Every business mum who is serious about getting good exposure has sent a press release before, or at least has it on a to-do list…if you don’t, you are missing a step or two on your marketing and promotion plan.
If you’re on the receiving end of press releases like we are here at motherswhowork.co.uk, you’ll know what it feels like to open a press release and find that the information is either lacking or all ver the place – or worst still, has nothing to do with mums at all.
Journalists, like many professionals, are busy people who receive hundreds of emails every day. If you want to make your press release stand out and get noticed, you have to think through what you want to say, put it in a format that best gets that message across, and will make the journalist want to find out more about your offering.
Here are some tips to help:
1. Focus on a handful of your “dream publications” when you write your press release. So, if you run an online store that sells baby clothes, for example, you would pitch to pregnancy titles,mother and baby titles, and their respective websites, and blogs that fall in that domain. You won’t get much joy sending it to a men’s health magazine because you think dads will be reading it too…
2. Pick the section you’d like to appear in. You never know, but chances are you won’t appear on the cover of the publication in your first attempt at getting your story in the magazine, instead, focus on sidebars, resource listings and short news sections, so you can suggest this to the journalist when you send your press release. Almost all print publications have them. Look at it as the waiting room for bigger and better stories on the unique products and/or services you offer.
3. Find out who the editor is. Once you have your section, find out who’s in charge of it. You’ll need the person’s name, email address and telephone number. These days, most journalists use twitter and LinkedIn, so you could send them a message there, or follow them so you can see their tweets and messages asking for different information.
4. Learn what the editor needs. The number one thing you’ll need to know about the editors you’re targeting is the kind of information they want to publish in their sections. There are two ways to do that: You could ask, but then that could open up a can of worms if the editor doesn’t want to get calls – and most don’t. Or, you could compare a few back issues of the publication to find out what they’ve published in the past…this can be expensive, but if you’re really serious about getting your pitch right for your dream publication, it’s research you can’t afford not to do.
5. Create the pitch. You’ll want to start your pitch by stating your understanding of the editor’s needs. Then list – in clear bullet points – how your news fits his or her requirements. Note: Always leave your phone number in the pitch email to give the editor easy access to you – and your story.
6. Repeat steps one through five until you get a response. Sound tedious? Maybe. But at least the time you spend on this will reap much better results than sending one release out to thousands of editors who will never use your press release, and will start clicking spam when they get irritated by your lack of research or understanding of their title.
Press release distribution is about building relationships with editors. And the only way to build a relationship is to find the need and fill it – consistently and considerately.
For more tips and advice on press releases, join the Mothers Who Work Club today.
