Your company just launched a new product… you finally printed your self-published book… you hired on a new executive… They are all common topics for press releases, but are any of these actually newsworthy?

Unfortunately, there are few clear-cut answers. The media is not only a subjective business, but a fickle one too. However, there are steps you can take to help hedge your bets.

• Explain how your event affects other people, customers, companies, local area, nation, or the world. Your company launching a new product is great to you, but what about other people?
• Use the press release to explain how your company’s new service is reacting to or on the forefront of an overall industry trend. Also mention if this new development is going to alter the way your particular industry does business.
• Are there newsworthy people involved in your company’s event? Magazines have long known that famous faces sell magazines. Do you have a saleable person involved? Even if it’s just a local celebrity, name and face recognition can go a long way.
• Does your new book release address a recent political event? Can you provide a fresh look at a newsworthy topic? Making yourself an expert will definitely get you more interviews and appearances.
• Are you promoting or advocating for a cause? Do you contribute a percentage of the profits to a charity? Does your company sponsor a fundraising event? This is almost always a newsworthy tie-in.
• How will this new executive effect the bottom-line for stockholders? Did the merger, restructuring, or consultant streamline your company resulting in a higher profit margin? Explain what this means to the general investors, financial professionals, and company stockholders.

Basically, you have to think past the end of your nose. Why does your company news matter to the outside world? Although some journalists will certainly connect the dots on their own, it’s best to cut to the chase and do it for them.

Remember that although the ultimate goal is to get promotion for your company, you also have to give the journalists the story angles that they need for their readers, viewers, and listeners.

If all you send out is an advertisement in the format of a press release, you will get a call from the sales department at the newspaper asking if you would like to take out an ad. You likely will not get a call from the journalist looking to write a story.

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We’ve seen too many press releases that try so hard to be clever in the title that they just don’t make it beyond the circular file. A press release title should tell the reader what to expect. It should signal the reader the direction in which the release is going and should let the reader know what the subject is. If this sounds like a tall job for a one to two page piece of writing, it is.  Remember, the people who will be reading your press release are professionals who deal with words every day. Media types to whom you direct your press releases have limited time. They want to scan your title first to see if it is anything that interests them. They ask themselves the following questions:

1. Is it newsworthy?
2. Would my readers want to read about this service, product or person?
3. In what section of my publication would it best fit?

All of these questions should be answered in the title of your release. The title should not be a tool to show the cleverness of the writer; it should not try to be humorous or profound; it should not try to top the journalist’s linguistic ability.

The following are examples of successful press release titles recently written by our staff:

Give Creative Gifts of Beauty and Serenity from Eve’s Hand-Blended Spa Products

The reader knows right away what product is for sale and what the unique aspect of that product is. Is it newsworthy? Probably yes, as hand-blended spa products are not common. Would readers want to read about this product? Probably, because they sound custom-made and unique. In what section of the publication would it best fit? Most likely the Style or Living or Health or Beauty section.

USA Today Article Features Plastic Surgeons on the Web Who Give More than Face Value

The subject jumps right out at you; plastic surgeons are now available on the Web. Is it newsworthy? Yes, as it’s a brand new concept in the world of technology. Also, if it was featured in USA Today, it must be newsworthy. Would the readers want to read about this service? Yes, some would, as plastic surgery is a booming field with so many aging baby boomers. In what section of the publication would it best fit? The health and fitness or beauty section.

New Book Unravels Mystery of Buying First Baby’s Layette: An Economic Survival Guide for First Time Parents

The title announces immediately that a new book about buying baby supplies is on the market. Is it newsworthy? Yes, as the focus is unique. Would readers want to read about this product? New parents would be the most likely audience. In what section of the publication would it fit? New Books, Book Reviews, Parenting, Lifestyle or Health.

Keep these three questions in mind when writing your next press release and you may be surprised at the difference in the response.