Five Tests Every Press Release Must Pass

You”ve heard “them” say it, haven”t you?
By “them” I mean the experts. The teachers. Even some
people from advertising & PR agencies.
They”ll tell you there”s only one way to do a press release
“right.”
Single page, double spaced, 12 point type.
Bull…
I”ve been working in radio and TV full time or part time
since 1972, and that means I”ve seen thousands of press
releases.
I never threw one away because it didn”t fit the “classic”
or “standard” format you hear about so often.
A journalist — especially a journalist working on deadline
— doesn”t care about that stuff…
There are, however, five things that *are* important, and if
your press release doesn”t have them, it will probably wind
up in the trash in seconds.
In my Instant Press Release Toolkit program at
http://www.pressreleasetoolkit.com, I call them
“The Five Tests Every Press Release Must Pass.”
1) The Instant Eyeball Test
The person reading the release takes a quick glance at the
overall appearance.
Does it have a catchy headline, or is the top of the page
crowded with unnecessary information or big graphics (like
PR agency/company logos)?
Is it readable? Does it look cramped, with block paragraphs
that suck up most of the white space? Will the screener
have to search through a lot of print on the page to figure
out what’s newsworthy?
Is there any bold print emphasizing important points?
And maybe the biggest factor of all: can he/she figure out
in five seconds or less what this release is about, and what
action the writer would like the news operation to take in
response?
Flunking the Instant Eyeball Test doesn’t mean the release
will immediately drop into the trash can. But if your
release is poorly formatted and visually unappealing, it’s
definitely a strike against you.
2) The Headline Test
Even if you’ve just flunked the Instant Eyeball Test, you’ll
probably still get a chance to redeem yourself by offering a
great headline.
In my opinion, this is the most important part of the
release.
Give the reader a catchy, attention-grabbing, interest-
provoking headline, and the battle is half won.
For a quick primer on headlines that motivate journalists to
“bite, see
http://www.publicity-pro.com/articles/headlines-publicity.htm
3) The Hot Button Test
The next question in the screener’s mind relates to the
subject of the release. Actually, there are probably
several questions running through the screener’s mind
simultaneously:
* Is it information people need to know, or would like to
know?
* How much of a potential audience is there for this
information?
In other words, how newsworthy is it?
There are certain universal themes, story lines, and angles
that make something newsworthy. I call them news Hot
Buttons, and theyre the subject of a Special Report I”ve
written, available free at
http://www.publicity-pro.com/hotbuttons.htm
4) The “Medium Matching” Test
The first question you should ask yourself is “Who’s going
to be reading this, and what do they need to know from me?”
Very few people take the time to tailor a release to the
medium they’re pitching, but those who do tend to be more
successful.
The decision-maker looks for opportunities that
are characteristic of their medium.
TV news wants visuals of people doing something.
TV/radio talk or “magazine” shows look for engaging guests
to interview or topics to discuss at some length.
Newspapers and magazines look for depth.
5) The “Perspective” Test
“Perspective” answers the question “What is this news
release *really* all about?”
Sometimes it’s obviously written from the perspective of
someone who wants to sell a product. They talk mainly about
that product or their company, and they offer little or no
“news value.” (see the “Hot Button Test” for more on the
meaning of “news value”)
Remember, a news release is supposed to be about n-e-w-s.
It reads like an announcement or a newspaper article, not a
promotional flyer or sales copy.
Sometimes a news release is written from the perspective of
someone who wants to pat themselves on the back. It’s the
kind of self-glorification that you see in annual reports.
These news releases come off as boastful and self-serving,
and usually offer little of interest to journalists.
The best news releases are those written with the media’s
audience in mind.
They say to the decision-maker, “Here’s something you can
offer your viewers that will keep them from reaching for the
remote…” or
“Here”s something you can give your listeners to keep their
fingers away from the pushbuttons on their radio…” or
“Here”s something that will compel your readers to look at
the page long enough to notice the deodorant ad to the left
of the column.”
In other words, news organizations don”t want you to “touch
that dial” and switch your attention elsewhere.
Give them information that keeps their audiences tuned in,
and you”ve got a winner.
News releases written from that perspective are the ones
that get attention — and coverage.
To see a line-by-line critique of two press releases I
think are excellent, go to
http://www.publicity-pro.com/pressrelease1.htm
Both these release announce product rollouts, and both pass
the “5 Critical Tests” with an A+ grade.