| Sorry about my otaku with this issue (otaku = | | | | testimonials, jargon or gobbledygook. Get rid |
| more than a hobby, a little less than an | | | | of it.13. You may have also identified prior |
| obsession).Many of you may know me, since I | | | | media coverage, which indicates it's no |
| run Imediafax, the Internet to Media Fax | | | | longer a new issue. Get rid of it. Let each |
| Service. I send out over a million news | | | | news release stand on it's own two |
| releases a year for people via fax and email. | | | | feet.14. You tried to impress and be clever |
| You probably think that I've got news | | | | or innovative but you come off naïve, less |
| releases failing on me day in and day | | | | than expert, biased, flippant, arrogant, or |
| out.Actually, I don't. The news releases I | | | | crazy. Tone it down. Get straight.15. You |
| write and send out for people do quite well. | | | | made vague and unsubstantiated claims, or |
| My clients are quite happy with me because | | | | wild and outrageous claims, or you included a |
| they are successful with their outreach | | | | statement that simply rubs the media the |
| efforts.It's the draft news releases that | | | | wrong way. Get rid of them.16. You are trying |
| people send to me that are my problem.Fixing | | | | to be different, just for the sake of it, but |
| the problems I see in the news releases | | | | you come off eccentric. Forget it. Don't |
| people send me takes forever. It is also very | | | | create a false or inflated image. Be |
| painful.I've seen a lot of news release | | | | yourself.17. You wrote a rant and rave, |
| failure over the years, and I now know what | | | | worthy of a letter to the editor, instead of |
| the key problems look like and how to fix | | | | a problem solving tips article, worthy of a |
| them.My plight as a publicist is that I spend | | | | feature story. Decide what you want, put your |
| a lot of time educating my clients trying to | | | | best effort into it.18. You are simply not |
| get them to understand the psychology of | | | | credible. It could be your ideas are simply |
| dealing with the media.The rubber meets the | | | | not well thought out, or that you've offered |
| road in the news release because this single | | | | old well-worn material, or that you are too |
| sheet of paper is the key nexus for all | | | | extreme or controversial, or not qualified. |
| communications with the media. The importance | | | | You may not be expert enough, or sufficiently |
| of the copy on a news release cannot be | | | | qualified, to make the statements, compared |
| overstated. It has to be free of negative | | | | to others in your field. You need to present |
| issues or factors that will reduce or | | | | information that qualifies you properly and |
| eliminate media interest and response. One | | | | adequately.19. You provided poor contact |
| fatal error and it's all over.So identifying | | | | information. You need to identify the best |
| the problems and revising the news releases | | | | single point of contact and the correct phone |
| is crucial. I spend a tremendous amount of | | | | number so interested media can reach you and |
| time and effort trying to avoid sending out | | | | get the best possible attention and response |
| news releases with problems still in them.The | | | | from you to meet their needs. One key person, |
| issue is that when people send me news | | | | one phone, no fax, one email address, and one |
| releases, it often takes a long, long time to | | | | URL (with no long string addresses).20. You |
| identify and communicate the problems, and | | | | did not include a clear media call for |
| then more time again to explain and negotiate | | | | action. You didn't tell the media what you |
| all the word changes with the clients, and | | | | want them to do with your news release. You |
| more time still to finalize the news release | | | | need to tell them what you are asking for or |
| and have it ready and approved for | | | | suggesting or offering. Then you need to |
| transmittal.Honestly - it can be very painful | | | | offer the media incentives value-added |
| for all involved. I'm quite brutal on my | | | | reasons to do so, like free review copies, |
| clients, since their success is all that | | | | free test samples, interview questions and |
| matters. I don't pull any punches. My comment | | | | answers, media kits with story angles and |
| process can bruise a lot of highly inflated | | | | stats and data, relevant photographs, |
| egos of some otherwise very accomplished | | | | etc.21. You did not incorporate and integrate |
| people, on the way to a problem free news | | | | a primary response mechanism. You need to |
| release that maximizes the chances of success | | | | include a value-added reason, which motivates |
| when finally sent. Lots of people think they | | | | the editor to publish or mention your contact |
| can write a news release. Very few of them | | | | information, which will generate calls, |
| can do it very well.They simply haven't | | | | traffic, interviews, or requests for more |
| followed the media response to enough news | | | | information. This usually means something |
| releases to learn the errors that are made | | | | unique and of special value to the audience, |
| when they write news releases. They haven't | | | | that the editor feels good about mentioning. |
| yet learned what the mistakes are, so there | | | | Use an offer for a free problem solving |
| is no learning from continuous | | | | report.22. You sent the release to the wrong |
| improvement.This is where the blood, sweat | | | | media. Target the media that your clients |
| and tears of the copywriting business is | | | | read, watch and listen to when they are in |
| truly found. It gets even tougher when | | | | the right mood, that is, receptive to hearing |
| another professional publicist wrote the news | | | | about your news, and willing to take action |
| release for the client. Now the client is | | | | when they get your message. Work with your |
| getting opposing advice from two | | | | publicist to target the right media.23. You |
| professionals. One says "Make it Hot" and the | | | | rely on a single fax or an email to produce |
| other says "Cool it". What's a publicist to | | | | an avalanche of media calls. You conduct no |
| do?So my motivations for doing this article | | | | follow up. Get real. Follow up properly and |
| are really quite selfish. I want to spend | | | | you can triple or quadruple your media |
| less time doing this. My life will be | | | | response rate. Better still, you can ask the |
| significantly improved if my clients send me | | | | editors "what can I give you to support a |
| news releases that take less time and energy | | | | feature story and meet your needs".Finally, |
| to fix. Very simply, for each and every news | | | | the biggest reason for news release failure |
| release that comes in and doesn't have these | | | | is one of attitude. How do you define success |
| problems, I'll free myself to spend more time | | | | or failure? It's called unrealistic |
| doing things that are more profitable for my | | | | expectations.Get real. You won't get rich off |
| clients and me.The issues listed here have | | | | one news release. You're chances of getting |
| all been identified as reasons for the | | | | famous are just about as slim.You might be |
| failure of a news release. This is based on | | | | able to break even.Look at your investment |
| over 20 years of experience in dealing with | | | | and compare it to what you need to break even |
| the aftermath - the actual number and quality | | | | on your investment. If you need to sell 100 |
| of responses generated from the transmittal | | | | books to cover the costs of a $500 outreach |
| of a news release.So here are the most common | | | | effort, you need ten articles because each |
| reasons why news releases fail:1. You wrote | | | | article only produces ten sales. So that's |
| an advertisement. It's not a news release at | | | | your breakeven goal. More books per article, |
| all. It sells product. It fails to offer | | | | means less articles will satisfy your |
| solid news of real tangible interest, | | | | needs.You may simply have to be realistic and |
| value-added information, education or | | | | understand that while you are wildly |
| entertainment.2. You wrote for a minority, | | | | interested in the topic, it may not have the |
| not for a majority of people in the audience. | | | | broad general public interest that you have |
| You simply won't compete with other news | | | | for the subject. If you wrote an article that |
| releases that clearly are written for a | | | | has local interest and you expect national |
| larger demographic of the media | | | | media to pay attention, think again.If you |
| audience.3. You are the center of attention, | | | | want to be on the Oprah Winfrey Show, then |
| not the media audience. You focus on your | | | | you'd better pray because chances of doing it |
| business and your marketing, instead of | | | | off one news release are very slim, near zero |
| things the editor and his or her audience | | | | in fact. Get real. If she calls, then |
| will be interested in.4. You forgot to put | | | | congratulations are in order. But don't count |
| the five W's up front. (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, | | | | on it.If you wrote an advertisement and |
| WHEN and WHY THE AUDIENCE WILL BE | | | | wanted a feature story and interviews, don't |
| INTERESTED). You didn't clearly and | | | | be surprised if the only media to call is the |
| succinctly tell the media why the audience | | | | advertising manager offering you a package |
| would be interested in this.5. You are too | | | | deal. You get what you ask for. What you |
| wordy and text dense. You focused on details | | | | offer is often times what you will get.Even |
| and minutia, instead of the most important | | | | if you do get publicity, it may not come out |
| ideas, issues, factors, facts, and news | | | | exactly the way you want it. More often than |
| angles. You fail to address the real | | | | not, the bigger the media, the less likely |
| significant impacts your story has on | | | | they are to run contact information.Often |
| people.6. You place too much information on | | | | times, the quality may be there while the |
| one page - the one page news release has a | | | | numbers are not.One or two quality media |
| font size so small an editor needs a | | | | responses may be what you want or need. If |
| magnifying glass to read it.7. You included | | | | you get that, it's a success.One article in |
| corporate logos and other non-persuasive low | | | | USA Today may out perform ten articles in |
| value added graphics that distract the editor | | | | small dailies and weeklies in the mid-west.On |
| from your key message. You may have also used | | | | the other hand, it may not. The small high |
| an unusual fancy font or a file format that | | | | quality articles may outperform the small |
| turns to gobbledygook when it goes through a | | | | mention in the big media.Similarly, one |
| fax machine.8. You wrote a personally biased | | | | quality 30-minute interview on a well-liked |
| article for the media to publish, instead of | | | | talk show on a radio station in the middle of |
| pitching the idea to the media and the | | | | nowhere out in the mid-west, will likely |
| objective reasons why the media audience will | | | | outsell a five-minute interview on an |
| be interested.9. You wrote about features and | | | | Arbitron rated radio station in the middle of |
| facts, and forgot to explain what it means to | | | | the morning talk show in a major metropolitan |
| real people. Tell a story about real people. | | | | area. You can't tell the listening quality of |
| Add in real life human interest.10. You wrote | | | | the audience.So when you write a news release |
| about how your news ties in to someone else's | | | | please review it against these criteria to |
| fame and glory. Forget it. Never stand in the | | | | see if you've made any of these errors. Then |
| shadow of someone else. Make your own light. | | | | fix each and every one of them yourself, and |
| Tell your own story.11. Your news release | | | | when you are done, feel free to send me your |
| responds to something that just happened. | | | | final draft. I'll be happy to take a look at |
| You're too late. You're behind the eight | | | | it.So listen to your publicist. Heed these |
| ball. Forget it. Get out in front of the | | | | warnings and reduce the risks of failure. |
| news.12. You included too much hype, | | | | Fail to pay attention to these issues, |
| self-laudatory praise, pithy quotes, useless | | | | proceed at your own risk. |