Tips To Turn Your Boring News Into A Captivating Story
The biggest secret to using press releases to market your business is to send them out regularly. Many business owners and marketers make the mistake of thinking that one press release will put them on the map. The truth is that steady visibility over time will result in people taking them seriously in relation to their niche or industry.
However, this means writing newsworthy press releases on a regular basis so you will look like movers and shakers. This can stump a lot of businesses – after all, what is news? And how can they make a rather dull occurrence sound like a fascinating story media representatives would love to pick up?
Here are some tips that can help.
1-The 6 Ws
There’s an easy to remember formula used in many journalism schools that is a useful reminder for any reporter writing a story to make sure that nothing important gets left out. The 6Ws are:
Who
What
Where
When
Why
hoW
Hitting all these details and doing it in just a paragraph or two is an acquired skill, but one worth learning if you want to pitch well.
2-Be sure it is news, not a sales letter
Most press releases read like long-winded sales letters rather than attention grabbing news stories. Starting with the 6Ws will help you avoid this.
3-Images
A picture is worth a thousand words. A high-quality image (or two) in reference to the story grab the attention of a reporter right away. These days, press releases with no images are rarely picked up.
4-Interviews
One or two quotes from known names will give the reporter some good sound bites to work with. It also breaks up the text and makes it more of a human-interest story than a sales letter.
5-Video
A short, sharp video that gives more details and an impression of what the business owner or other staff will be like to deal with can be very helpful. Think of the best PowerPoint presentations you have ever seen, and aim to be interesting, entertaining and informative. Start with a good story to hook them in. How did you get your start? Where did you get the inspiration for the idea? Storytelling is one of the hottest tools in successful online marketing right now. Combine it with the press release and you should have no trouble getting picked up.
6-Keep it real
Come off as real people, not mad spammers or sleazy salesmen. Show how your product or service really can change lives.
7-Send them to a useful URL
Don’t just send them to your homepage. Create a specific page for the campaign that gives them even more compelling information. Then create a strong call to action within the press release to get them to visit that page.
8-Offer more help and they will help you
At the end of your pitch, encourage them to follow up with phrases such as, “Please feel free to contact us if you need any further details.” Stand by after every press release you publish and follow up in a timely and professional way.
9-Be yourself
Give your;
Name
Phone
and social media links so they can see you are a real person/company.
Make sure every press release you send out has a human touch and an interesting story behind it that will resonate with readers, and you should soon start to get more media attention.
Call us today to speak to one of our PR specialists: 1-800-713-7278
