Here is sometime I got earlier about press releases...

Great idea for having a press release written for you.
http://www.sowpub.com/cgi-bin/forum/webbbs_config.pl/read/36615

Thank you.

 

That's not a terrible idea. But personally, I'm trained in PR (hold my degree in the field) as well as running a small firm. I've also worked as a journalist for some large online media outlets in the past. What you're neglecting here is that journalists may know the correct "format" and know how to write "newsy" content, but they don't often know how to appeal to other members of the media. I can say that because I've worked both sides of the fence. You're really better off hiring someone who knows how to essentially manipulate (and I hate that word) the media into finding something newsworthy. A reporter knows if it's newsworthy when they see it. They don't know how to spin something into a better angle or find a smaller newsworthy bit in something that seems entirely ordinary. There's a huge difference. So if you decide to outsource press release writing, go with someone who knows how to not only format your releases, but how to get in the head of the media in all media outlets (what works for a newpaper journalist isn't the same as a radio news editor; and a journalist has no idea as to why or how to get around that). Not only that, but a PR pro will be able to get you appropriate media contacts much more easily than a random journalist, should you opt to manually distribute a release. Just my $.02 on the issue.

Jenn

 

well, i had a local national newspaper reporter interviewed me for a press release.

 

You don't usually get interviewed "for" a press release. The idea is to have your press release get you an interview for a real story. Is that what you meant?

Jenn