 You have to write a press release, and you don’t know where to start. Or you’ve written some, and no one has responded to you. I’ll share a few tips with you that will make your release a more robust story and get a better response from reporters. Here’s what you can expect from me...how to:
First of all - many media companies and reporters are inundated by requests, to begin with. WRITING IN ALL CAPS does not make them want to open your email, necessarily - your genuine story will. Find the journalist who cares about your piece When I was in TV news, a pet peeve is a press release that is clearly a blast. There was no personalization, outside of, “Hi Mega.” Now - if you’ve done a blast like that (I did make that mistake once) - it’s okay...here’s what you can do moving forward.
If you’re like - that’s a lot of work. It is. There are tools to make this process a bit easier. HARO stands for Help A Reporter Out. It sends out email inquiries of what reporters are writing about, and you can pitch yourself as a source. It’s an incredible tool, I highly recommend it. “Cision empowers communicators to identify influencers, craft and distribute meaningful stories, and measure the impact.” “Muck Rack is the new standard in public relations software. Easily search for journalists, monitor news, and build reports.” Get them to open your email Personalization is key here. The first touchpoint you have is that email subject line. Keep it short and simple, and personalize it to the journalist you’re talking to. Adding their name in the subject line is a good start. Essentially, the subject line should answer the journalist’s question: “why should I care?” How to get them to respond back This is my favorite part. This is where storytelling comes in to play. (But spare all the details. I’ll touch on that shortly) Let’s start off with questions your email should answer.
Journalists often don’t have time to read everything you’ve written - you’re trying to get their interest so they can respond to you. Write effectively by including necessary and important information. If it’s not crucial to the story - leave it out for now. Of course, include contacts that they can have a recorded conversation. The last piece depends on the type of reporter you’re pitching to.
This is all basic stuff. I can't personalize your brand story in one single blog post. Every reporter, industry, and type of story is different. Schedule a call with me, paste your press release draft in the form, and let's work on it together. Here's my made up example of how it would look like put together.
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Mega Sugianto
Mega is based in California with her husband & three dogs: Fluffy, Simon, and Charlie. Mega started her career as a TV news reporter and transitioned into marketing and data science. Her vision is to solve problems through storytelling and data-driven strategies. Categories
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