WRITING

SUCCESSFUL PRESS

RELEASESJim DeLorenzo

Jim DeLorenzo Public Relations

July 2010

In the News

FROM: NEW YORK YANKEES

JULY 13, 2010 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STATEMENT FROM: FAMILY OF GEORGE M. STEINBRENNER III

RE: THE PASSING OF YANKEES PRINCIPAL OWNER / CHAIRPERSON GEORGE M. STEINBRENNER III

It is with profound sadness that the family of George M. Steinbrenner III announces his passing. He passed away this morning in Tampa, Fla., at age 80.

He was an incredible and charitable man. First and foremost he was devoted to his entire family - his beloved wife, Joan; his sisters, Susan Norpell and Judy Kamm, his children, Hank, Jennifer Jessica and Hal; and all of his grandchildren.

He was a visionary and a giant in the world of sports. He took a great but struggling franchise and turned it into a champion again.

Mr. Steinbrenner recently celebrated his 80th birthday on July 4.

Funeral arrangements will be private. There will be an additional public service with details to be announced at a later date.

Short but Effective

July 6, 2010

'Shortest press release in CBS history'

To clarify how to correctly spell the title of fall

drama "Hawaii Five-0," CBS issued this

announcement:

THIS JUST IN…

SHORTEST PRESS RELEASE IN CBS

HISTORY

EDITORS NOTE: The "0" in HAWAII FIVE-0

is a zero, not a capital O.

Short bio of Jim – One Slide

Only!

B.A. in English, Villanova University, 1984

Sports correspondent/stringer, The Trentonian (80-84)

Assistant Sports Information Director, Villanova (84-90)

Sports Information Director/Director of Media Relations,

Villanova University 1990-1995

Publicist, The Champions Tour (men’s over 35 pro

tennis), 1995-1997

Director of Public Relations, US Interactive, Inc., 1997-

1999

Owner, JHD Enterprises/Jim DeLorenzo Public

Relations, 1999 to present

Press Release = Hammer

The most important thing to remember about a

Press Release is that it is one tool in a

successful Public Relations campaign.

Some believe the words "Public Relations"

and "Press Release" are one and the same in

meaning; others realize that a press release is

a very useful tool in the overall public relations

arsenal.

Simple, Concise

In my 30+ years of working as an active public relations professional, with experience in a variety of industries, one of the things I enjoy the most is writing a press release.

A press release should convey, in a concise manner, a message that is accessible to a wide variety of audiences. The press release in its best form can be read by a reporter or editor, a producer or assignment desk staffer, who then wants to write or broadcast about the subject to their audience, which then becomes your audience when it is published.

You’re a Story Teller & Story

Seller.

Thanks to SEO and the other wonders of the

World Wide Interwebs (!) a press release

today has far greater potential than it did when

I first started writing them in 1978-1979-1980-

1981.

Back then, I typed them on a IBM Selectric

typewriter, photocopied them on a Xerox

copier, folded them in thirds, stuffed them in

envelopes, affixed the labels and the stamps,

and waited.

Almost Instant Gratification

Thank God for e-mail, social media networks, Twitter and the Internet.

Your press release has a long life span now, and a greater chance of being seen by more people than ever, thanks to SEO.

Keywords incorporated into headlines and body copy will get picked up by the “spiders.”

Not just a business-to-business tool, or a tool to reach the media, now a tool to reach the masses.

Or reach a specific group very carefully.

It’s a Process

Here's a "checklist" that comes from my

experiences - again, I've been writing press

releases on an almost daily basis since I was

a sophomore in college , so I believe I have it

down to a science. But I am also actively

researching new ideas, and new approaches,

as the press release continues to evolve in

use and purpose.

And yes, like any writer, no matter the medium,

I do get writer’s block and procrastinate. We

all do.

Why Am I Writing This?

Why would the media be interested in this

story? If it's not of interest, it probably

shouldn’t be released. There are organizations

that send out press releases about everything

and the media no longer takes them seriously.

Research – Understand – Then

Write.

Research your subject - know everything you

can learn about the product, the company, the

service offered, the spokesperson (or the

person you may be quoting in the press

release).

Especially helpful to “understand” your subject

if you have to write a quote for your client that

conveys his “thoughts.”

Know the Intended Audience.

Research your audience - know which media

outlets would be best for you to "pitch" to most

effectively. Don't write a press release about a

sports event and send it to a Business writer!

Write, Edit, Revise, Rinse,

Repeat. Put the ideas on paper (or on screen).

Write a draft that expresses what you have learned about your subject; don't worry about spelling or grammar at first.

Be certain you have the message correct - don't be afraid to ask your client or your subject follow-up questions.

Edit for spelling and grammar, and share with your client or subject for additional input.

Revise your draft accordingly, use your computer's spell check program (it is your friend), keep a dictionary and a thesaurus near you at your desk, and be certain you understand fully what you are writing about - you may get a call from a reporter with a question based on what you wrote, and you don't want to get caught unprepared.

Short and Sweet

Err on the side of being brief rather than

verbose. The media are usually very busy, and

they have a short attention span. Write a good

headline, and a great first paragraph (or lead).

Think of the e-mails you’ve opened upon

receipt. Think of the Facebook posts that

attract your attention. Think of [shudder!]

Twitter.

Sports Marketing VIP Summit

2.0

Attended conference in NYC June 21st

Great audience statistics and demographics

for social media and online marketing

This statistic caught my attention: average

time it takes a recipient to open an e-mail is

four days; average time it takes a recipient to

open a text message, four minutes.

The lesson: SHORT ATTENTION SPAN

THEATRE.

140 Characters – Not 140 Words!

Twitter has become a great tool to “refine” a

message to its essence, even if the

spelling/grammar can be annoying.

The discipline of 140 characters forces you to

really think about the message, at least in my

world of business-to-business/business-to-

consumer marketing of sports events &

products, drawing attention to tech companies,

even promoting the activities of a janitorial

company!

Quick Hit – Jim’s Current

Clients

ESPN Founder Bill Rasmussen

College Fanz Sports Network

Team Clean, Inc.

Ohana Companies

A.I. Consulting

Harry G. Ochs Prime Meats

Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer

Back to the Press Releases,

Please.

To find out what style is most acceptable to the

media, consult a "Style Book." I have used the

"Associated Press Style Manual" since 1981;

it's available in most book stores as well as

online. I also recommend "The Wall Street

Journal Guide to Business Style and Usage.“

Look online at what’s out there every hour of

every day, on Business Wire, PR Newswire,

Google News, eReleases, PR Web, Pitch

Engine.

Talk to a Reporter.

Sometimes just checking in with a reporter or

colleague as to “what are you interested in”

helps you find out what might get their

attention when you need to!

The same goes for TV producers, radio show

bookers, assignment editors, bloggers, and

other “influencers.”

Word Counts.

The standard these days with the “big” and the

small press release distribution services starts

with a 400 word press release. You pay extra

for every additional 100 words.

Keep it to 400. It’s a discipline. It works. I

know I can get out of hand, but 400 gives me a

benchmark every time.

Structure.

Who, What, Where, When, Why, How.

For Immediate Release.

Contact Name, Telephone Number, Cell phone Number, E-mail address.

HEADLINE

(Sub Headline if Necessary)

DATELINE

Four paragraphs of copy.

One paragraph of “Boilerplate.”

Don’t Forget the Obvious.

Have your Press Release posted on your website the day you "release" it!

Nothing is worse than a company sending out a press release to the media, driving people to their corporate website, and that corporate website is out of date!

Establish an "online press room" with current press releases. I recently met with a potential customer who asked me if I knew anything about his company; I said yes, that he hadn't updated his press room on his website since April 2005.

Keep it current!

Don’t Forget Your Colleagues.

Be certain that all internal constituencies at your company receive the press release too!

Whether it requires posting on an Intranet, sending an internal e-mail to all employees, or tacking it to a bulletin board in the break room, it is always important to keep everybody in the loop.

You don't want employees at a company to get calls from someone outside the company about a press release and have them express ignorance.

And it helps morale when they see “good news” about their company.

Not Everyone is A Spokesman.

If you do include employees in the loop, be

certain they also know that there is a public

relations person at the company who should

field all calls from reporters.

You do not want the receptionist getting

quoted, you want the spokesman for the

company to respond or designate the

"responder."

Create a Target Media List.

Find the media members that cover your

industry - whether locally, regionally, nationally

or just in a trade publication - and send them a

personal e-mail with the press release in the

body of the e-mail.

Use plain text.

Let them know who you are, and why you

have sent it, and give them a resource if they

have further questions.

Follow-up, Follow Through.

Finally, don't forget to follow-up. The Press

Release is only one tool - you can use it as

"entry" to a relationship with a reporter, an

investor, a customer - but that requires a

phone call, a personal meeting, a personal

letter or e-mail.

A press release in a vacuum will not get you

the attention you intended.

Spreading the word, viral marketing, word of

mouth – it all starts with a “press release.”

Social Networks as a PR Tool.

Once you’ve got a press release you are ready to distribute, don’t forget the “social networks” at your disposal.

Short subject line (140 characters), Tiny URL to your press release.

Facebook – Twitter – LinkedIn (Best for B2B)

Digg – Delicious – NewsVine (Best for SEO)

Personal Blogs

Twit Pic (if there’s a product photo that’s cool)

Other “Assets” to Consider

Company Logo

Photo of Product if available

Photo of “Store” if available

Photo of key subject/spokesperson

Hyperlinks

Mentions of other companies, products,

keywords in body text

Video if available (YouTube, etc.)

Read. Read some more.

Research.

You know that reading other things helps you write better.

Keep a big pile of print magazines on hand if possible, especially if you are pitching a particular industry.

Local newspapers, National newspapers.

Keep your eyes peeled on current trends.

Keep up with the competition, too.

Google News Alerts!

Mix in some fiction.

Do some creative writing on the side to keep

your hand in.

Don’t be afraid to pick up that paperback

potboiler or the latest new hardcover.

Put that iPad down. iPads are for Closers.

Love your computer. Love your iPad. Don’t

get too attached.

Write it out longhand – sometimes it actually

gives you better ideas.

Thank you and good afternoon.

I welcome any additional questions.

Should you have questions that come up in

the next few days, call me at 215-564-1122 or

e-mail me at jim@jhdenterprises.com.