| Sorry about my otaku with this issue (otaku = more | | | | gobbledygook. Get rid of it. |
| than a hobby, a little less than an obsession). | | | | 13. You may have also identified prior media coverage, |
| Many of you may know me, since I run Imediafax, the | | | | which indicates it's no longer a new issue. Get rid of it. |
| Internet to Media Fax Service. I send out over a million | | | | Let each news release stand on it's own two feet. |
| news releases a year for people via fax and email. | | | | 14. You tried to impress and be clever or innovative |
| You probably think that I've got news releases failing | | | | but you come off naïve, less than expert, biased, |
| on me day in and day out. | | | | flippant, arrogant, or crazy. Tone it down. Get straight. |
| Actually, I don't. The news releases I write and send | | | | 15. You made vague and unsubstantiated claims, or |
| out for people do quite well. My clients are quite happy | | | | wild and outrageous claims, or you included a |
| with me because they are successful with their | | | | statement that simply rubs the media the wrong way. |
| outreach efforts. | | | | Get rid of them. |
| It's the draft news releases that people send to me | | | | 16. You are trying to be different, just for the sake of it, |
| that are my problem. | | | | but you come off eccentric. Forget it. Don't create a |
| Fixing the problems I see in the news releases people | | | | false or inflated image. Be yourself. |
| send me takes forever. It is also very painful. | | | | 17. You wrote a rant and rave, worthy of a letter to |
| I've seen a lot of news release failure over the years, | | | | the editor, instead of a problem solving tips article, |
| and I now know what the key problems look like and | | | | worthy of a feature story. Decide what you want, put |
| how to fix them. | | | | your best effort into it. |
| My plight as a publicist is that I spend a lot of time | | | | 18. You are simply not credible. It could be your ideas |
| educating my clients trying to get them to understand | | | | are simply not well thought out, or that you've offered |
| the psychology of dealing with the media. | | | | old well-worn material, or that you are too extreme or |
| The rubber meets the road in the news release | | | | controversial, or not qualified. You may not be expert |
| because this single sheet of paper is the key nexus | | | | enough, or sufficiently qualified, to make the |
| for all communications with the media. The importance | | | | statements, compared to others in your field. You |
| of the copy on a news release cannot be overstated. | | | | need to present information that qualifies you properly |
| It has to be free of negative issues or factors that will | | | | and adequately. |
| reduce or eliminate media interest and response. One | | | | 19. You provided poor contact information. You need |
| fatal error and it's all over. | | | | to identify the best single point of contact and the |
| So identifying the problems and revising the news | | | | correct phone number so interested media can reach |
| releases is crucial. I spend a tremendous amount of | | | | you and get the best possible attention and response |
| time and effort trying to avoid sending out news | | | | from you to meet their needs. One key person, one |
| releases with problems still in them. | | | | phone, no fax, one email address, and one URL (with |
| The issue is that when people send me news | | | | no long string addresses). |
| releases, it often takes a long, long time to identify and | | | | 20. You did not include a clear media call for action. |
| communicate the problems, and then more time again | | | | You didn't tell the media what you want them to do |
| to explain and negotiate all the word changes with the | | | | with your news release. You need to tell them what |
| clients, and more time still to finalize the news release | | | | you are asking for or suggesting or offering. Then you |
| and have it ready and approved for transmittal. | | | | need to offer the media incentives value-added |
| Honestly - it can be very painful for all involved. I'm | | | | reasons to do so, like free review copies, free test |
| quite brutal on my clients, since their success is all that | | | | samples, interview questions and answers, media kits |
| matters. I don't pull any punches. My comment process | | | | with story angles and stats and data, relevant |
| can bruise a lot of highly inflated egos of some | | | | photographs, etc. |
| otherwise very accomplished people, on the way to a | | | | 21. You did not incorporate and integrate a primary |
| problem free news release that maximizes the | | | | response mechanism. You need to include a |
| chances of success when finally sent. Lots of people | | | | value-added reason, which motivates the editor to |
| think they can write a news release. Very few of | | | | publish or mention your contact information, which will |
| them can do it very well. | | | | generate calls, traffic, interviews, or requests for more |
| They simply haven't followed the media response to | | | | information. This usually means something unique and |
| enough news releases to learn the errors that are | | | | of special value to the audience, that the editor feels |
| made when they write news releases. They haven't | | | | good about mentioning. Use an offer for a free |
| yet learned what the mistakes are, so there is no | | | | problem solving report. |
| learning from continuous improvement. | | | | 22. You sent the release to the wrong media. Target |
| This is where the blood, sweat and tears of the | | | | the media that your clients read, watch and listen to |
| copywriting business is truly found. It gets even tougher | | | | when they are in the right mood, that is, receptive to |
| when another professional publicist wrote the news | | | | hearing about your news, and willing to take action |
| release for the client. Now the client is getting opposing | | | | when they get your message. Work with your publicist |
| advice from two professionals. One says "Make it | | | | to target the right media. |
| Hot" and the other says "Cool it". What's a publicist to | | | | 23. You rely on a single fax or an email to produce an |
| do? | | | | avalanche of media calls. You conduct no follow up. |
| So my motivations for doing this article are really quite | | | | Get real. Follow up properly and you can triple or |
| selfish. I want to spend less time doing this. My life will | | | | quadruple your media response rate. Better still, you |
| be significantly improved if my clients send me news | | | | can ask the editors "what can I give you to support a |
| releases that take less time and energy to fix. Very | | | | feature story and meet your needs". |
| simply, for each and every news release that comes | | | | Finally, the biggest reason for news release failure is |
| in and doesn't have these problems, I'll free myself to | | | | one of attitude. How do you define success or failure? |
| spend more time doing things that are more profitable | | | | It's called unrealistic expectations. |
| for my clients and me. | | | | Get real. You won't get rich off one news release. |
| The issues listed here have all been identified as | | | | You're chances of getting famous are just about as |
| reasons for the failure of a news release. This is | | | | slim. |
| based on over 20 years of experience in dealing with | | | | You might be able to break even. |
| the aftermath - the actual number and quality of | | | | Look at your investment and compare it to what you |
| responses generated from the transmittal of a news | | | | need to break even on your investment. If you need to |
| release. | | | | sell 100 books to cover the costs of a $500 outreach |
| So here are the most common reasons why news | | | | effort, you need ten articles because each article only |
| releases fail: | | | | produces ten sales. So that's your breakeven goal. |
| 1. You wrote an advertisement. It's not a news release | | | | More books per article, means less articles will satisfy |
| at all. It sells product. It fails to offer solid news of real | | | | your needs. |
| tangible interest, value-added information, education or | | | | You may simply have to be realistic and understand |
| entertainment. | | | | that while you are wildly interested in the topic, it may |
| 2. You wrote for a minority, not for a majority of | | | | not have the broad general public interest that you |
| people in the audience. You simply won't compete with | | | | have for the subject. If you wrote an article that has |
| other news releases that clearly are written for a | | | | local interest and you expect national media to pay |
| larger demographic of the media audience. | | | | attention, think again. |
| 3. You are the center of attention, not the media | | | | If you want to be on the Oprah Winfrey Show, then |
| audience. You focus on your business and your | | | | you'd better pray because chances of doing it off one |
| marketing, instead of things the editor and his or her | | | | news release are very slim, near zero in fact. Get real. |
| audience will be interested in. | | | | If she calls, then congratulations are in order. But don't |
| 4. You forgot to put the five W's up front. (WHO, | | | | count on it. |
| WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and WHY THE AUDIENCE | | | | If you wrote an advertisement and wanted a feature |
| WILL BE INTERESTED). You didn't clearly and | | | | story and interviews, don't be surprised if the only |
| succinctly tell the media why the audience would be | | | | media to call is the advertising manager offering you a |
| interested in this. | | | | package deal. You get what you ask for. What you |
| 5. You are too wordy and text dense. You focused | | | | offer is often times what you will get. |
| on details and minutia, instead of the most important | | | | Even if you do get publicity, it may not come out |
| ideas, issues, factors, facts, and news angles. You fail | | | | exactly the way you want it. More often than not, the |
| to address the real significant impacts your story has | | | | bigger the media, the less likely they are to run contact |
| on people. | | | | information. |
| 6. You place too much information on one page - the | | | | Often times, the quality may be there while the |
| one page news release has a font size so small an | | | | numbers are not. |
| editor needs a magnifying glass to read it. | | | | One or two quality media responses may be what |
| 7. You included corporate logos and other | | | | you want or need. If you get that, it's a success. |
| non-persuasive low value added graphics that distract | | | | One article in USA Today may out perform ten |
| the editor from your key message. You may have | | | | articles in small dailies and weeklies in the mid-west. |
| also used an unusual fancy font or a file format that | | | | On the other hand, it may not. The small high quality |
| turns to gobbledygook when it goes through a fax | | | | articles may outperform the small mention in the big |
| machine. | | | | media. |
| 8. You wrote a personally biased article for the media | | | | Similarly, one quality 30-minute interview on a well-liked |
| to publish, instead of pitching the idea to the media and | | | | talk show on a radio station in the middle of nowhere |
| the objective reasons why the media audience will be | | | | out in the mid-west, will likely outsell a five-minute |
| interested. | | | | interview on an Arbitron rated radio station in the |
| 9. You wrote about features and facts, and forgot to | | | | middle of the morning talk show in a major |
| explain what it means to real people. Tell a story about | | | | metropolitan area. You can't tell the listening quality of |
| real people. Add in real life human interest. | | | | the audience. |
| 10. You wrote about how your news ties in to | | | | So when you write a news release please review it |
| someone else's fame and glory. Forget it. Never stand | | | | against these criteria to see if you've made any of |
| in the shadow of someone else. Make your own light. | | | | these errors. Then fix each and every one of them |
| Tell your own story. | | | | yourself, and when you are done, feel free to send me |
| 11. Your news release responds to something that just | | | | your final draft. I'll be happy to take a look at it. |
| happened. You're too late. You're behind the eight ball. | | | | So listen to your publicist. Heed these warnings and |
| Forget it. Get out in front of the news. | | | | reduce the risks of failure. Fail to pay attention to these |
| 12. You included too much hype, self-laudatory praise, | | | | issues, proceed at your own risk. |
| pithy quotes, useless testimonials, jargon or | | | | |