Getting in the News Frame

By: Bryan Thompson

If you plan on using PR and publicity to increase your sales and expand your business, you will probably use press releases to get your story out to the media. However, many press releases that are released are never covered because the writer forgot one major point; objectivity.

Journalists are trained to be objective and it is their job to exercise it at all times. When they find a news release that is not objective, they cannot use it without radically changing the entire release. They will not do this, in most cases, and will simply discard the release.

If you want to be covered by the media and reap the rewards it offers, you must learn how to be objective about your product or service. With this in mind, entrepreneurs live their business every day and find it very hard to detach themselves from it and speak objectively. However, there are some things that you can do to improve the objectivity of your press release and increase the chance that it will be used.

First, try to imagine what a person who has never heard of your product or service before would think when they first hear about it. Ask people you know but who are not directly involved in your business what they think about it. This can help you get into the right mindset.

Second, imagine what the journalist who first reads the release will think. The average editor receives anywhere from dozens to hundreds of news releases every day so you must ask yourself what sets your news apart.

Finally, make sure you do not exaggerate about your product or service. Journalists hate exaggerations and can see right through them, so make sure that your report “just the facts”.

You may find that it is hard to think objectively about your product. That isn’t always a bad thing and can help an entrepreneur keep his or her perseverance, but it will not necessarily help you get press. If you are unable to think objectively about your product even after some work, you may want to think about hiring a freelance writer or company to write your press release for you. This can help ensure accuracy that will make your news appeal to journalists everywhere.