If you want to get the interest of the press, you've to think such as the press.
In the 20+ years I've been in public areas relations, one of the very most difficult elements of the game to show clients is that the press is not really a service organization whose sole purpose would be to cover what PR people pitch them. Their business design is easy; they exist to see and entertain their readers, so they can grow their subscriber base and sell advertising against those numbers.
So, if you want to participate in the "press game" it is vital to identify what wins the press loyal readers and increases their circulation...and then help them to complete it! The first step is to get together a power-packed pitch. In line with the Associated Press Stylebook the preferred term for a press release isn't press release; it's NEWS release. After all, it's not called a press-paper - it's called a NEWSpaper. Like it or not, public relations people don't get to determine what the news headlines is. Only news professionals get to accomplish this when they choose what to write, print or air.
So, because your company opened a fresh store in Cincinnati, doesn't allow it to be NEWS. However, there may perfectly be considered a nugget of newsworthiness as you are able to offer up to the press in order to buy them thinking about the opening of your store.
Where do you discover those nuggets? Here are a few suggestions to assist you mine the news headlines gold in all of your announcements:
Read Your Local Newspapers -You can't look for a news hook until you know what the news headlines of the day actually is. And, as it changes every day, you'll need to stay on the surface of the news (or hire an agency to do that function for you personally, and trust their judgment when they advise you of potential news hooks).
Determine How Your Story is Relevant - This is the lowest hanging fruit in the news headlines hook orchard trend press news. Try to find anything in your organization that's relevant to news taking invest your community or nationally. If you're opening a fresh bicycle shop in Los Angeles, then do some news searches to see what reporters have now been writing about the area.
Say you find that the region is economically depressed, in which case you can pitch to the press the idea that a fresh retailer opening there's a boost to the local economy, and that you're willing to take a chance on success because community. Or you might find that bicycle ridership has increased nationally by 10 percent over the previous year, with new riders indicating they have started since they are trying to get fit. You can now pitch the local press on the angle your new shop is aimed at capitalizing with this national trend.
This strategy is known as "localizing" a national story, which every newspaper and TV producer loves. Because it's a national story, they are likely to report it anyway, but they'd prefer to really have a local hook so they can be more relevant to the local audience.
Develop Stories That Have a Beginning, Middle and End - Ensure you tell reporters the full story. Let's utilize the bicycle shop being an example. Opening a bicycle shop might not be a lot of a story by itself, but what's the story behind the story? Did the owners overcome any unusual obstacles in fulfilling the dream of opening their store? Was the owner ever a competitive bicyclist? Have the owners used their understanding of the game or inventory to greatly help any children's charities or causes? Are they active inside their community? Identify the story behind the story, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to find a news hook that's relevant.
Take Action - There is grounds why so many commercial enterprises and not-for-profit charities and community organizations partner up for special events - it's a win-win situation for everyone. It's very important to every commercial enterprise to be a good citizen and use some of these resources to greatly help others, and in addition it helps to produce sometimes un-newsworthy events relevant. Opening a bicycle shop isn't a large deal, but holding a grand opening event for an area children's charity makes the opening more relevant. If the owners utilize the event to greatly help raise money and donate excess inventory to needy children, it's both a suitable venture and a genuinely heartwarming feel-good story worthy of news coverage.
Helping people must certanly be a unique reward, needless to say, but that's also why newspapers and charities love these events. It not only gives editors and TV crews something joyful and happy to report, but it addittionally enables the charities to get their messages out to town at large. Your business improves its public image, and deservedly so, so long as the help is genuine and comes not from the pocketbook, but from the heart.
By the end of the day, most of the time you'll find news hooks in even the most mundane of news releases. The key thing to consider is that the focus of the release isn't to market, sell, sell - it's to convince a reporter that you've news to report and that their readers could be informed or entertained by everything you have to share with them.
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