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Publicity Can Grow Your Small Business
Use the Business Profiler Wizard to Write a Press Release
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Frequency Matters
Disseminating well written news about your company, on a regular basis, is the front line
of any publicity attack. The launch of a new product or service, hiring a new
employee, testimonials, special events, receiving a contract, forming an alliance,
obtaining financing, planning an IPO - all of these are newsworthy and constitute a
good reason for sending out a press release.
The two most important things in generating publicity
are:
- what you say and
- whom you say it to.
Company News
The Ten Minute Business
Profiler can help you organize your company news so that your most important
points come first, followed by supporting evidence. Proper organization will help
editors, who receive hundreds of press releases every week, focus on what is newsworthy
about your announcement.
In the Business Profiler Wizard, choose the option "To communicate with clients and
customers" in the "Purpose" screen. Then use the sort button to place
"Company News" as your opening paragraph.
Format
There is a formula for laying out a press release that is virtually
required by most editors at major publications:
- Double Space your press release.
- Try to keep it to one page; however, if the content is
compelling enough a second page is o.k.
- Use your company logo in the header or top margin of your
document, or use your company letter head.
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Case Study:
Travel Business Begins with Media Coverage
After returning from a fabulous trip to
North Africa, John H. wanted to share his experiences with other people by setting up a
personalized tour business.
He felt that he had the ability and showmanship to provide a unique travel service to a
specific target market.
On his very first trip as travel agent and tour guide, he took 25 people and made a
profit. Two years later, his one-man company has some dozen specialized trips on
three continents.
The key to his success is creative publicity, all free, and here's how he did it:
- Well written, frequent Press Releases to
major national newspapers and magazines
(travel editors)
- Relationships with key media personalities
- Radio giveaway contests
- Cable access TV programming
- Internet site
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- Also in the Header, type the words "Press Release"
- a large bold font, or banner image, is preferable. It doesn't matter whether you place
the words "Press Release" in the center, left or right.
- Between your header and your headline, place your
"Contact Information" on the right and the words "For Immediate
Release" on the left. Sometimes you need to "embargo" information - or hold
it - until a contract or other deal becomes effective. Then write "Embargoed until
(Date, Time)".
- On the next line type your "date-line" (date and
place from which you are sending your release.)
- Include a nice, bold headline between all the Header
information and the body of your press release.
Content
Paste your text into the main body of your press release from the output of your Ten
Minute Business Profiler wizard, which you should save in Word on your Desktop. The
wizard is designed so that, if used properly, your text should fit on a single page - two
at the most.
The first paragraph should contain the 5-W's and H, which are the staples of journalism
101: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. The next paragraph or two should contain the
details of all those W's and the H. The concluding paragraph, should include
specific information on your company, which generally you will reuse every time you send
out a press release.
At the end of page one put the word "END" or "MORE", if you are
including a second page. Finally, include a photograph if possible and tape a
caption to the back of the photo, identifying the people or objects in the photograph.
Know Your Editor
Choose an editor who specializes in the kind of information you are sending out. You
might choose the business editor of a local newspaper, or you might choose the technology
editor at a national publication, or the Internet editor in a technology magazine.
Address your envelope, or fax, to that editor, by name. Make certain that the
publication, or tv/radio station, accepts faxed press releases.
Your objective in sending out company news may vary. You may wish to attract
customers from the mass market; or you may want the Wall Street establishment to know what
you're up to. The key here is: define your
audience. Only after you have defined your audience can you figure out the best
publications and the appropriate editors for your announcement..
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| To ask Business
Profiler.com for more
information on writing and disseminating a press release, purchase the
profiler and become a registered user.
Click here. |
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