Business and Media: The who, what, where and how of getting your message out to the world
You’ve built a solid reputation in the business community. You’re services are selling well within your immediate sales territory. But now you’re thinking globally and have to get the word out to the rest of the world. But there’s one problem. You don’t know where to start or who to contact to help create a buzz. So in this issue we’re going to give you our top tips for generating word of mouth for your business. Everything from the basics of writing and sending press releases to who to send them to and how to get booked in the media (and it’s easier than you might think).
1.Press releases- Sending a press release is your way of letting the world know that you have a new product, service or other business announcement. However sending a compelling press release (while tricky) to the media is in some ways as simple as writing a letter. Here’s the trick. According to Small Business PR http://www.smallbusinesspr.com/pr-learning-center/diagrams-templates/press-release-template.html there are several rules to writing an effective release.
NEWS RELEASE TEMPLATE
1. Headline: Get readers to click on the link to the story. (social, search, etc.) Write the headline you want to see on the article in a target publication and write a headline that is interesting enough to tweet.
2. Sub-Head: Entice reader to consume content. Sub-head adds more detail.
3. Dateline: Includes the city of origin, and the date of the release.
4. Lead Sentence: Set the hook in the reader’s attention. Keep them moving toward the objectives – key messaging & calls to action. Lead paragraph starts with an interesting statement, not boilerplate.
5. CALL TO ACTION: Most readers won’t make it to the bottom of the page. Insert your call to action link for the public after the first or second paragraph. Restrained use of links directs readers to a specific call to action.
6. Copy Body: Tell the story, add dimension and readability, with quotes, bullet points and paragraph heads in bold text. Give the reader reasons to keep going. Bold font and provocative section heads draw readers’ eyes in, and build more attention.
7. Boilerplate & media contact info: Establish the brand’s credentials and give journalists the about-the-company details they need for the story.
2. Press release distribution- According to http://www.avangate.com these are some of the top FREE PR distribution services. Sending out a press release can cost up to $300 a pop which can get pretty pricey. So the key here is to find the ones that offer the service for little or no money. Here’s a list to get you started.
1. http://www.npr.org/
2. http://www.betanews.com
3. http://www.directionsmag.com
4. http://news.thomasnet.com/
5. http://www.nanotech-now.com
6. http://www.prlog.org/
7. http://www.downloadjunction.com
8. http://www.newswiretoday.com/
9. http://www.pr-inside.com/
10. http://www.24-7pressrelease.com