|
|
|
An Idea For Multi-Level People To Consider
Let me start off by letting you know that I am NOT involved in any MLM programs - I am only speaking from a "consumers" point of view. This is important because I won't spend time cramming multi-level marketing down your throat and people who are...
Creating Assets: Spark Your Thinking With These 16 Comprehensive Questions
Here are some questions to get your thoughts and cash flow moving that will also keep your product creating aligned and focused. Find the gold mine in your surroundings by looking at any promotional literature you have created, audio or video...
Creativity Management – Organizational Structure
Reality tells us that there are many reasons why an organisation's structure has its shape (logistics, organic growth, history, size, market share, future strategy) and is, like organisational culture, not easily changed or restructured. Often,...
he Top 10 Strategies for the Positioning of Success
Many businesses of today are often driven to compete striclty on price, quality, and features of their products and services. Companies who prosper over the long term don't simply offer the best deals, the best quality, or the most impressive bells...
Innovation Management – Emotion, Habit And Culture Can Be Hard To Change!
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.
There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea...
Innovation Management – specialisation or generalisation?
One of the topics often debated is the benefit of specialisation over generalisation. To consistently generate a large number of good ideas, is it better to specialise within a field or to vary knowledge amongst a variety of fields?
...
Opportunity Will Knock, If It Can Find the Door
Is your home office a spare room full of whatever doesn't fit anywhere else? Does your daily commute end with winding your way through a corporate maze to your own crowded cubicle? Do you sit down at your desk and push piles of papers aside to...
Taking Control of Your Workspace
Let's face it: it's HARD to always be "on" when you're at work. No matter how much you try, even the best-laid plans and schedules break down; sometimes it seems like all the forces are against you. You can get discouraged, weary, frustrated...
UnSticking The Stuck Money Band
The Innovation of Money is upon us and it is changing the dynamics of money and how it flows to Corporate America, International Business & Individual Lives.
As this is changing it also is changing the perceived power that mainstream around the...
What Business Card Are You In Need Of?
Have you been in a situation where you are sure that you are in dire need of a business card but then you are perplexed and unable to decide what kind must be chosen? Well, if you're in that situation, you are on the same boat as thousands of...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
How Not to Write a Press Release
Several years ago, when I was working for an agency, I was fired from an account. What that means is the client didn’t want me writing for him anymore.
Another writer, a friend of mine, got the account and life went on.
Of course, I was pretty upset by the situation. I had completed several writing projects already for that client, which had seemed to go well, and had just finished a press release when I got the boot.
My writer friend told me later her "secret" for making this client happy. Basically, what she did was rewrite the press release so it focused solely on the client and the client’s business.
I said: "But what you’ve written isn’t that newsworthy. I don’t think the newspaper will accept it."
She said: "That’s not what the client wants. Therefore, I don’t worry about it."
And she was right. (She kept the account after all.) The client wanted an "I’m so great" press release. He didn’t want something that might actually result in coverage for him. He wanted something that would make him feel good when he read it.
In the world of public relations, press releases are the explorers. They travel far and wide, visiting media outlets everywhere, and presenting information about your products and services. Media people decide whether or not to cover your business based in large part on those hard-working press releases.
So, there's a lot riding on them. Therefore, it pays to take a little extra time to make sure they're outfitted correctly for the job.
When you get an idea for a press release, ask yourself this question: "Is this something someone else would be interested in or is this something only I (and maybe my mother) would want to read?"
Sounds easy, right? Well, if it was that easy, there wouldn't be so many "Look at me -- I'm so great" press releases running amuck out there.
Unfortunately, the "I'm so great" press releases are seductive. They sound so good when you read them. They whisper things like: "Of course the editors will want to write about me. I would make a wonderful human interest/special feature/business feature story. Didn't I just see a story like this about my competitor/another business last week?"
You need to be on your guard when one of these ideas shows up. Question them. Interrogate them if you must. "Why will the media like you? What do you offer
that's different than any other press release? What's so special about you? Why will someone want to read more about you?" Don't allow their pretty words to influence you. You must get to the truth. Chances are what seduces you probably won't seduce the media.
Remember, media people are looking for an angle or a story that would interest their readers. They want to know things like: "What's in it for my readers? Why will my readers care about this piece of information?"
If you can answer those questions correctly, then you have an excellent chance of getting the coverage you're looking for.
Creativity Exercises -- Write a newsworthy press release
The only way to get better at recognizing a good press release is to practice writing them.
Start by writing what you think is a good press release. Put it away for at least 24 hours. Don't look at it. Don't even think about it.
After the 24 hours is up, pull it out and read it. Ask yourself this question:
"Is this something someone else would be interested in or is this something only I (and maybe my mother) would want to read?"
Really ponder the question. Don't let yourself answer it too quickly.
Still feel like it's newsworthy? Then try this exercise. Replace all the references to you and your product with another business and product. I recommend inserting a business that is not one of your competitors. Use the Find/Replace function on your word processing software to make this a quick and easy process.
Put your release away again. If you can wait another 24 hours, all the better. But even moving on to a different project and coming back a few hours later will help it sound "fresh" to you.
Read it again. Do you still find it interesting now that it's about someone else?
It's tough to view your business objectively. Fortunately, this is a skill that will get easier the more you do it.
About the Author
Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting, a writing, marketing and creativity agency. She offers two free e-newsletters that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be reached at http://www.writingusa.com. Copyright 2005 Michele Pariza Wacek
|
|
|
|
|
|