Making Sure Your Press Release Gets Viewed: Tips from a media representative

For the past 2 1/2 years, I’ve sifted through hundreds of press releases daily that came into a market 31 television station (Columbus, Ohio). And when I say sifted, I really mean glanced at.  Don’t take it personally – even if you have a personal contact who works in a newsroom – the most your press release or media advisory is going to get is a glance. Knowing this and the tips provided below will tremendously increase the chances of your message making it to the media.

DON’T fax or snail mail. No one faxes or mails anymore, people. Email is always best. A fax is extremely difficult to copy and paste into a newsroom computerized ‘day file’. You want to make the information you’re pitching as easy to capture as possible.

DON’T send a release as an attachment only. I would often receive emails to the news desk that said only ‘please see attached press release from __________’ and a Word or PDF document would be attached to the email.  The sender is assuming the news desk will want to open the attachment (which is highly unlikely unless it’s coming from the Governor or the Mayor’s office). Also, this method adds an extra step for the receiver to get to the actual information being provided.  As stated before, a key to getting your information to the media for consideration is to make the information as easily and readily available as possible.

DO copy and paste your attached release information into the body of the email, as well as attaching it and/or any additional information or documents you’d like the media to have available to them.

DO make sure the release information can be copy and pasted easily.  The last thing a news assignment editor wants to do is have to type the information manually word for word into the day file.

DON’T include the date, time and place of the event into the body of a paragraph within the release. This information needs to catch the reader’s eye quickly. Remember, your release is only getting a glance. Make sure the pertinent information is what stands out.

DO highlight the Why, When, Where and What of your release. It can be at the beginning, middle or end, but it should stand out from the rest of the information.

Here’s an example:

What: A ground-breaking for the Murphy Insurance Audubon Center, which will provide 100 new jobs to the Columbus area.

Why: The Murphy Insurance Audubon Center will be the first of its kind in Ohio and one of the few in the country. The ground-breaking will signify the first step in constructing the Audubon Center, which has taken 4 years of planning and is being funded partially by a federal grant.

When: Tuesday, June 26, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.

Where: The Murphy Insurance Audubon Center construction site located at 15200 S. Parsons Avenue, Columbus.

Also, include Who if there will be a well-known guest speaker, emcee or politicians attending.

DO include a highlight for any visual element available when sending the release to a television or newspaper outlet.  For instance, if there will be local and state politicians in attendance or a few hundred school-age children doing a volunteer act or, say, distributing materials to passersby, note that. It will increase the potential of your pitch being chosen for coverage.

It’s okay to call a newsroom to follow-up on a press release or media advisory. However, do not call multiple times. It’s best to call the day before the event (make sure to call about the same time that the event will be taking place so you’re likely to speak with the assignment editor who will be making coverage decisions when your event takes place). If you need to know whether the event will be covered by media, call again 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to the start of the event.

Remember, your advisory is one of hundreds into a newsroom each day. Make the most important information stand out and make sure the release is easy to read, copy and paste into a file. Media coverage can never be guaranteed, of course, but if you make a potential story easily available and a ‘one stop shop’ for a news outlet, it greatly increases the chance it will be aired.