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Few questions about press releases

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by BRUm, Aug 28, 2006.

  1. #1
    Hi,

    I'm just curious as to what exactly a press release is, who you must be to do one, and how it's done. I've seen many posts in DP offering press release services, yet I know little about them.

    If anyone could slap and answer my way, thanks :)

    Lee.
     
    BRUm, Aug 28, 2006 IP
  2. geegel

    geegel Well-Known Member

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    #2
    To keep things simple a press release is a public announcement made by a company. At least this is what the theory says. In practice, in the online environment at least, a release is a marketing method by which a website attracts attention and backlinks by supplying a text which is deemed newsworthy and thus published by journalists.

    The most difficult challenge posed by press releases is to find a good angle or topic for the release. Also it is very important that the text itself is not written as a sales pitch copy, but rather in a fashion which sparks interest in a wider audience. From my experience finding a good angle represents about 90% from all the work required by a press release.

    Also an online press release will most likely be submitted to one or more press release services like PRWeb.com. PR.com, PRZoom.com and many others (you can find a list on these forums somewhere). This sort of websites each have their unique submission policy, although the requirements are basically everywhere the same. The structure of an online press release is thus pretty rigid and you must have some know how on how to actually write one, but these are only technical aspects that can be easily learned.

    Anyway I'm in the press release writing business for less than a year and I have written only about 30 releases, if you have some other questions I'll do my best to answer them, but I am sure that someone else here on DP could give you even a better answer, including tips for the use of releases in the offline media.

    Hope this helps.

    Regards, George
     
    geegel, Aug 29, 2006 IP
    highflyer likes this.
  3. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #3
    The biggest thing to keep in mind with press releases is using them correctly. Don't fall into the "doing it for backlinks" trap. If you only send a release when it's appropriate, and you either learn how to do it right yourself, or you hire a professional who knows how to write for the media, you can get more backlinks by worrying less about them. The point is to write for the media, and get them not just to reprint the release, but to interview you for a custom story. Hitting one or two good media outlets can lead to enough targeted traffic and even pickups and backlinks from bloggers on smaller sites to be worth more than the backlinks from the newswires.

    As for who can write them... well anyone can write them, but not everyone can write them well. That's why I give away a free template a tips on my site (see the link in my sig). It's hardly a threat to me as a public relations professional, because even if you format it perfectly, you're not learning how to write "for the media." That, plus only sending something when you have something truly newsworthy to talk about, are the keys to making releases a successful publicity tool. And remember, that's what they're for; publicity... not general marketing. There's a big difference, even if they're in the same family. And sending too many releases for backlinks with no real news will hurt your credibility when you truly have something newsworthy to say; not to mention the fact that the more "garbage" releases that are out on the distribution services, the less the media are going to care about checking them, and the less useful the sites will be in the first place.

    If you have more specific questions on press releases, media relations, or PR in general, feel free to ask or PM me.

    Jenn
     
    jhmattern, Sep 1, 2006 IP