Would someone check my press release, please?

by TaraB

Posted: 8 years ago 7 replies

COPY WRITING

Hi,

I've been asked to write a press release as part of my coursework. Would someone mind checking it, please? I'll send it in a private message if you would like to read it.

Thanks

#check #press #release

1Bryan

8 years ago

My trusty red pen'll do you no good.

A press release is only good if it gets reporters calling you. And that's the lesson your course should teach ya.

I wrote a release for a friend. That according to some "experts" on press releases would've been no good. I wrote it with ONE specific local reporter in mind. And I got that person's attention. So the goal was met.

That's not a brag. (Although I guess it kind of is.)

It's the reality check of what releases are for. To get the media giving you or a client free publicity. So no matter how it's written, if it does that, it's good. If it doesn't do that, it's not.

It's always that simple.

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marciayudkin

8 years ago

I don't know if others here agree with me, but I don't ever provide feedback to students on their homework assignments here. That's not the purpose of this forum.

Marcia Yudkin

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TaraB

8 years ago

Originally Posted by marciayudkin

I don't know if others here agree with me, but I don't ever provide feedback to students on their homework assignments here. That's not the purpose of this forum.

Marcia Yudkin

Hi Marcia,

I respect your decision, but I wouldn't ask if the course notes weren't so bad. The "instructions" on writing a press release are very vague. Never mind.

Thanks for replying.

Tara

Thanks
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1Bryan

8 years ago

Originally Posted by TaraB

Hi Marcia,

I respect your decision, but I wouldn't ask if the course notes weren't so bad. The "instructions" on writing a press release are very vague. Never mind.

Thanks for replying.

Tara

Let me give you a tip. I think I embedded it in my last post. Let me make it more clear.

When writing a press release, you have one audience only.

The media.

And usually, that means you know of a handful of "dream" folks you want to read your piece.

Like, if my client has a restaurant. I want the local reporters who report on food and dining to read that.

So I read all their stuff. (Not literally all of it, just enough to get "who" they are.)

See how they write. How they "talk" in print.

And I try to match that.

Your "sale" in writing a press release is to get the person who you need to report on the story to read it. Well, that's the first sale. The next sale is to get them thinking about it. How they'd report on it. And the final sale is to get them to contact your client. (Or you if it's for you.)

There are other "micro-sales" if we go more granular. But that'll make it more confusing.

Just focus on one reporter right now. Find one reporter who reports on what you are writing your release about. And picture yourself "selling" your story to them and only them. Do a little "detective" work. Which means, read their stuff.

Thanks

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splitTest 8 years ago

Tara, there's guidance on how to write a good press release all over the web. You're far better off checking out those sources than asking here.

They'll probably clear up (& corroborate) the "vague" instruction from your coursework. After all, the basics of writing a decent press release are pretty straightforward. Most people who know what they're talking about will run through the same key points, which haven't changed in decades...

That includes your instructor...

If you're looking for basic proofreading, pop your text into fromtexttospeech.com or text2speech.org. As the app speaks your text back to you, read along. That will help you catch typos, missing words -- maybe even awkward phrases -- which you might otherwise miss because you're too "close to" the piece...
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TaraB 8 years ago

Thank you for your advice. I got an A.
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- wordwizard 8 years ago
  
  Congratulations, Tara!
  
  Just a quick note: There is one more audience you need to keep in mind when it comes to press releases - the press release publisher!
  
  If your press release sounds too enthusiastic, it may not pass... It's not always easy to find the right balance between making it interesting and appealing and making it past the gatekeepers.
  
  Thanks
  
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