How to Write a Press Release

This is a summary of “The Care and Feeding of the Press”  http://www.netpress.org/careandfeeding.html

What to include in the text:

  • Less is more. If you must write a press release that is longer than a page and a half, do so as if you will lose one article for every paragraph that goes over that limit.
  • Focus on facts
  • Tell us who you are, what you’re announcing, and why we should care.
  • What the product is
  • When it was first released
  • Who it is aimed at
  • What platforms it runs on
  • What the configuration requirements are
  • How much it costs
  • Contact people for the press
  • URLs and other contact information for the general public
  • Contact info: name, address, email, phone
  • Pointers to white papers
  • Meaningful subject header (but dont use all caps)

What not to include in the text:

  • superlatives (“awesome”, “great”)
  • “the first of its kind” unless you back it up
  • buzzwords
  • Quotes from executives. If you must include a quote from an executive, make it more substantive than, “We’re going to revolutionize the field.” Be specific. What is so revolutionary about your product that makes it newsworthy to a journalist who received 25 other press releases that day?

How & what to send:

  • Don’t send from Hotmail, Juno, yahoomail, or AOL. It also looks unprofessional and basically shouts, “Look, we’re too poor to afford a real e-mail account.”
  • The format should be a simple plain text email
  • Do not include binary attachments(word, pdf, graphics)!!! If you do, your message will probably be deleted without it ever being read.
  • Do not address the email to more than three people. Don’t send a press release to your entire press list, with the entire recipient list visible.
  • Turn off the option in your mail program that sends a second, HTML copy of the message as an attachment.
  • Don’t attach a vCard.

To whom should you send your releases?

  • Send it to everybody that might be interested in your message, but don’t send it to everybody.
  • An easy place to get reviewed is in computer user group newsletters. You can find user group listings at several sites, not the least of which is the Association of PC User Groups ( http://www.apcug.org/) and the User Group Academy( http://www.user-groups.net/).
  • Freelancers make money only when they successfully pitch a story or review idea to an editor; they’ll be happy if your product is worth writing about. If they already know the product category, they’ll be more interested in covering your application and they’ll do a better (i.e. more accurate) job.
  • If you send a product, e-mail, or press release to one person at a publication, don’t assume that it reaches everyone at, or associated with, the publication.

What to do after

  • Dont call to check if they received the press release
  • If they are interested, you will hear from them.
  • If you’ve already established an ongoing relationship because the journalist has covered your products earlier, it’s okay to send a follow-up e-mail a few days later to ask if they have any questions; but that’s it.
  • Dont attack someone for writing a bad review. Just point out the facts and inaccuracies without attacking. (“Dont attribute to malice what can be attributed to stupidity”) They will remember you and they will tell their friends about you. “CC:” the editor with your corrections. They dont mind getting corrections as long as you arent an a**hole.