accompany the release.
* Finish with a paragraph that positions your business appropriately and demonstrates your expertise and experience.
* Include your contact details and website and offer an interview.
* Ensure you have a third party check it for flow, grammar and punctuation.
And the last tip… make sure you have something worth telling people about! If you don’t, you’ll be wasting the journalists time and squandering future opportunities when you do have big news to report!
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