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Rules for news releases and other PR
Rule One: Be accurate and make sure that your releases do not read like ads or  the usual promo literature. Releases are more subtle. You want the facts to speak for themselves as much as possible. Without allowing your message to get lost, try to pretend you are the journalist writing the story.
Rule Two: Make news releases live up to the name. Keep them timely, and ideally peg them to events or trends--perhaps even an event of your own making, such as a contest. Put the important, newsy facts up front just as newspapers usually do.
Rule Three: Target well. Editors at specialized trade publications may even insist on jargon in the interest of precision. But mainstream journalists won't print or otherwise follow up on a jargon-filled release about network routers. Then again they might eat up a story about how your technology helped a GM grow its profits by five percent. If you can tell your story in terms of money, people or both, then so much the better.
Rule Four: Try to keep up to date the contact information for the press. Also find out the best way to reach individual reporters. Do they prefer paper mail, email or fax, and under what circumstances is it okay to phone them?
Rule Five: Don't pester reporters or editors or it could backfire mightily. Do not demand that releases be printed verbatim. Most releases either are heavily rewritten or simply inspire a story. And if your release gets ignored, as most do? Then only rarely should you call up to say, "Hey, did you get receive it?" Send an email or paper letter instead, noting that no reply is needed. Even then, don't do this too often. Instead why not try to wait until there's a legitimate new angle on the story?
Rule Six: Above all, don't think you can get in a positive story or keep a bad one out just because your company is an advertiser. Maybe in some cases. But even then you won't win. The journalists just might move on to a pubication or broadcast station where he or she is free to knock your company.
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What if you or your company could run a free ad on the front page of a newspaper or cover of a magazine? You'd almost surely be a fool to turn down the offer. After all, readers are far more likely to believe news stories than ads; that is the beauty of news releases which hit the jackpot. Few do. But even a published story on an inside page can spark an interest in a new product or service. David's releases in appropriate situations will cost far less than running large advertisements in typical dailies.
But how to reach reporters, editors and broadcast producers with the right set of facts? Here's where David's years of journalistic experience could be a godsend. He won't gladhand editors for you. Instead he'll assemble your facts in a compelling way to help you or your marketing people make your case.
The facts needn't just appear on paper. David can upload them to the World Wide Web and coordinate your site with your releases. Some PR experts think that if news is important, then the site should scoop the media. Not necessarily so. At times you may want an influential publication or broadcast station to break the news first so it's pre-certified as a legitimate story. You can then not only post the facts to the site, but perhaps also link to the news stories. Depends. Check with David about the situation.
He'll act with the judgement of a writer-editor whose journalism goes back to the Smith Carona days and whose investigative reporting even inspired a congressional investigation. At same time, he lives in the present and can help you create a RealAudio for radio stations and Net-smart newspapers to call up on the Web.
Again: David cannot guarantee results, and in fact you should never rely on news releases to replace advertisements. But if fate favors you, then just one release might provide you with the equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars spent on ads--or even more.
Below are some of the release-related services that David can offer--in the order he'll typically provide them:
- Helping you with the preliminary details, if you desire. Why do you want the information out? Toward what business goals? And when should the news break? In some cases you may want to key the release to a theme in a major trade publication. Often you can call up the advertising department and a media kit that lists special issues. In addition, not through any inside secrets but simply by studying back issues, he can help you identify the writers who might be most interested in the material. David can also help you identify news-distribution services that might be appropriate.
- Researching and writing the release, or releases, plural. David will ask to look at past releases and other material, though this isn't a requirement. He may even see if material exists on the PR efforts of competitors, via your files and the Web. And if instead you're a small businessperson without much on paper? Then David can simply interview you to draw out the facts. As usual, he'll work closely with you and revise within reason. Clients will be responsible for factual accuracy and proofing and compliance with laws and regulations, although David himself will do his best to observe them. David will supply the release in ASCII, Microsoft Word, HTML and other popular formats.
- Advising you which journalists to contact. Most journalists would much rather hear directly from a company or association executive--a true expert--than a publicity type.
- Analyzing the results you get with the release or releases. How well did they reinforce your tactical and stategic goals? What could have been done differently? Or should your publicity efforts proceed in the same direction? And how do they compare with those of your competitors?
Costs
David typically will charge $1-1.50 per word in connection with writing and research of the actual release. Those are standard rates for seasoned business writers with David's Internet expertise. Related services will cost $50-$75 an hour. In addition, if you want an assessment of your PR efforts vs. your competitors', you may pay for authorized research costs.
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