Reporter Shares 5 Tips:
"How to Send and Write a Press Release"
By Jeff Crilley, Author, Free Publicity

After twenty years of beating the street as a TV reporter, I have a scoop for you: the media needs good stories. But most stories are pitched so poorly, they are lost in the blizzard of untimely or weakly written press releases that blanket every newsroom.

So, here are five tips - and an example of each - on how to send and write a press release that gets covered:

1) BE UNUSUAL

The old adage about "Man bites dog" still holds true. The news doesn't cover what's normal. We cover the abnormal.

For example...

PR whiz Carolyn Alvey knew this when she was trying to raise money for a charity several years ago. Instead of holding a garage sale, she decided to write a press release announcing a "Celebrity Garage Sale." Everything from Bob Hope's old golf clubs to Roger Staubach's long-neglected neckties were for sale. By making an ordinary garage sale extraordinary, the media was instantly sold on the story.

2) BE VISUAL

Reporters tell stories with pictures. If the pictures aren't there, chances are the reporters won't be either. Even the most non-visual story can be made visual if you're creative.

For example...

A dog biscuit business? Boring. A dog birthday party complete with doggie guests and party hats? Now you're barking up the right tree.

That's what Michelle Lamont did to boost her dog biscuit bakery. She began baking huge dog biscuit birthday cakes and wrote a press release inviting the media to cover the parties. She's had reporters hounding her for stories ever since.

3) CHOOSE THE RIGHT REPORTER

Perhaps the most common mistake even some PR pros make is trying to sell a good story to the wrong person. Most reporters have a specialty, like "crime" or "business."

So, seek out the reporter who will have the most to benefit from your story. Start studying the news. Before you call a TV station or write a press release to pitch the paper, become familiar with a reporter's work.

For example, don't try and sell an investigative story to a reporter who covers entertainment.

4) WRITE LIKE A REPORTER

If I were going to send a press release to a reporter, I'd write the kind of headline that a newspaper would run. And I'd make the rest of the release so conversational that a TV anchor could read it right on the air.

Why is this so important? A major market newsroom gets hundreds of press releases every day. Often the decision on whether to cover your story is made in a matter of seconds. Many times that well-crafted sentence in the third paragraph of your press release is never read.

5) WAIT FOR A SLOW NEWS DAY

The holidays are the slowest "news times" of the year. When government offices are closed, so are most of our sources. Take advantage of it.

In fact, take out your calendar and begin circling government holidays. If the government isn't making news, we reporters are scrambling to find something to cover. Write a press release to pitch even an average story on a day when the media is starving for news, and you're much more likely to get coverage.

There you go - five tips to send and write a press release that gets covered. If your idea is unique, visual, and pitched to the right person when the supply of news is running thin, you're in!

About the Author

Jeff Crilley is an Emmy Award Winning Reporter and author of Free Publicity-A TV Reporter Shares the Secrets for Getting Covered on the News. It's available at bookstores everywhere or online at www.jeffcrilley.com.