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Atricle Dump - The 10 Commandments of Press Releases
The difference between Spin, PR, and Viral Marketing.Spin is when you lie to promote a good image.PR is what you have to do to get you out of the crap left by your lies!And Viral Marketing is the bad or good things people say about you, all depending on your Spin and/or PR.There couldn’t be a finer cautionary tale on the dangers of spin than the venereal (my misprint!) British Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Anthony Blair, Our Tone to his friends.Putting my political bias to one side, Mr Blair seems to have really believed that the public are fools.He used spin to enhance his image with the public, but to him image was the priority over substance.There is no point in enumerating the many examples of Downing Street spin, they are already well documented.But image over content is
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8. Thou Shalt Tell A Story. How to arrange the facts of a hard news release is pretty much cut and dried. The old "who, what, when, where and how" lead and "inverted pyramid" concepts still hold. (Rather than engage you in a course in basic newswriting, I’ll direct you to a really good discussion of what the inverted pyramid is.
Check out:
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=38693
So let’s focus on a soft news release. The trend story, the feel- good company story, the "gee-whiz, I didn’t know anyone was doing that!" release. The difference between these releases and the har
The answer is yes! Although if you have plans to earn and have little to no cash to start, expect it to take time to grow and learn. The key is patience. As they say steady wins the race!So where would you start? Do you own a website? If not, there are plenty of great free hosting programs out there. When you look into what host will work for you, you will want to first consider longevity. The last thing you want is to spend X amount of hours building a site and fine tuning it, then your host does a disappearing act. Now remember, you can always start out with a free host and trade up as your site begins to bring in revenue.Now you have a website. What do you do to make money from it? There are two free ways to earn money. Yes you heard me right, they are free to join it only takes the amount of effort you give to ear
1. Thou Shalt Be Professional. No goofy fonts, rainbow paper or silly gimmicks. Even lighthearted press releases represent a communication between one professional and another.
2. Thou Shalt Not Be Promotional. If you can’t get enough objective distance from your company to write a press release that’s not filled with hype and puffery, hire someone to write it for you.
3. Thou Shalt Not Be Boring. Even the driest subject matter allows for some sparks of creativity. Journalists like knowing that there’s a human being communicating with them, not some corporate robot.
4. Thou Shalt Be Brief. Learn to cut out extraneous words. Keep your sentences short. Include only the points necessary to sell the story. The well-crafted one page press release is a thing of beauty.
5. Thou Shalt Know Thy Recipient. A features or lifestyle editor is a very different creature from a city desk editor. If you’re promoting the opening of a new winery, the food and wine editor may be interested in all the details about what kind of aging process and wine press you’re using. The city desk editor just wants to know when the grand opening is and what’s going to happen there.
6. Thou Shalt Use The Proper Tense. When writing a hard news release -- a contract signing, a stock split, a major announcement, etc.) use the past tense (Acme Industries has changed its name to AcmeCo, the company announced today...) When writing a soft news release -- a trend story, a personal profile, etc. -- use the present tense (Jane Smith is one of the best marathon runners over 40. She’s also blind. Thanks to new technology from AcmeCo, Jane is able to...).
7. Thou Shalt Think Visually. A press release is more than words -- it’s a visual document that will first be assessed by how it looks.
I’m referring to more than font size or letterhead. I’m talking about the actual layout of the words. Whether received by mail, fax or e-mail, a journalist -- often unconsciously -- will make decisions about whether to read the release based on how the release is laid out. Big blocks of text and long paragraphs are daunting and uninviting. Short paragraphs and sentences make for a much more visually inviting look.
When writing a non-hard news release, I often use a simple formula -- the lead paragraph should be one or two sentences at most. The next paragraph should be very, very short.
Like this.
8. Thou Shalt Tell A Story. How to arrange the facts of a hard news release is pretty much cut and dried. The old "who, what, when, where and how" lead and "inverted pyramid" concepts still hold. (Rather than engage you in a course in basic newswriting, I’ll direct you to a really good discussion of what the inverted pyramid is.
Check out:
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=38693
So let’s focus on a soft news release. The trend story, the feel- good company story, the "gee-whiz, I didn’t know anyone was doing that!" release. The difference between these releases and the hard
Naturally, delegating a certain task to an offshore outsourcing firm is connected with certain risks, and a manager or executive, who wants to go on in business, has to ask him and answer certain questions.Every responsible executive has to think which task exactly needs to be outsourced. It is important to remember that not every function can be outsourced offshore, however almost every business can find at least one job, which can be effectively outsourced and will help reduce the costs of operation. It is also important to think of whether it is the right timing for outsourcing the task offshore.There are several goals a company can pursue while outsourcing offshore, still almost always the main goal is to save money. It is important to correctly assess the costs that a company plans to s
3. Thou Shalt Not Be Boring. Even the driest subject matter allows for some sparks of creativity. Journalists like knowing that there’s a human being communicating with them, not some corporate robot.
4. Thou Shalt Be Brief. Learn to cut out extraneous words. Keep your sentences short. Include only the points necessary to sell the story. The well-crafted one page press release is a thing of beauty.
5. Thou Shalt Know Thy Recipient. A features or lifestyle editor is a very different creature from a city desk editor. If you’re promoting the opening of a new winery, the food and wine editor may be interested in all the details about what kind of aging process and wine press you’re using. The city desk editor just wants to know when the grand opening is and what’s going to happen there.
6. Thou Shalt Use The Proper Tense. When writing a hard news release -- a contract signing, a stock split, a major announcement, etc.) use the past tense (Acme Industries has changed its name to AcmeCo, the company announced today...) When writing a soft news release -- a trend story, a personal profile, etc. -- use the present tense (Jane Smith is one of the best marathon runners over 40. She’s also blind. Thanks to new technology from AcmeCo, Jane is able to...).
7. Thou Shalt Think Visually. A press release is more than words -- it’s a visual document that will first be assessed by how it looks.
I’m referring to more than font size or letterhead. I’m talking about the actual layout of the words. Whether received by mail, fax or e-mail, a journalist -- often unconsciously -- will make decisions about whether to read the release based on how the release is laid out. Big blocks of text and long paragraphs are daunting and uninviting. Short paragraphs and sentences make for a much more visually inviting look.
When writing a non-hard news release, I often use a simple formula -- the lead paragraph should be one or two sentences at most. The next paragraph should be very, very short.
Like this.
8. Thou Shalt Tell A Story. How to arrange the facts of a hard news release is pretty much cut and dried. The old "who, what, when, where and how" lead and "inverted pyramid" concepts still hold. (Rather than engage you in a course in basic newswriting, I’ll direct you to a really good discussion of what the inverted pyramid is.
Check out:
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=38693
So let’s focus on a soft news release. The trend story, the feel- good company story, the "gee-whiz, I didn’t know anyone was doing that!" release. The difference between these releases and the har
Those who open a dollar store know that customer service is one of the business keys that lead to success. As a result, customer service must always be the number one focus when hiring employees. Customer service must also be the number one expectation of all store employees.When you open a dollar store staffing practices need to focus on hiring warm and friendly employees. This is important since customers view employees as if they were the business itself. Since cashiers are the last people that all customers who make purchases see, make sure that cashier staffing is focused on competent, customer oriented employees.Every new employee needs to understand all of the job expectations associated with their position. When you open a dollar store, new employee training should focus first and foremost on customer service. Lik
6. Thou Shalt Use The Proper Tense. When writing a hard news release -- a contract signing, a stock split, a major announcement, etc.) use the past tense (Acme Industries has changed its name to AcmeCo, the company announced today...) When writing a soft news release -- a trend story, a personal profile, etc. -- use the present tense (Jane Smith is one of the best marathon runners over 40. She’s also blind. Thanks to new technology from AcmeCo, Jane is able to...).
7. Thou Shalt Think Visually. A press release is more than words -- it’s a visual document that will first be assessed by how it looks.
I’m referring to more than font size or letterhead. I’m talking about the actual layout of the words. Whether received by mail, fax or e-mail, a journalist -- often unconsciously -- will make decisions about whether to read the release based on how the release is laid out. Big blocks of text and long paragraphs are daunting and uninviting. Short paragraphs and sentences make for a much more visually inviting look.
When writing a non-hard news release, I often use a simple formula -- the lead paragraph should be one or two sentences at most. The next paragraph should be very, very short.
Like this.
8. Thou Shalt Tell A Story. How to arrange the facts of a hard news release is pretty much cut and dried. The old "who, what, when, where and how" lead and "inverted pyramid" concepts still hold. (Rather than engage you in a course in basic newswriting, I’ll direct you to a really good discussion of what the inverted pyramid is.
Check out:
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=38693
So let’s focus on a soft news release. The trend story, the feel- good company story, the "gee-whiz, I didn’t know anyone was doing that!" release. The difference between these releases and the har
This is an excellent way to grow your business using your mailing list (which I trust you are constantly building). However, you have to accept that there are people who'll read your newsletter and there are those who won't.It does, however, help to build brand recognition and keeps your name in front of your existing and potential customers. People are also more likely to read a newsletter than a sales letter because they see it as less threatening.A newsletter lets the customer know that:You are an expert in your fieldYou are prepared to give them lots of free advice, tips and ideasYou have some new products or servicesYou have a sale or a promotion coming upYou understand the customer's industry and their problemsYou are a human organisation with lots of lovely people
7. Thou Shalt Think Visually. A press release is more than words -- it’s a visual document that will first be assessed by how it looks.
I’m referring to more than font size or letterhead. I’m talking about the actual layout of the words. Whether received by mail, fax or e-mail, a journalist -- often unconsciously -- will make decisions about whether to read the release based on how the release is laid out. Big blocks of text and long paragraphs are daunting and uninviting. Short paragraphs and sentences make for a much more visually inviting look.
When writing a non-hard news release, I often use a simple formula -- the lead paragraph should be one or two sentences at most. The next paragraph should be very, very short.
Like this.
8. Thou Shalt Tell A Story. How to arrange the facts of a hard news release is pretty much cut and dried. The old "who, what, when, where and how" lead and "inverted pyramid" concepts still hold. (Rather than engage you in a course in basic newswriting, I’ll direct you to a really good discussion of what the inverted pyramid is.
Check out:
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=38693
So let’s focus on a soft news release. The trend story, the feel- good company story, the "gee-whiz, I didn’t know anyone was doing that!" release. The difference between these releases and the har
The aim of this article is to help you learn how to develop your interviewing skills and secure the position that you are seeking. This article is intended for professional’s young and old alike.The first thing that you have to do is know yourself. If you do not know yourself then you will not be able to present yourself to others. It does not matter at all what kind of job or position that you are applying for, what is important is that you know yourself and that you are confidant with yourself.Imagine for a moment that you are in the army and engaged in battle with the enemy. Your very life is on the line and you depend upon your officers to lead you to victory and in safety. When you think about that officer in charge you want him/her to be confidant, intelligent, wise, and discerning. Those are the qualities that y
Like this.
8. Thou Shalt Tell A Story. How to arrange the facts of a hard news release is pretty much cut and dried. The old "who, what, when, where and how" lead and "inverted pyramid" concepts still hold. (Rather than engage you in a course in basic newswriting, I’ll direct you to a really good discussion of what the inverted pyramid is.
Check out:
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=38693
So let’s focus on a soft news release. The trend story, the feel- good company story, the "gee-whiz, I didn’t know anyone was doing that!" release. The difference between these releases and the hard news release is simply a mirror of the difference between a feature story in, say, the entertainment section of your newspaper and the breaking news report on page one. The hard news story is about cold, hard facts (A mudslide closed portions of Interstate 70 last night, causing massive delays). A feature article about the guy who spends all day looking at seismograph readouts trying to predict where the next mudslide will occur will be very different. It’s likely to be in present tense, it won’t load all the facts upfront and it will be designed to draw the reader deep into the text. It is, in short, all about storytelling.
Here’s the formula I use for these kinds of releases. I call it the 3S approach -- Situation/Surprise/Support.
The first paragraph sets up the situation. The second paragraph reveals the surprise. The third paragraph supports the claim made in the second paragraph.
One very typical 3S is discussing a common problem in the first paragraph (For centuries, people have accepted memory loss as an inevitable result of aging.) The "surprise" paragraph announces the solution to the problem (But one local man says he’s ready to prove the medical establishment wrong.) The "support" paragraph then tells the story. (John Smith, an Anytown entrepreneur, says he’s found the key to retaining a strong memory function far into old age. His "Memory Maker" software is based on ancient Chinese texts that were used more than 2000 years ago to...)
Another 3S -- let’s revisit our mudslide watching friend. How would you start his story using this method?
While John Smith’s colleagues at the National Atmospheric Center are watching the skies for signs of lightning and tornadoes, his attention is focused elsewhere.
John Smith is listening to the mud.
As the Chief Mudslide Analyst at the NAC, Smith spends his days glued to a seismograph, eyes and ears peeled for the telltale signs on an impending slide.
Along with the 3S in action, I also followed the 7th Commandment. That really short second paragraph is a visual grabber, and will keep the journalist reading right into the meat of the release.
9. Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness. This may seem an obvious point, but it always bears repeating.
Tell the truth.
Don’t inflate, don’t confabulate, don’t exaggerate. Don’t twist facts, don’t make up numbers, don’t make unsubstantiated claims. Any decent journalist will be able to see right through this. If you’re lucky, you’re release will just get tossed out. If you’re unlucky, you’ll be exposed.
It’s a chance not at all worth taking. Make sure every release you write is honest and on the level.
10. Thou Shalt Know Thy Limitations. Not everyone ca
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