Good press releases must adhere to the rules of any other writing. You write so the reader will read. Laziness in writing is settling for overused verbs that are easy but totally boring. Active verbs add sparkle to your writing, in any form. The verb “to be” is overused ‘ad nauseam.’ i.e. “I am, he is, you are, they are, we are.” Search around for quicker and slicker verbs such as: Read more »
This article will deal with the use of press releases for the Online Press Room. The value of press releases has been reiterated over and over again in the Press-Release-Writing.com newsletter. The many tips and techniques we offer have a proven track record with professional journalists and press release writers such as those on our PRW staff.
After you distribute your press releases to the media, tack them up on your Web site for easy, accessible information for journalists who need input to write a story. Read more »
Lately, it seems everybody is breaking all kinds of rules and getting away with it. Fact is, no matter what you write, rules still apply. Grammar guidelines, such as the use of commas, have relaxed as well as have the use of newly coined words and phrases that have not made it to the dictionary yet.
Case in point, an entire vocabulary has arisen out of the technology world. Read more »
In the last newsletter, we discussed different types of interviews to use to get good quotes for press releases. Whichever type you choose, you must first telephone to set it up. Don’t ever put the interviewee on the spot by calling and interviewing without a previous appointment, unless the subject suggests it and prefers it. When you call and speak to the subject or an assistant, Read more »
If you’re writing a press release for your own product or business, chances are you either have photos in stock of the thing you’re promoting or you will shoot your own photos. In that case, you don’t need to worry about using stock photos for press releases.
If, however, you want to write a press release and you have neither photos nor a desire to shoot your own, stock photos are a great option. Read more »
In the last newsletter, we discussed that the majority of media people do not want photographs included in press releases for a variety of reasons, some of which are 1.) It just adds to the paper pileup 2.) It isn’t necessary 3.) If they want photographs, they’ll ask for them.
There are three exceptions, which are Read more »
With the advent of the scanner, photographs are easily scanned, copied, stored by your hard drive or printed out on your printer. More and more hard copy contains photographs, graphics and other window dressings for the written word. Yes, no matter how high tech we get, we still have to write the word, in one form or another. Read more »
“In general, those who have nothing to say contrive to spend the longest time doing it.” Lowell wrote this truism eons ago in An Oriental Apologue.
Some things never change. Those wise words still pack a wallop today. Think about the monologues you must listen to daily for business purposes or just because you’re too polite to say, ‘Enough already!’ Read more »
The most important part of a press release is the heading or title because it is what determines if the reader will read it. A client requested we write a press release about his newly started pet-grooming business. Well, what can you say that’s new and exciting about pet grooming? — the way he washes the dog, the shampoo he uses, the brushes, the combs? No. That’s all mundane stuff. So we looked for the hook. What was unique about his business? What made it newsworthy? What would the reader get out of it? Read more »
Benjamin Franklin wrote, “If it doesn’t matter who gets the credit, there is no end to what can be accomplished.” That’s the way we feel about helping our readers write their press releases. We want to give you Read more »
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