NCET Biz Tips: Making your press release bullet-proof

NCET helps you explore business and technology

By Bill O’Driscoll

Bill O’Driscoll

Once the front-line herald of business news, usually in a late-in-the-day fax or hand-delivered sheet to news outlets, the press release is fighting irrelevance in mass communications thanks to the rise of the Internet and, especially, the 24/7 chaos of social media.

But if done well, its value endures, especially for small businesses, as a well-produced press release embraces time-tested tenets of effective communication that never go out of style. 

Whichever avenue you choose to convey your message — words, pictures, video — consider these factors when putting your company’s news before media eyes and ears. Remember, you want them to put it out to the world, not into the trash can.

Delivery time. Generally, the earlier in the day, the better. A key concern here is controlling your message on your terms. Don’t bother with embargoes. In the Wild West of today’s media marketplace, embargoes are meant to be broken, and policing embargo breakers can be difficult, if not impossible. Don’t wait for your news to slip out through a side door where miscommunications lurk and you’re playing catch-up, sometimes having to correct the facts.

Brevity. Newsrooms are pinched for time and staff as never before, so keep it short. Got something big to announce? Don’t tease, tell; and tell it fast and don’t bog down with titles and corporate verbiage that get in the way. If it’s written, keep it to five paragraphs, max – no more than one page. It it’s visual, one or two killer images or several seconds of riveting video is all it takes to get attention. Just don’t forget to provide informational facts that complement the visuals.

Simplicity. Forget the superfluous, eye-rolling adjectives. The more you make your news release read or look like a taut news story – crisp and to the point – the more news professionals, who know and despise puffery when they see it, will be swayed to act.

Clarity. The “who” in news is always interesting, as are the “what” and “when” and “where.” But if you can hone down the “why,” you can really convince your intended target to read on and act. Editors often mumble “Why should I care?” when faced with yet another press release. Make yours worth their time.

Errors/Omissions. A great press release can impress even hardened news pros. But mind the details. Double-check spellings and dates. Put a name to the call-back number as well as an extension. Don’t settle for just the company email address; add a name there, too. In the battle for the media’s short attention span, those kinds of shortfalls can send your press release to the back burner – or worse, off the stove completely to wither and eventually be deleted or tossed into the trash.

Bill O’Driscoll is a former Reno journalist and NCET’s VP of Communications – Special Projects. NCET is a member-supported non-profit that produces educational and networking events to help people explore business and technology.