Press Release Process

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wvuauthor

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Hey all!

Sorry if I posted in the wrong place...feel free to move...

I am familiar with writing press releases, etc. I have written many of them in the past for clients but have never actually sent them out to papers, etc.

Can anybody give me an idea as to how this process works? Do I simply find out where to send it and go forward? If they are interested will they contact me to write a story/interview?

Any info. would be great!
 

Bamponang

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I'm assuming that the press release is yours/ the company has approved it and asked you to send it out to the media.

One option is to send to news editors of targeted publications. However, don't make it a mass mailing. The same principles that apply when you query as a freelance journalist apply here - demonstrate why your story is relevant for this specific publication.

You should also look into targeting specific journalists. You'll have to do some research on these journalists. Read some of their published clips and determine how your story idea fits with what they usually write about.

And yes, if they are interested, they will contact you for further info and interviews.

The resource I've found most useful on the subject is Ben Silverman's PR Fuel (http://www.ereleases.com/pr/prfuel.html?GCID=C3480x015 )

He has approached the subject as a journalist and PR person and sounds very knowledgeable.
 
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newmod

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Hi wvuauthor maybe what I´m going to say is helpful maybe not.

I used to do some press related things when I worked in politics in the UK. There were different approaches depending on the release.

For example if it was a health related thing we had a fax number for the health desk, environment piece environment desk etc.

If we had a contact at the pub it went to them.

A general piece to the newsdesk.

As with most things in life if you have a contact somewhere use them, if not get the contact details (most pubs in the UK are happy to give you them) and send away. There will also be a press directory if you prefer that but often the info is out of date. If they think it will run as a story they will use it or contact you.

You could also possibly try "cold" sending a piece to a journalist you have seen has written things related to your area. Possibly freelancers may be interested and be able to get it into print via their contacts. I´m just chucking out ideas, I´ve been out of the game for a while so I stand to be corrected.

Hope that helped at least a little bit
 
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Lauri B

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Target your release to a specific field editor and make it newsworthy. For example, if you're just announcing the release of a book, no one outside of your very local paper is going to cover it. A new book is not news for anyone unless it's by a famous author (in which case the publicity department of the publisher would be submitting the release, not you).

But if you tie in the release of your book to something currently in the news, you'll have a better chance of being interviewed, your book being mentioned, etc. For example, if you have a book that talks about corruption in the construction business, you can tie it into the collapse of the Big Dig tunnel in Boston. Or if you have a book about weather, you can tie it into global warming and talk about the heat wave the US is undergoing. Papers can look to you for expertise and you can request that they mention your book name when they tag your quotes with an identifier ("said Jim Jones, author of Why Hot Dogs Taste Good But Are Bad").
Don't just send a blanket release to the main fax number at a paper. It'll get thrown out. Target your editors. use Bacon's media service or another subscription service to hone your list.
 

ChunkyC

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In case you were wondering, that was me that moved this thread at a mod's suggestion. Carry on!
 
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