No publicity is bad publicity, right? Fact is, having nothing to say about your business is very bad indeed.

The question is, how do we generate an interest in our businesses to begin with – throw hard earned dollars at an ad campaign, telesales, internet marketing or consultants? Well, all these things and many more may come to form part of your overall marketing plan, but let’s consider what you can do for yourself before you start writing checks for some of those other methods…. Consider the Press Release.

There is a famous saying that goes, “Advertising is what you pay for; publicity is what you pray for” – and it’s true! Publicity is like free advertising for your business!

A Press Release is simply a written document sent to the media with a “story” briefly summarized with who, what, where and when laid out so a reporter in a newsroom receiving dozens of these “stories” can wade through and grasp easily what you are about.

Think like a journalist before you put pen to paper, consider what is newsworthy compared to promotional “fluff” and remember you need to deliver an interesting story that readers will want to read. The “man bites dog” rule of journalism holds true for you as it does for any story so think of what your news really is. A Press Release advising a 10% discount sale on Friday’s is not news - but donating 10% of your Friday sales to a local charity or to raise cash for a sick child’s medical bills is.

Some examples of when to issue a Press Release include:

• Securing a major contract (or even a small one if it’s with a “known” name)
• Taking on a new member of staff or promoting an employee, equally, if one of your staff have earned a qualification or business competency award or indeed if a long serving employee retires
• When you win a business award or other recognition
• When you sponsor a charitable or non-profit activity
• Opening a new branch or moving location
• Starting a new business or taking over one

Avoid brazen self-promotion; what you’re aiming for is “stealth publicity” by informing rather than hard-selling. Your Press Releases may be ignored for some time, as many indeed are, but your goal is to form a relationship with the editors and journalists who may be interested in your news. Aim to be the “expert source” the editor will turn to when a story is run in the future and stay on point with well-written Press Releases.

Press Release ProForma

Use this as a template for your Press Releases. Even if you are not a writer, following these simple rules will help get your news noticed by the media.

• Keep it brief and to the point, remember - no nonsense
• At the top left hand corner write “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” in bold and remember to take your caps lock off after you’ve typed this, the rest of the Press Release should be typed in plain text with the font and layout kept consistent throughout the document and between each Press Release issued
• Next comes your contact information, your name, business name, telephone, fax, email, website and address all under the heading “Media Contact”
• Think of a headline that will capture attention – “Local Dry Cleaner Donates 10% of Sales to Hurricane Katrina Clean-up Fund”

Now you’re into the text of your Release

• Type the town you are in with a date followed by 2 dashes (for example, Minneapolis, January 15, 2007 -- )
• 1st Paragraph starts and you must aim to answer the “5 serving men” - they are: Who, What, When, Where and Why - and just for good measure you may include How – this is a key part of your release so take your time with it. Editors do not have much time and the first look at a release is very often the last so keep sentences short and on point… you are not writing “War and Peace”
• The 2nd paragraph is used to include quotes, by you or whoever is connected with the subject matter. Using our Hurricane Katrina example, contact a potential donee (say the Red Cross) and ask them for a quote. Include more generalized information, but keep it short and sweet - a Press Release should be no more than one or two pages
• Last paragraph is where you get to say who you are and what your business does and include here your tag line, contact information and history
• If you run to a second page, type “MORE” at the bottom of the page and at the end of the release place “###”

Congratulations, you’ve written your release so now what?

• Review! By now you’ll have become so embroiled in your release it needs to be reviewed for errors, so have people read it and check it, don’t get upset with adverse comments - be pleased it’s not the editor who spotted the typos
• Distribute it, as widely as you can and the preferred means are fax and email. When using email keep your subject line snappy.
• Keep a copy for yourself and recipients, now start thinking of the next release subject matter. Issuing press releases is not a once and for all affair, they should be a regular activity (practice also makes perfect) and don’t be disheartened by rejection or being ignored
• Don’t call the newsroom to ask if they got your release – this pegs you as boring, predictable, needy and very annoying – if they want the story you will get a call, and you’ll get a call if you have “news” and follow this guide