7 Tips to Get Your Press Release Noticed

Putting out a press release is still one of the best ways to get free publicity for your business. But many entrepreneurs are baffled by how to get their press release picked up by the media. Putting out a press release that gets no play may cause you to become disheartened, frustrated, and disregard the whole idea. But giving up on press releases is a big mistake.

True enough, the rules have changed. Some say it’s more difficult to get noticed these days. There are fewer journalists and fewer producers, so they are overworked and seemingly unresponsive. Don’t let that stop you.

Here are 7 tips for getting your press release noticed:

Write a well-crafted press release

Either learn how to write a press release professionally or hire a professional to write the press release for you. You would be surprised how many press releases are poorly written, so start here to set yourself ahead of the pack. There are specific guidelines and established formatting rules for writing a press release that you should follow. Plus, you always want to make sure your writing is grammatically correct and free of typos. And forget the flowery language and literary prose. Use simple sentence structures and concrete language.

Spread the news

You should only send a press release for something that is newsworthy, so start with asking yourself this question: “What’s the news here?” Take your ego out of the equation and think like an outsider looking in. “Would anyone be interested in reading a story about this?” Remember, your press release is essentially a news story pre-written for the media. It has to be news, not just promotion.

Find an angle and create a hook

Figure out how your story fits into the bigger picture. What are people already talking about that relates to your story. Consider major events, seasons, weather, holiday, celebrity news, popular trends. How can your expertise, event, services, products, or announcement contribute to what people are already interested in? Now that you’ve discovered an angle, create a hook to capture interest.

Write a compelling headline

Your headline might be the most important part of your press release. It’s the first thing the journalist sees, so it better be an attention grabber. Your headline should be punchy and succinct. Here's a hint: Go get your favorite newspaper or magazine that you’d love to be featured in. Skim through it for powerful headlines. Now you know what to emulate.

Set your target

From the outset, have media targets in mind. Gear your press release toward a particular newspaper, magazine, radio station, television show, or web site. Better yet, write your press release for a specific editor or producer. Get a feel for exactly what kind of news that person or media outlet tends to print, and fit your press release into that mold.

Go local

So many entrepreneurs make the mistake of focusing only on national media. Your local media can be a goldmine. Nothing beats hometown news. Don’t pass up on multiple thousands of readers and viewers because you have your heart set on millions. The best way to get national attention is to start out with solid local publicity.

Build relationships

I left the most important tip for last. The fastest way to get picked up in the media is to build relationships with editors, journalists and producers. Often, they would prefer to hear directly from a passionate entrepreneur than a publicist. Don’t be shy. Pick up the phone, work your network, and get creative. Don’t be a pest, but do remain respectfully persistent.

Though the traditional media has changed, your options have actually increased. Sometimes getting your press release noticed by a popular blogger can result in more attention than a short spot on The Today Show. You can also use electronic press releases (that never get picked up at all) to drive traffic to your website.

The bottom line is press releases are still one of the best ways to get free publicity for your business, so it’s your job to make the most of each opportunity.

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