VOLUME 5a. March 28th 2000. On-Line Marketing: Creating a Winning Press Release.
Ian Clayton, AXSES SCI

A successful press campaign is the most cost-effective way to generate publicity and credibility for your business. But getting the press interested in your story is not easy. Editors are bombarded with hundreds of press releases every day. You have to get their attention.

To start with, it is well to remember that the Press Release is just a part of the campaign. It's the quick and catchy announcement that is meant to tantalise. 

Your press release should never tell your whole story.  Take it from the man who sold the Brooklyn Bridge: 

"It should provide enough information to be informative, but it should leave out just enough information to be so tantalizing that the media person will call you for more information"            .........               Dr. Paul Hartunian.

To get attention your news release must appeal, it must have an angle, it must be in a proper format and in the right style for the medium.

1.) THE BASICS - FORMAT AND ADVANTAGE OF THE ON-LINE RELEASE

Use AXSES News Distribution Services at http://axses.com/marketwatch/newswire/ and your release will be formatted appropriately for on-line distribution.  The service will deliver an email message to the editors you select.  If you prefer to do it yourself, you will find the "Writing Tips" (menu on top of the webpage) to be very helpful. It is compiled by several journalists and editors. 

The On-line release is very powerful and has many advantages over mail or fax.

·       It is electronic and does not have to be retyped by the Journalist. 
·       It is convenient, fast and efficient. It reaches a large audience instantly, with a single click
·       It can link directly to more information.  That means the editor can click on the email you send and review:   

·       Your web Page 

·       A Special Story page with photographs

·       Related Material

·        Key corporate contacts with their biographies and photos        

·       Many on-line distribution services provide archives of your release for your benefit and for the media.
·       Thousands of Journalists and Editors now rely on email to receive announcements and leads. 

Almost every significant magazine now has an on-line version. Additionally there are thousands of on-line magazines and newsletters (e-zines) that only respond to e-mail.  News distribution services, on-line newscenters, Internet news channels and subscription services are being created all the time. They are a new media, serving new markets and the traditional, with new interactive options.  On-line is an important part of our future.


2.) WHAT IS NEWSWORTHY?

There are many opportunities to stand out from the crowd.  Barbados is an attractive destination to the world traveler and also an attractive place to locate an offshore business. Journalists will write about tourism, technology and business. They will also write about sports, horticulture, people, art, culture, architecture and history. You just have to find the right medium and get to the right editor at the right time with the right message.

International magazines are not interested in hotel extensions and management changes etc. But a new Health Spa, a new holiday experience, an exciting adventure or a new discovery is newsworthy.

Brian Talma writes articles about  windsurfing and Journals are eager to publish his articles. Personal accounts of a travel experience are sought after. People like stories and the news release is just a prelude to the story.

BTA does an excellent job of getting news about Barbados Tourism published. Ruder Finn in US and MS&L in UK know how to work the traditional media and do it well. But there is lots more to write about on a more personal level, and a whole on-line media to inform. 


3.) THE ANGLE.

A good story angle must have the following:

·       It must be the most important fact in your story.
·       It must be timely.
·       It must be unique, newsworthy or contrary to industry norms and trends.
·       It must be interesting.  Fascinating and outrageous also work.

The story angle must be presented in the first paragraph as well as the headline of the press release. Your headline, in other words, is the Angle and it can be provocative:  One that really worked was:

        New Jersey Man Sells Brooklyn Bridge...for  $14.95!

Journalists came clambering to find out what it meant and were amused by the story of the man behind the event. It got on TV and made Paul famous. All he wanted to do was promote his PR writing services, which it did, consistently for 6 months.  In his own words "One technique to write riveting headlines is to make a bold, boastful claim. Be sure you can back up the claim. But, don't be afraid to make it". 

It may not be appropraite for promoting a tourism destination, but then again, we had success with the rather boldly worded caption for the Barbados Screensaver:

        Barbados Saves You from Burnout !!
        The Barbados Screensaver will save your PC Screen from Burnout and Bring Joy to Your Work. 
        Come to Barbados to save your soul.  ............... Downlaod the Barbados Screensaver, FREE. 
                                                                                                                           (Copyright AXSES)

4.) MAKE YOUR HEADLINE WORK

Find a catchy phrase or point of view that will grab attention, keep it short and "Say it With Style". Follow the headline with a succint summary of the news: For example:

Barbados Makes Holidays Healthy - Goodbye Flab, Hello Fit.     - or -    New Healthy Holidays - Roll off the Years

Say goodbye to lethargy and unwellness. A new holiday experience in Barbados is the pickup you need. The Natural Therapy Center of Barbados, working with several of the islands best hotels, is combining luxury and health in a unique way. Now vistitors get personal attention using a combination of alternative health treatments and the revolutionary electromagnetic bioresonance therapy that is making waves. 

Follow this with statistics that put the story in the right perspective: .... followed by details of the story.  A big part of the strategy is being clear about FOCUS and aiming it directly at the right market. Should we focus on fitness or the age theme, should we include Barbados? It helps to understand the markets and the tradeoffs. We like the second option as it takes aim at the huge maturing marketplace and is not restricted to Barbados. But BTA would like Barbados to be included, maybe they will sponsor some of the advertising?  Like all works in progress, market research and discussion are necessary to developing the long term strategy. 

If you are interest in being part of this initiative please email: iclayton@axses.net

4.) PROVIDE "QUOTES" FROM THE NEWSMAKERS.

As a newsmaker, put your most important message into a quote. Reporters always use quotes from the newsmakers to add an authoritative voice to their reports. If your press release contains quotes that are important and relevant to the story, chances are high that they will be replicated in full in the published article. For Example:
 

Dr. Laurens Maas-Blaauw, Director of the Natural Therapy Center, a trained Osteopath, says "we are seeing impressive results with the new diagnosis and treatment technology. Clients come in and are given a thorough evaluation. The computer controlled assessment passes non invasive frequencies into selected points on the body (meridians) and measures the bio-feedback. We can depict minute deviants and treat them immediately. One client came in just for a get well treatment and the computer discovered an abscess under a tooth. She had no idea that it was there and even her dentist was skeptical, but there it was."

Back it up with supporting facts and perspectives:

The technology used by Dr. Mass-Blaauw is relatively new, but already huge firms like Magellan, have poured millions into research and development. etc etc. It has been approved by FDA for several years.. ect.

5.) STYLE

The traditional Press Release is presented objectively from a third person point of view. The reason is obvious. Every journalist has a duty to provide his readers with impartial facts and figures. He must not be seen as endorsing a company's products or services.

Of course not all Press Releases have to follow the traditional pattern.  Some of the best press is not really a Press Release at all but a personal account; a story.  If you are writing of or describing an experience, as Brian Talma does, make it personal. 

Writing for an on-line audience is quite different.  The on-line writing style has been called the . Elitist Hipster Attitude. or EHA.  It is informal, playful, smart and often irreverent.  As Michael Ray Taylor, author and a teacher of Journalism at  Henderson University, Arkansas, puts it,  . Whenever I sit down to write a piece for the Net, I imagine that I am sending a casual email to a well read friend. . 

This writing does not come naturally to many of the traditionalists. But it must be mastered to be successful in the new media. It begins with the email correspondence to the editor of an on-line media.   Even fairly standard news items to ABCNews.com will indulge in fun and pop culture.  Check out the essays in Salon and Hotwired, to see good examples of style for online writing.

The key fact to remember when writing a news release that will be emailed to media is:  If the media is on-line use EHA.  If it. s a magazine article about an experience be personal.  If it. s a news item for a traditional print publication be formal and write in the third person.

6.) SIZE

  Make your entire release a maximum of 200 words or less, in 5 short paragraphs.

     Use the bulleted points "Who? What? Where? When? Why?" as paragraph headings.

     Write only two to three short sentences in each of the five paragraphs.

    You have a 30 second spot to grab attention. Link to a special Web Page for more Information.

7.) MORE INFO ON FORM AND ETIQUETTE

Read all about "Press Peeves and Etiquette"  with our newswire Writing Tips. at http://axses.com/marketwatch/newswire/ ..... Select Writing Tips (from the top menu).  This links to many pages of tips from top professionals, university professors and journalists. It is excellent material and very complete.  Dont forget to create an on-line page for your Press Item and link to your contacts and webpage for more information.


AXSES Web Communications will be pleased to help you create an On-Line Press Release Campaign that works.  If you would like help with a news release or story: gives us a call at tel 246-431-8950 or email iclayton@axses.net

 
Keep Tuned for more on NetMarketing - Distributing Your Winning Press Release.


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Internet Travel
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Internet Marketing -Intro mch 8
vol 1. Travel on net mch 12
vol 2a. Promo on the net mch 21
vol 2b. Features of the net mch 29
vol 2c. The new marketing mix Apr 8
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vol 3. iNet Advertising-SE Apr20
vol3a. Keywords May 2
vol3b. Popularity May 9
vol3c. Java & Scripts May16
vol3d. Final word May24
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vol4. OLRS-1 Intro. Dec20
vol4a. OLRS-Pegaus Jan5
vol4b. OLRS-DMS Jan15
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vol4d- OLRS -Choices Galore Feb 8th
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On-Line Marketing (NetMarketing)
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vol5.- Netmarketing. Mch 1st
vol5a. NetMarketing-Creating a Wiining PR. Mch 28th