Like Free Advertising: Press Release Basics

Publicity is free, and great when you can get it! Sending a press release to editors of newspapers and other media is the best way to begin. Start small with local papers and build your presence up from there. (See a Sample Press Release)

If you're persistent, you'll soon get calls for interviews. After one newspaper publishes a story about you, other media will likely jump on the bandwagon.

To start, make a list of all the publications (magazines, newspapers, etc.) and on-air media (radio and television stations) you want to contact. Call each one to confirm the deadline and the best editor/department and mailing address to send your information.

To give you an idea of what a press release should look like, I've included one below that I sent out for an organization.

A press release is a document that provides information to a newspaper: the essential who, what, where, when and why. The first paragraph should have those five facts, and then you can add more colorful stuff afterwards.

The materials you include with it can be fancy, but the press release itself should be straightforward. Note the two items in the heading below:

• For Immediate Release: [The Date]

• Contact: [Your Name and Phone Number].

These two elements are very important. When editors see this crucial info right up front, they'll likely note your professionalism and read on to look for an angle they want to explore further.

You're probably thinking this sounds really dull, and you're right. So follow up your correct, plain intro with a brief story to spice things up. This item can be about the hardships you faced in forming your company, where you're based (the local angle), community organizations in which you're active, etc. Think about what makes your company or product unique, and write a paragraph or two to entice the editor into calling you for an interview.

Remember, except in the case of small local papers, you're not writing the story for them. So just give them the plain facts and enough extra to stoke their curiosity.

After you mail, fax or e-mail your press release, follow up with a phone call to confirm that the recipients got your release and to ask if they have any questions.

Here's a sample release sent by fax. This group got numerous newspaper calendar listings and some mentions on radio and TV.

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