Interview with Susan Neuman, President of Susan Neuman, Inc.

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With 35 years of experience in the public relations field, Susan Neuman has both written and submitted a lot of press releases for hundreds of clients. What’s more, this former reporter for the Miami Herald’s City Desk has been on both sides of the fence and has received many press releases. She’s also been Editor-in-Chief of Miami Magazine. As a former media person herself, she knows how media people like to get their press releases and which ones they read. In a person-to-person interview with her in Miami, Ms. Neuman offered the following tips.

10 Tips to Top Off Your Press Releases with a Professional Touch

1. Most Important Tip: “Tailor your press release to your audience. There’s a difference between TV, Radio and Print Media. Today you have to also include the Internet, an exploding field in mass marketing.”

2. Desired Length: “One page is good but send no more than two pages, as a general rule. I don’t write on both sides of the page because media people don’t like to turn over the page.”

3. Style: “I prefer the journalistic style of Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. I like the good old Pyramid to stack facts according to importance.”

4. Attention-Grabbing Technique: “Use the most interesting facts in the first two paragraphs or your press release will end up in the trash. Today, with the computer and electronic mail, the delete button is too handy so you have to grab them right away.”

5. Submission Preference: “My editor friends prefer email submissions for press releases. That’s not good news for us in the PR business. The delete key is too convenient.”

6. Most Effective Method: “I don’t put all my eggs in one basket. You really need to do a campaign, which is a series of press releases submitted over a period of time. Submissions can be spaced out weekly or monthly or quarterly.”

7. Advantage of a Campaign: “With the delete key being so convenient, you need to bombard them with many press releases that are timely and angled differently each time.”

8. Example of a Successful Campaign: “. One of my clients is the Homestead Rodeo Association. We send out releases about the association events using the same core information but tweaking it each time. For instance, I may use a catchy title like ‘It Only Takes 8 Seconds to Win.’ Then I’ll open up with the Who, What Where and When: ‘Over 4,000 cowboys will compete on bucking broncos in the Homestead Rodeo. They can win or lose in 8 seconds’.”

9. Keeping the Information Fresh: “My client, the Homestead Rodeo Association, hooked up with a national project called ‘The Black Stallion Literacy Program.’ This gave us the opportunity to send press releases out every time they participated in a new event for the ‘Black Stallion Literacy Program.’ So many schools and first graders were involved that we were able to capitalize on every different event with a new angle and a fresh approach. We were able to keep their name in the news. That’s a successful campaign.”

10. The Bottom Line: “Keep it short. Keep it simple. Keep it interesting. Look for new angles. The basic strength of a press release is the writing. Remember that good writing is rewriting. Go over it again and again before you send it out.”

Susan Neuman, President of Susan Neuman, Inc.
http://www.miamipr.net