In these days of online press release services, free press release submission services and online news aggregate sites the power of the press release is losing a bit of its oomph in the eyes of business owners. So increasingly I’m getting asked to supply press release services but these potential clients want me to guarantee they’ll get press. Hold on, can anyone do that?
I’m sure there is some public relations professional out there right now who is leaning back in their chair and snickering to themselves and thinking “Yeah, I can.” And maybe that’s so, but that’s not the norm, people. Let me take a minute and put on my reporter’s cap. I’ll say a thing or two about what gets press; subjects that are newsworthy. The bottom line is if your press release isn’t newsworthy it isn’t going to get press, no matter what connections your press release professional has. And again I say that knowing there is always that exception.
I’m talking generalities here. As a reporter, if a good friend came to me pitching their story, or their client’s story for that matter, I’d definitely give it a listen and try to find an angle but if I couldn’t justify a story, I wouldn’t run it.
If you want press in a magazine, television or newspaper, you’re best bet is a local mention in your local media’s business pages. It is almost always a given that you’ll get publicity that way. Now here’s where the cream rises to the top. If you have a product or service that is really special or tied to a benevolent cause you’ll probably have good luck getting a mention in a niche publication or blog. Asking me to guarantee to get you a story in Time magazine, the New York Times or Vogue magazine–well, I’ll probably pass on that request. Not necessarily because I think I can’t do it, but because it tells me you likely have unrealistic expectations. That’s not a bad thing, because business owners need to have just that kind of passion and belief in their product or service, but I know from experience that that’s not something I can guarantee.
So what can you expect from most press release services?
Well if you aren’t hiring full public relations services–just press release services–you should expect a professional well written press release of about 300 to 800 words. You should expect the press release service to work with you to develop a truly newsworthy angle so that you aren’t submitting information that is a thinly disguised sales pitch. You should expect at least one draft, one round of corrections and a final version. You should expect online submission as well as submission to local media if that is applicable for your product or service. If the press release service submits your press release to niche bloggers and niche media then you should expect some submission there as well as a good effort to convince those outlets to provide coverage. Overall you should be satisfied with the experience.
And if you do find someone who can guarantee coverage in the New York Times and delivers, let me know their name. Maybe I’ll acquire their representation myself. 🙂