GET YOUR NEWS RELEASE NOTICED

I've recently read several articles listing reasons to send a news release. (Do you 
all use the politically correct news release instead of press release these days?)
  
Some lists give reasons such as, I kid you not, "It's your CEO's birthday" or "It's 
your janitor's anniversary." (Okay, maybe I kid you a little.) Sure, you could send 
out a news release for those occasions, but it's probably not going to get printed.
  
How do I know? I started my professional writing career as a newspaper editor. I 
received dozens of news releases with subjects like these and used them for scrap 
paper.
  
Instead, brainstorm around these ideas for release topics and get your company 
noticed by editors and reporters.

1. "Local, local, local" was the mantra in my paper's newsroom. Tying your 
company's name to a local story is positively the best way to get your name in print.

2. If your company is local, find a slant to tell your story in relation to a national 
event. For example, when I worked at Erie Insurance, a hurricane struck the North 
Carolina coast and was the top national news story for days. Although the affected 
area was just a small segment of our policyholder population, the three local news
stations responded to my release showing how a local company was connected to 
a national event.

3. Tell me why readers should care. Stories about how your company's products or 
people impact everyday lives have a great chance of getting published. The top 
story topic that piques nearly every editor's interest: how to save money.

© 2004 Donna Kozik. For information about Donna’s writing services, visit 
http://www.DonnaKozik.com.