Eight tips for stronger press releases

Awful sins are committed in writing press releases. Here are eight tips from a former editor who manages what may be the only all-journalist PR agency anywhere (www.journalistpr.com).

1. Headlines are OK although some people skip them on the premise that they want nothing to interfere with the editor’s getting right into the story. Headlines, like billboards, are ideally a maximum of 6 words long.

2. Short leads are next to Godliness. The ideal lead is a maximum one and a half lines in normal formatting. Gets your target – an editor or reporter – immediately into the story. Here are some examples from our clients:

• When even the CIA sends a recruiter, a college apparently has much to offer employers.
• Perhaps it’s a record: a single architectural firm is working on five separate churches.
• Good bugs apparently are recession-proof.
• What’s the most profitable sales channel for publishers?

3. Avoid editorial words. Nix such lines as “XYZ Corp. is proud to announce…” Good editors axe words like “proud.” And good editors, of good publications, are the only ones you care about.

4. Don’t describe your company as “the leading,” unless you can quote someone outside the company as saying so. “Leading” is an opinion, and good editors will chop opinions out of news stories. On the other hand, if you can rank your company as “one of the half-dozen largest in the industry,” or such, that’ll work.

5. Another kind of opinion to avoid is characterizing a client or subject as “important” or “esteemed.” Good editors will eliminate the adjective instantly. Why put ‘em through such work? Instead, get known as the writer whose news releases need little work.

6. Get the main point of the story into the lead. Don’t bury it. Ask yourself what is the main news, and make it your lead. (You didn’t ask, but here’s a personal opinion from an editor who was known as a curmudgeon: Don’t spell it “lede.”)

7. Give editors and reporters a contact source at the end, not the beginning. Let them get right into your story, so they can decide if it’s worth printing or broadcasting. Don’t confuse at the top.

8. Don’t send out a four-page release. One page to a page-and-a-half is almost always adequate. And who’s going to print four pages of blarney from you, anyway?
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Ronald T. Smith is managing member of JournalistPR LLC, which calls itself the only all-journalist public relations service. The firm’s associates come from The New York Times, The San Francisco Examiner, United Press International, The Ft. Myers News-Press, The Sarasota Herald Tribune, and other major media.

A New Approach To Public Relations

TAMPA BAY FL – A new approach to public relations is nearing its fifth year here: an all-journalist PR agency.

It is believed to be the only one which employs only experienced journalists – people with newsroom experience.

“So we say to clients, ‘Here you have journalists talking to journalists,’” says Ronald Ted Smith, the managing member of JournalistPR LLC and a former editor for United Press International in New York. “There is an enormous difference in how we approach media, versus how amateurs do it. When we approach an editor or reporter, we are proposing something that they know, and we know, fits their needs and is in their style. So we probably arrange more major feature articles and TV interviews than anyone else in our region. And when we write a news release, it’s solid journalism, not fluff.”

He adds, “I say that we don’t do PR. We do journalism.”

Staff members at JournalistPR have experience at The New York Times, The New York Daily News, UPI, The Newark Star-Ledger, and hundreds of magazines. Clients include New College, Lawson Group Architects, Turner Tree & Landscape, Osprey Biotechnics, John McKay’s Riverside Real Estate Company, Sunovia Energy Technologies, Telename Communications, and Youthful Aging Home Health.

The agency guarantees results. In writing, it tells clients how many feature articles it expects to achieve, and how many news releases – defined as “significant” releases, not routine personnel stories – it will issue. “If we fail to meet any of these targets, we will work for free until it is achieved,” says the firm’s contract.

The company, which is headquartered in Sarasota, serves clients in the region from Tampa to Ft. Myers, and also in Ohio and Washington, D.C.

JournalistPR’s email address is mail@journalistpr.com. Telephone 888-730-6630 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 888-730-6630 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. Fax 941-360-2903. The web site is www.journalistpr.com

Media Coverage Can Make the Difference for Businesses during Downturn

SARASOTA, FL – As the economic downturn continues to squeeze profits, businesses garnering positive media attention gain a distinct advantage over competitors.

Savvy business owners who understand “the power of the press” are turning to JournalistPR (http://www.journalistpr.com/), a Tampa Bay public relations firm comprised entirely of seasoned journalists.

While most businesses consider advertising an effective and necessary marketing component, JournalistPR supplements ad campaigns by securing editorial coverage for its clients.

The firm’s former newsroom pros – with careers built on recognizing and reporting stories – uncover newsworthy angles about businesses they represent. Business managers often fail to see newsworthy facets of their own operation. By opening their doors to an insightful seasoned journalist, they usher in ongoing opportunities for media coverage.

A contract with JournalistPR promises each client that his or her business will be featured several times a year in prominent articles and/or TV appearances.

In today’s economic climate, JournalistPR’s business model is smarter than ever. Editors across the country currently operate on restricted budgets due to a loss of ad revenue. With fewer funds available to generate fresh, appealing content for readers and viewers, the crunch is on for quality material. Thoughtful, well-researched news stories provided by JournalistPR provide welcome relief for editors, while appealing to targeted readers. To savvy business owners, a contract with this unique public relations firm is worth its weight in ink.

Clients of JournalistPR also benefit from exposure in new media, including social media, as well as traditional electronic formats.

JournalistPR serves clients throughout the U.S. from its headquarters in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. Its email address is journalistpr@yahoo.com Telephone 888-730-6630 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 888-730-6630 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. Fax 941-360-2903.