Just 3% to 45% of releases actually get the word out
PR professionals have been married to the traditional PR writing approach since Ivy Lee created the news release more than 100 years ago.… Read the full article
releases
Avoid announcements in press release leads
Don’t announce that you’re announcing
When I was editor of an executive magazine, I received dozens of press releases every day.
This was back in the day when releases moved on paper, so I read them over the trash can, giving myself just a few seconds from the time I picked the release up off the stack to the time it hit the circular file.… Read the full article
How to structure a press release
Toyota takes on feature releases
When PR pros at Toyota American Motor Sales needed to announce record-level production recently, they started with a traditional announcement release:
Toyota’s North American vehicle production at record levels in 2013
Toyota announced record level North American vehicle production for 2013 surpassing last year’s output.
Top organizations use reader-centric approach
High performers focus on readers 71% of the time — IABC UK study
Seventy-one percent of high-performing organizations focus their messaging on audience’s point of view.… Read the full article
Try compression of details for your next lead
Squeeze together juicy details for a great story starter
Embeddable tooth implants. Batman’s tax bill. Zombie slayers.
Like squeezing together a lump of coal to make a diamond, compression of details condenses fascinating facts into a passage that’s more than the sum of its parts.… Read the full article
Get your hands dirty
Human interest for all topics
It seems so reasonable to tell human-interest stories to illustrate the need for bone-marrow transplants, the sad results of texting while driving — even solutions for childhood obesity.… Read the full article
Rethink the release
Focus on the reader, not on PR 101 approaches
When Rachel McGrew, manager at Osborn Barr PR, wrote a press release about a client product, she didn’t rely on the PR 101 approaches she learned in college.… Read the full article
Anecdote makes a great PR lead
Start with a story
Have you heard about the guy who mowed “Will You Marry Me?” into his lawn? How about the practical joker who “accidentally” dropped a fake diamond ring overboard, only to watch his girlfriend jump off their sailboat to retrieve it?… Read the full article
Shake it up
Osborn Barr reimagines a press release
When Rachel McGrew, manager at Osborn Barr PR, wrote a release about a client product, her first instinct was to take the traditional route.… Read the full article