If you want the news media to pay attention to your company, product or book then think of a hook and make a great pitch, advises the web site PressReleasePros.com, the press release writing professionals.
"If you want to reel in newspaper, television and new media reporters, you've got to find a way to get their attention with a great angle," says Randy Scott of PressReleasePros.com (http://www.PressReleasePros.com).
Scott says finding the best pitch may not always easy, but it's worth the effort.
"A generic, blandly written press release will go unnoticed," says Scott, "and whatever you paid to distribute it will be wasted. The press release writing is critical."
Scott offers 5 tips to finding a hook so the press release writing shines:
1. Know your audience.
Who are you trying to reach with your product? Be honest with yourself, because "everyone" for these purposes isn't a good answer. You have to target a market: teens, dads, moms, thirty-somethings, whatever.
2. Why should I care?
Find an answer to that question and you'll be well on your way. Why should the reporter who's reading this release care? What makes your book, business or product different than the others? It's all in the press release writing.
3. Why should the public care?
Why would anyone be interested in what you're offering? Figure that out and make sure you spell it out in the press release. What may seem obvious to you may not be so obvious to the person reading your press release.
4. This isn't an ad.
Nothing is a bigger turnoff than press release writing that sounds like you've put together an advertisement. Reporters want news-worthy stories and ads are not generally newsworthy.
5. Send your release to the right people.
Make certain you send your press release to the right category of reporters. If you're mass distributing your release on the internet through a press release distribution company, choose your target category wisely. If you're sending out releases the old fashioned way, then it pays to send it to a person rather than a generic department or news organization. Reporters are people and individualized mailing will get more attention than a generic version.
PressReleasePros.com (http://www.PressReleasePros.com) specializes in writing professional press releases for small and medium sized companies. Staffed by real journalists, the company produces captivating, conversational press releases that get reporters' attention.
