One of the most effective forms of publicity for your business is to have it mentioned in a journalistic article or the like. This is because readers are more apt to view the information as fact and not suspicious advertising “hype.” In return, they are more open to what they’re reading because it is coming from an objective third party (the newspaper, magazine, etc.) The following are some important tips for getting this kind of valuable publicity using news releases, also known as press releases:

Your news release MUST have a news “hook”

Editors and reporters are looking for story ideas that will be of interest to their readers. They are not wanting to be inundated by news releases whose only purpose is to promote something (that’s what their advertising departments are for….) So in order to make your news release stand out from the hundreds of others they receive each day, you must include some type of important news “hook.” Suggestions include: something brand new that your company is offering that has never been done before, intriguing findings your company has uncovered during a recent study, or anything else that involves an aspect that is truly unique. Currently, it seems that media outlets are particularly looking for items that have a human interest angle. An example — those involving the military and their families, etc.

Make sure your news release is well-written and professional in appearance

The headline and first paragraph are the most important elements and should immediately convey the news worthiness of what you are writing about. They need to grab the editor’s attention and persuade him or her to continue reading. The rest of the content should include relevant facts and supporting statements NOT marketing fluff. There should be sufficient quotes and if available, links to additional information provided on-line at your company’s web site, such as your media kit, etc.

Take the time to target your news release distribution list

You must make sure that you are sending your news release to the appropriate media outlets — those that would have an interest in running a story in their publication on the topic of news release. To help with this, there are several web sites (PRWeb comes highly recommended) that can aid in the distribution of news releases to both the Internet and traditional media. Also, to go a step further, it’s beneficial to do your research so that you can target a specific person at the organization you are distributing to, such as the editor of a particular department or a reporter that covers a specific beat. A news release has a much better chance of getting attention if it is sent to an actual individual and not just the general newsroom.