Posts Tagged ‘Press Releases’

How to Write a Press Release

Here are PR Superstar’s Top 5 pointers about how to write your own press release:

  1. Give the release a newsworthy ‘hook’ or ‘angle’ – such as a new or unusual product or service is being launched, your sales have increased 250% in one of the worst recessions ever, the business is expanding and you’re taking on 50 more staff at a time when your rivals are closing, you’re staging an interesting event, you’re launching a charity campaign, etc.
  2. Make sure the release is full of facts not ‘fluff’ and arrange them in order of interest.
  3. Keep the release concise – no longer than 1- 2 sides of A4, journalists are busy people and don’t have the time or the inclination to read a release of encyclopaedic proportions!
  4. Look professional and put the release on to your branded company paper. Check spelling and grammar!
  5. Make sure you include your full contact details at the bottom of the release so journalists and Editors can contact you easily. These can be included in any coverage too if potential clients or customers want to get in touch or find out more.

 

E-mail the release to the most appropriate journalist or Editor on your target media and follow it up with a phone call a few days later to encourage interest. Simples :-)

Tags: , , , | Posted in PR Tips November 6th, 2009

How to Get Media Coverage

Getting media coverage isn’t easy and it’s getting harder!

In the last year or so, many papers and magazines have folded, including big-names such as Maxim, Arena, Eve and Rupert Murdoch’s Thelondonpaper, so there’s less media around; and many existing papers and magazines who are managing to hang on in there have shrunk in size due to a fall in advertising and declining sales.

Nevertheless, here are Top 5 ways which should help you to achieve media coverage:

  1. Have a think about what media may be interested in you and your business, and bear in mind your target market and what media they read/listen to/watch. Is it local, regional or national media, b2b or b2c, online or offline?
  2. Write a press release about something newsworthy going on within your own business, such as expansion into new markets, product launches, a new CSR scheme, a big order, new project, etc. Issue the release to specific journalists and Editors, whoever’s the most relevant to your business, on your target media and follow-up with a brief phone call to gauge and encourage interest.
  3. Form effective, two-way relationships with key journalists, remaining in regular contact with them and providing a steady flow of newsworthy stories.
  4. There may be existing stories out there in the press that you can ‘PR piggy-back’ on to with your own expert comments, research or useful information.
  5. Of course, not all businesses are automatically newsworthy, so you may have to ‘create news.’ This could include staging PR stunts to grab the media’s attention, getting a suitable celebrity to endorse your product or service, or carrying out research related to your business or market to provide facts and figures that are newsworthy.

PR Superstar is a London-based PR consultancy with public relations clients in London, Surrey, UK-wide and internationally – contact PR Superstar on 020 8274 0807 to find out more about how we can help grow your profile and win you new clients using PR Superstar’s high-powered PR.

Tags: , , , , , | Posted in PR Tips October 1st, 2009

Different Types of Media Coverage

If you’re a business or organisation and having to do your own PR, think about the different types of media coverage and what might work best for you.

National, or even international, media coverage is great, it adds kudos and credibility. It can send sales soaring.

Local or regional media coverage, however, should not be ignored and may sometimes generate more interest, inquiries and business leads than coverage in the national media.

Before writing a press release or calling journalists, think about your product/s or service, who your target markets are and what media they are likely to read/watch/listen to/log on to. Why not ask your existing clients or customers for feedback!

Also think about whether you’d be best seen in the b2b media, such as your industry and trade journals (in my case, PR Week, Press Gazette, Brand Republic, Campaign, Marketing, etc) or whether the b2c media, such as The Times, GQ, bbc.co.uk or Radio 4 would bring better results for your PR efforts.

For a free consultation about your public relations needs, contact PR Superstar on 020 8274 0807.

Tags: , , , , , , , , | Posted in PR Tips August 23rd, 2009

Hiring a PR Pro — What to Look For

Here are PR Superstar’s top 5 tips:

* Hiring a public relations practitioner who’s worked as a journalist is always an added bonus. They make a great PR operator; poacher turned gamekeeper and all that. As an ex-journo, my press releases are frequently published word for word in the press.

* Size isn’t important! A skilled PR consultant can most definitely compete with the ‘big boy’ PR agencies and in many cases deliver infinitely better results for a tiny fraction of their big-money fees.

* Important qualities in a PR pro: dedication, energy, charisma, persistence, creativity and innovation; a multi-tasker with a flair for writing and a ’nose for news,’ a lover of deadlines!

* Someone with a minimum of 10 years experience is not only going to be highly skilled and experienced, but undoubtedly passionate about/committed to their art, and in the public relations game for the long-haul.

* Ask at what level they’ve worked? Is their experience purely with the local press or have they achieved coverage in the national media, on TV and radio? Have they written the odd press release or orchestrated integrated and influential public relations campaigns? PR people can specialise in particular sectors, such as technology, literary, healthcare, finance, etc. Try to match your PR person’s experience with your own business sector.

Hope these pointers help… :-)

Tags: , , , , , , , , | Posted in PR Tips December 23rd, 2008

The Power of PR: Growing Your Business in a Recession

Below are just some ways you can harness the power of public relations to help grow your business or organisation — even in a recession!

They’re designed to increase your public profile and media presence, and drive word-of-mouth.

Word-of-mouth is considered to be the most effective form of communication because it’s from a third party (eg: a journalist writing in a paper or a recommendation from a friend) and is deemed highly credible; advertising, as it’s paid-for promotion, is widely thought to be the least effective.

Anyway, on with just a handful of PR Superstar’s suggestions:

* Stage a PR Stunt - help create a buzz about your business with innovative and eye-catching stunts, amazing media stories and on-street ambient marketing

* Write regular press releases - about newsworthy events and activities connected with your business; where there is no news, a PR specialist can ‘create’ it

* Boost community relations – sponsor a charity or worthwhile cause, and shout about this on both your own and their website, in company literature, in the media, and so on

* Call on influencer relations – stage a profile-raising press party for key journalists and business contacts to help them get to know you and your business, for example

* Place profile-raising editorial - most newspapers and magazines will be happy to run free editorial in the form of a competition or reader’s offer, if you fulfill their minimum prize value. The competition can promote a service and product and be a very cost-effective way of getting your business on to the pages of papers and magazines — and under readers’ noses!

To find out more about how PR Superstar can help grow your business or organisation, call Jill Kent on 020 8274 0807 or e-mail hello@prsuperstar.co.uk

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Posted in PR Tips December 13th, 2008