Get FREE Press Coverage

By Beth Ann Erickson

Advertising is expensive.  A small classified ad in my local paper costs around forty bucks to run a four-liner ten days.   Four dollars a day probably isn’t that expensive but those four-dollar increments add up to well over a hundred dollars over a one-month period.  To make matters worse, it’s almost impossible to make your ad stand out in the cluttered classified section, especially if it’s only four lines long.

Luckily, there’s a way to snag those column inches for free.

Write a press release.

Every time something good happens in your writing business – whether you decide to host a seminar, whether you land a new client (get their permission before you announce your affiliation, of course), or if you ink a book deal – write a snappy press release and fax, mail, or deliver it to as many media outlets as you can.

Each press release should contain the elements of a good article.  The better written your release, the better your chances of getting it published.

Here are some basic rules you can use to get your press releases read:

• Be sure to include the, Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How in every release you write.  Answer these questions and the press release practically writes itself.

• Make your headline snappy and relevant to their audience.  It should summarize your article succinctly.
• Write it in the “inverted pyramid” style.  This means you lead with the most important information knowing that if an editor is going to shorten your press release, he’ll usually cut it from the bottom and work his way up.
• Press releases sent to printed media can be longer than ones sent to auditory media.  Fill an entire typewritten page if you’re sending the release to a newspaper.  When you send it to a television or radio station, edit it until you can comfortably read it aloud in around one minute. 
• Read every press release aloud before you send it.  ESPECIALLY those releases sent to radio and television stations.  The less a news director has to edit your work, the better your chances are that they’ll use it.  And when you get a reputation for producing easy-to-read writing, you’ll get even more coverage.
• Send your release to an actual person.  Releases sent to “The New York Times” will probably get tossed by a secretary.  If you send your press release to “John Doe at the New York Times,” chances are he’ll at least scan it before he decides if it’s newsworthy.
• ALWAYS remember to mention your credentials.  Remember, a BIG reason you’re contacting the press is that you want to spread the word about your writing services.
• Don’t be afraid to “touch base” with the person who supposedly received your release.  I had to send a press release to our large local paper three times because they kept “losing” it.  I was always polite, professional, patient, and pleasant (how’s that for alliteration?) when I spoke to them.  My persistence resulted in a 1/3 page article on the FRONT page.  Wahoo!

When you send press releases, your worst-case scenario will be that they won’t use it.  Don’t give up.  It’s not personal.  Media people are extremely busy.  Keep trying, build a good reputation and you’ll eventually hit pay dirt.

Sometimes your press release will run as you wrote it.  Sometimes they’ll run it but it will be edited – sometimes it will be edited a LOT.

Best case scenario?  They’ll send out a reporter and photographer and you’ll get an entire article.  That’s when your job gets fun…

~~~