PRESS RELEASE--what is it?
There is nothing like sitting down to write a press release to bring out the raging modesty mode in all of us. A simple announcement to your local paper suddenly seems like the Monster Brag. The press release seems full of "me, me, me"....we're not supposed to write that way, are we? It seems rude, forward, brash, selfish. We're not supposed to act that way, right? Isn't the newspaper supposed to send a reporter to us, if and when they decide we are important enough to write about?
The answers? No, no and no.
Here's your first and biggest kick in the rear end: The media will not come to you. YOU MUST GO TO THE MEDIA.
Understand that by its very mission statement, a media entity--whether it's a guild newsletter, a niche magazine, a cable TV station or a weather satellite--is solely dedicated to bringing information and stories of interest to its audience. This delivery of story is what every newspaper, magazine, news show, e-mail newsletter, and radio program is about. They need stories--a lot of stories, fresh new stories--every single day to bring to their readers.
How do they get these stories?
Most people believe that a newspaper or magazine sends out reporters and writers daily to gather news and search out great stories. (How many times have you read an angry letter to the editor from an irate person scolding the newspaper for not sending a reporter to cover some event?) It would be nice if newspapers and magazines had hundreds of reporters out scouring the countryside for their next story, but that just isn't the case. In reality, even most national magazines have only a handful of people in their offices putting that publication out every month. For most of the articles, they rely on a core staff to pull everything together, with a string of free-lance writers to either research a storyline that's assigned to them, or bring an interesting proposal to the table. And how do these people find their stories?
Why, through people just like you, sending them a little blurb about something cool you've done or some honor you've won or new product you've made or something interesting that happend. And if you've targeted your little blurb to meet the needs of the publication's readership, it has an excellent chance of running. And if you've done a really good job of targeting, it may even generate a real article for you--maybe even a feature article.
I'm going to start with press releases today, describing what they are, how to get ideas for writing one, and how to get comfortable writing them, and work all the way up to putting together a press kit. A press kit is just a big ol' glamorized version of a press release, and may even consist of a collection of press releases. But it all starts with the simple press release.
WHAT IS A PRESS RELEASE?
A press release is a quick little story or announcement about you, your work and/or your business. It’s an inexpensive and easy way to promote a single idea or even about you, your work, etc. It’s usually short—a page or less, perhaps even just a paragraph or two. You write it just like a real news article, in third person, that gives the editor the option of running it “as is”—no editing, no modification, no corrections. I even provide a punchy headline with mine—it makes it even easier to run, and often they use my headline word for word. It's most often used to promote a single idea, event or item of interest about you, although, if it's catchy enough, an editor might decide it bears expanding upon and contact you for more information. Which is why at the end of every press release, you provide every single piece of contact info for yourself.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
It tells other people about YOU. People want to know about other people, especially interesting people who do interesting things. They want to know something unique about YOU. They are curious about how you do what you do, why you do it, when you started doing it, how often you do it, when you do it, who does it with you, where you do it, what you do it with, if you’re good at doing it, do you teach how to do it, and can they do it, too?
A press release can promote an event. Or introduce a new product to your market. It keeps your audience (customers, market, community) up to date about your activities. It creates interest and establishes your name in your professional world. It promotes you and your business to the general public. It introduces your work and piques the interest of potential new audiences.
Some people say, “My market isn’t local, so why should I bother telling my community what’s going on?” Because press releases can still establish you as a professional member of your community. Many people in my town thought of me as a certain sort of person—a stay-at-home mom, a volunteer at the school, a wife—for a long time. When I began to build my arts business, it was hard for them to make the switch. But after a few years of press releases announcing my successes in my profession, I’m now known as an artist and writer. Why? Because I told them so!
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
Traditionally, press releases are double-spaced (for easy of editing.) But I’ve found if the release is brief, succinct and well written, and no editing needs to be done, then it’s not as critical to use double-spacing. And I can’t figure out how to double space e-mail releases, anyway. (Many media now accept press releases by e-mail.)
At the top of the sheet, you type the date you want the news to run. Your choices could be “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” or “FOR RELEASE WEEK OF 1/5/04” or whatever. Keep in mind the publication’s printing schedule. Some need quite a lot of lead time to accommodate your release. A local newspaper may only need a week or so, but a magazine may need months of lead time. Plan accordingly. (If they can’t use your release in a timely fashion, it will get tossed.)
Next is your headline: “TRIPLE PLAY FOR LOCAL ARTIST” (My town is big on baseball, & I thought it would be fun to use baseball talk for this article.) Next was a story about how my work had appeared in three publications in the past month.
At the end, you put “FOR MORE INFO CONTACT:” and you type every way someone could contact you—your name, business name, address, phone number, fax number, e-mail—whatever you have. Make it very easy for the editor to get ahold of you.
And here’s a killer tip: When the media calls, DROP EVERYTHING ELSE. Give them your total, undivided attention. Give them any information they ask for, and offer more. If they need more information that you don’t have, give them the name and phone number of someone who does. For example, if an editor sees my announcement about my open studio, decides to do an article on open studios, calls me for information and then asks if I know anyone else in the area who’s doing the same thing, I give them at least 2 to 3 names of more people they can call—or at least the name and phone number of someone else who will know. I ask if they are interested in photos. I ask if they’ve already talked to so-and-so. I ask if they want more information sent, and how—fax? E-mail? Fed-Ex? I’ll ask, “How can I help? What’s the best thing for YOU?”
Why? Because I want an editor or writer to feel like calling me is a sure thing. That when they call me, they will get what they need—either something I can give them, or if I can’t, the name of someone else who can.
When I hear someone relate a story of how some reporter “bothered them” during their busy time just before a show, or how they “gave a writer a piece of their mind!” for asking a silly question, part of me cringes. But not being totally selfless, I also gloat. Because that person has just improved my chances for being contacted the next time instead of THEM.
HOW DO I GET IT TO THEM?
A press release can be hand-delivered (say, to a local newspaper), mailed, faxed or e-mailed. Look in the masthead for instructions on how they want news to be sent. If in doubt, a quick call to the editorial offices will get you all the information you need for submission procedures.
OKAY, SO HOW DO I WRITE IT? AND WHAT THE HECK DO I WRITE ABOUT???
What does the press release start with? Why, your old friends from fourth grade English comp, the 5 W's: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. (I can almost here the little echo from other baby boomers in the distance, "And sometimes How...")
It should contain all the elements of a news article (the 5 W's) right upfront, in that opening paragraph. That way, if your article is too long and has to be cut, the important stuff is all still there in the beginning. I get the hard facts out right at the beginning, then add the “fluff” after that.
It should always be written in third person: he, she, they, the artist, etc. I find this actually makes it easier to write about myself. I pretend I’m writing about someone else who happens to have the same name I do.
Now comes the hard part. GET OVER THE FEELING THAT THIS IS BRAGGING. In “Singing Your Own Praises”, an article by Mary E. Petzak, editor of The Crafts Report in their September 2002 issue, Petzak says, “Publicity is recognition by someone other than the artist that there is a unique story to be told.”
Period. That’s it. If someone else thinks what you do, say, are, make is interesting, then it’s a potential story. And don’t you think most people find artists and craftspeople interesting??? Of course they do! That’s why they come to all those craft fairs and look at our stuff. That’s why they come to our open studios. That’s why they ask us lots of questions. We fascinate them! As Bruce Baker (jeweler, writer and speaker) says, “We are the people who ran to join the circus.”
And understand this: OKAY, IT IS BRAGGING—BUT NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO DO IT FOR YOU!! You are the best advocate for yourself, your art, your business.
When you open up your local newspaper, what catches your eye in the sections focused on arts and entertainment? Local events? Home and garden? Read some of those articles about local actors, singers on their way up, people who took on a new craft in their retirement from the banking industry. Look at the people who have won awards, appeared in a book, been accepted into a prestigious show. Observe the events listings—open studios, recitals, concerts, poetry readings, award ceremonies. Good God, in my town, there are announcements for the guys that completed the requirements for their Tire Rotation Certificates. Surely, if that is of interest to the general public, they might also be interested in a stamp carving demo I’m giving at the local bookstore….? Ya think??
Events that are open to the public are good for publicizing. Open studios, demonstrations, displays, exhibits, etc. You can also publicize for-profit events: Workshops, classes, seminars, talks, especially if they offer a service or benefit to a community.
Let’s look at how this might work. Say you sell Avon products. You might run a brief announcement that you are the newest Avon rep in your area. That’s news, and it might run in the business section of your area paper. It’s also news if you’ve graduated from a beauty school, with a specialty in make-up. Saying you have new lipstick colors in for fall probably won’t run—that’s a sales promotion and better suited for an ad. But what if, to celebrate your new lipstick line, you arrange for a free demo for using the new sheer lipsticks? And what if you donate 15% of sales to a local women’s shelter? Or offer make-up lessons to women re-entering the work force after being on welfare? Now you are offering a community event and a service, and that’s news. What if you receive an award from Avon for selling 10,000 tubes of lipstick? That’s news, too. That’s how the tire rotation certificates get in the paper.
IDEAS FOR PRESS RELEASES
Now look at your artistic life with a new eye. What’s new in the last few months with you? Did one of your new clay designs win an award? Did someone famous buy something one of your products? Did you appear in another magazine, or newspaper? (Publicity generates publicity. A local editor often thinks, “Hey, if she’s been written up in the Boston Globe, how come we haven’t done a story on her yet?”) Did you give a presentation on slip stitches at your local guild? Is your work on display at the local library? Are you hosting an open studio? Having a seconds sale?
Are you the youngest person in your area making widgets? The oldest? Did you come to your craft in an unusual way? Are you from a family of widget-makers, say a third-generation widget-maker? Do you use unusual materials to make your widgets? Do you recycle materials to use to make your widgets, or does it help the environment in any way? Do you volunteer your craft in notable ways, or for unusual causes? Has your craft experienced an unusual burst in popularity? Or is it unusual for being little known? (Think gourd carvers a decade ago….) Is it a craft of long-ago, or disappearing? (The local guy who makes reproductions of antique leather water buckets used by colonial fire brigades. I kid you not.) Is it an incredibly modern medium, like polymer clay? Start keeping a file or notebook and jot down anything that comes to mind, and put your new ideas there as they arise.
Usually a press release to a newspaper doesn’t involve a new product or service, or anything that functions like an ad. But even this can be tweaked if you’re creative. For the month of February, maybe you’ll donate 10% of sales from all heart-design jewelry to the American Heart Association. Or any person who brings a toy for Toys for Tots to your open studio will receive 20% off any one purchase. Add that community service to your piece and your chances of getting publicity increase.
So, to get you started, here’s the top-of-my-head list of things you can promote with a press release:
New products and designs; new employees or newly-promoted employees; classes or workshops you’ll be teaching; accreditation or certification in your field; special classes or workshops you’ve taken that will benefit your customers; publication of your work or words in other publications; articles or books you’ve written; book signings; TV appearances; speaking engagements and artist presentations; acceptance into a prestigious or unusual show; human interest (an unusual lifestyle, studio name, craft, etc.); events (open studio, seconds sale, etc.); charitable contributions or fund-raisers; famous customers; seasonal items or activities (hand-painted Easter eggs, Christmas trees, dreidels, etc.
WHO WANTS TO READ IT?
Last, think about where your story should go. Think about the target audience of each media, and how your story fits in.
Specialty publications: Your favorite craft wants to hear about new techniques or new products you’ve developed, and where you live doesn’t really matter (unless, like The Crafts Report, they’ll featuring a certain region or state.) A tourist publication wants to know if you have a storefront visitors can see or some event visitors can participate in. Your local newspaper wants to know if you’re hosting an event, certification you earned, honors and awards you’ve received, etc.—whatever you’d like to read about your friends and neighbors, your community would like to read about YOU. Regional or state-oriented media want stories about people who represent that region—like the story about me that appeared on WMUR-TV’s “New Hampshire Chronicle.” That started out as a week-long series featuring several artists participating in the League of NH Craftsmen’s Annual Fair (the oldest crafts fair in the country.) If I lived in Tennessee, I would have been of no interest to them! (And by the way, I was recommended to the story editor because I was easy to talk to and work with...!) Home magazines want stories about home products and services, garden magazines want articles on plants and garden products, cat magazines want stories about people who make specialty items for cats, etc.
Professional publications: Magazines targeting your profession, your target audience’s profession (like if you make cat beds, you might want to target pet store owners.) Niche Magazine targets retailers of American craft, a nice place to announce a new jewelry display item you make. Also, many professional organizations have newsletters and magazines that can be targeted.
Your customers: You can send a press release to your customers and wholesale accounts. Sometimes it’s appropriate for them to send the announcement on to their local newspapers.
News media like radio, TV, cable TV, etc. can be targeted with public service-type announcements, like fund-raising activities or free demos, etc.
Newspapers: Target your local newspapers and “shopper” newspapers for local events. Target regional newspapers for bigger stories. And don’t forget your hometown newspapers! They always like to hear about the local kid who made good. Just identify yourself in context: Luann Udell, daughter of Don and Mary Huber of Gladwin Michigan, blah blah blah. Luann Udell, local artist….. or New Hampshire artist Luann Udell…..
Alma maters: Does your college have a newsletter or magazine? They want to hear about alumnae. What about the trade school you went to?
You get the idea. There are hundreds and hundreds of niche and specialty magazines out there; surely your product and artwork will be of interest to some of them.
Now get out there and write some history!
UPDATE!! See blog entry of October 11, 2004 for additional information on press releases!!!
