How to Get Your News Releases in Print Faster and More Frequently

Media Relations

By Bob Weiss

March 2004: A client recently asked us to put their logo at the top of a news release and to transmit it to the press as an attachment to an email formatted in Adobe Acrobat. "This looks great," they said.

And it's a sure-fire way to ensure your release will get deleted on receipt.

If you send out news releases from your firm, you must adhere strictly to your local media guidelines. Generally that means you should include the release as plain text within the email itself. (The exception is certain TV stations, which prefer information via fax.) Using Adobe is completely unacceptable-it can't be edited!

Also you must adhere to the AP (Associated Press) style rules for text. The AP Style Book is the manual that governs all print and broadcast copy. Get a copy and learn the rules by heart.

Here are samples of a few AP style rules. Titles before the name are capitalized, after the name they are down case. For example, Secretary of State Colin Powell, is correct, as is Colin Powell, secretary of state. IRS is accepted for Internal Revenue Service on first reference, but MLB for Major League Baseball is not. Attorney is not a formal title and is not capitalized, nor is managing partner (no matter how big his ego is.)

If you adhere to the media's rules, your releases will tend to get better play, appear quicker and more frequently. It's simply because the releases are easier to read and require less editing.

Call the press you deal with most often to learn your local submission guidelines. They'll appreciate you asking.

ALYN-WEISS & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Public Relations | Marketing
1331 - 17th Street, Suite 410
Denver, CO 80202

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