I would give this PR a 5 out of 10. You discredit the website by suggesting that the reader not listen to a test prep company with decades of experience and listen to you (or whomever) with virtually no experience save one lone entry into college. I would remove that part and focus more on the information since the experience is lacking. Really? So no other website has interaction ability? This statement is false and destroys credibility. I would stick to facts and somewhat true marketing fluff. This statement is not even close to being correct. For instance, USNWR is far ahead as are the countless other books and sources that detail how to get into colleges that are far above U of Michigan and Virginia. Again, this further destroys your credibility. The structure of the PR is not that great. I would go back over it and tidy it up. You might find that you can make it more concise and readable. While I admire your honesty as far as "experience" goes, the fact that you (again, or whomever) have graduated recently and are about to go to college lends no value to the product. Also, there is a back door, it's called a transfer. I would revise the experience part to be stronger and leave out some of the info that hurts the image projection. The PR can be saved with some serious revision. However, if you goal was to simply submit and try to get some PR links, perhaps this version is suitable. Please don't take my comments personally. I just want you to see what an outside party might be thinking.
This actually isn't a press release at all. I can guarantee you at least a few of the big newswires would reject this release immediately. You're trying to write it as a feature story or advertorial, not a press release. There's a huge difference that you're completely missing. I would suggest either hiring a PR professional (and I'm not plugging my services... seriously look into hiring anyone at all for a good edit or complete re-write ... someone who knows how to write for the media), or at very least, take a look at some of these resources I've made available regarding formatting and tips: How to Write a Press Release Sample Press Release Template Press Release Writing Tips Online Press Release Distribution 25 Press Release Ideas I hope they help you out at least a little bit. Jenn
That's a point that I have become tired of making. Of course, that's why I asked for the object. There are many site owners out there that don't really care about the bigger outlets. They simply want to get some back links. Therefore, they don't write a true press release.
I completely agree with you, and it can certainly be frustrating to watch an important tool of your trade being misused so often. It's definitely one of my hot buttons. Fortunately, the website owners I've worked with so far (several found right here on DP actually) have been extremely willing to learn and understand what a press release's purpose is, and I haven't had any client yet reject a release for being written "properly" instead of as an optimized ad. I think the problem is that some site owners really think that a bunch of links are all that matters. They don't understand the purpose of publicity (which can bring you a heck of a lot more hits in the long run anyway), and that's why I don't take on clients in any industry (I don't only work with site owners) who don't understand that. But like I said, I've been really fortunate so far. Maybe at some point I'll put together a brief article or two regarding press releases and publicity to post here on the forum somewhere. We'll see. Jenn
Actually, it's usually the upper left hand corner. Very rarely should anything at all be right-aligned on a press release. People read from the left in most cases, and a release should be easily scannable for the media to browse it with their eyes at first glance. Don't ever make them "search" the page for anything. Jenn
Jenn, Do you still have the All Info About Marketing site? None of the links are working? Thanks, Charisse
No, I left that network, and moved my content to my own site back in August. It can all be found at BizAmmo: Public Relations. Here are the new links to the specific press release articles: How to Write a Press Release 25 Press Release Ideas Press Release Writing Tips Online Press Release Distribution Free Press Release Template (tailored to print / manual distribution) Online Press Release Template (for online distribution sites) Sorry about that. Hope that helps. Jenn