Press Releases: Tools to Grow

Your press release may instantly get you press coverage, but you want – and will get – more than that with a good release. Publicity will give you credibility and that’s an important factor for attracting donors and recruiting quality staff and volunteers. Publicity will give a social service agency the exposure to draw clients. It will give an arts center more attendees and members. It will give a school more students and a museum more visitors.

Publicity is important!

The key factors to getting publicity are:

1. Making News
   
2. Writing a Great Release
   
3. Distributing it to the Media

You can create news by doing something out of the ordinary or by associating your organization with a celebrity. You can produce an interesting profile of a board member, client or volunteer. Or, if you provide a truly unique service or program, you are newsworthy. Success is always a reason to get publicity; you’ll want to let people know about your awards, achievements and honors.

Writing a Great Release
You have about 20 seconds to capture the interest of an editor. Most won’t give you much more than that. Therefore, your release must be professionally presented, expertly written and uniquely captivating. None of that should scare you (remember the media wants news). To get the quality you are looking for you will have to choose between hiring a professional, recruiting a qualified volunteer or learning to write a great release yourself. See the form at the bottom of this page for options we offer.

Understanding the elements of a release will help you prepare for working with a professional or for writing one yourself:

• Contact information – you will provide the name, phone number and email address of the person who will be ready, willing and able to quickly respond to inquiries. This could be an employee or, for an additional fee, you could have the professional you are using for writing manage inquiries and even cultivate the media to up your chances of getting good coverage.

• Headline – this needs to be well thought out especially if you are distributing via the web. Whenever you use the Internet to spread information you have to concern yourself with search engines. If you want Google to find and share your press release the headline should clearly state the news using a word or words that are searchable. For example, here are two headlines:
  Elvis Coming to South Orange Performing Arts Center

  He’s Back from the Dead, Don’t Miss This Show!

  As you can see, the first is very straightforward but it has the keywords you need "Elvis" and "South Orange." The second is more fun but it doesn’t have any words that tell the story on their own. If your release is being mailed, faxed ore emailed to select few then have some fun with the headline and make it provocative.

• Opening paragraph – this is your opportunity to draw the reader in. Let them know in broad terms what your news is and why they should be interested. Provide just enough information to encourage the reader to keep going.

• Body copy – continue to tell yours news providing appropriate background information. Include one or two quotes from appropriate leaders of your organization. The entire press release – top to bottom – is limited to 400 words for the most economical option from distribution services. So keep the copy tight and carefully worded.

• Organization statement – your final paragraph will be a standard description of your organization including your vision and your mission. It should also include a link to your website.

• Links – at the end of your release include 2 to 5 links that will provide the reader with information on your website and pictures related to the news. Chances are good that the media will go there and get what they want.

1. Distributing your press release online – this has become the most common and efficient way to get the word out. You use a service that pulls from their media contact lists the right combination of names for your press release based on the subject matter and your needs. You email your release to the service and agree on a date and time for the release.

   Off it goes! Almost instantly you can find the release online. Later you will find it referenced, quoted and forwarded all over the Internet. If there is enough interest you will receive calls and emails from newspapers, magazines, TV stations etc. asking for an interview or more information.

2. Distributing a press release yourself – if your reach is local or you want to hand pick a select group to target then you have a different challenge. You need to build an excellent media database and keep it up to date so you can go to the media in an efficient, personalized way and get the stories you want out there to the public. You can build your list yourself but you may want to start by acquiring a list from a list company. Since the fee is based on the number of names you use, you can keep the cost down by being very targeted.

   With your list ready to go you are ready to package and send your release. This can be as simple as sending off several emails or as complex as sending a special package in the mail or a series of letters, emails or faxes or a combination. It depends on the impact you want to make. If you want the press to cover an event then you send them tickets but you might send other teasers prior to mailing the tickets.

Consider what makes your organization unique, what events you want to publicize and what news you will have over the coming months. Get that list going by gathering a Team and brainstorming for ideas. Then add to your list some fresh new ideas that might be attention getting. Look at things you’ve never tried before, like doing something unusual at your next event. A contest, a celebrity gathering, a You Tube video… Layout your ideas on a calendar so you have at least one press release a month.

Remember! To get lots of press you have to be newsworthy. Your local newspaper may print every story submitted, but a larger paper, radio, television, magazine or website may have plenty to choose from so you will need to stand out.

We have seen time after time how successful a good press release can be, look at these results:

• 10 volunteer facilitators recruited from one press release

• International coverage and record-breaking bids for an auction

• A jazz concert sold out weeks in advance

• $50,000 contribution from a donor who learned about the organization through a story in the local press

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