Common Errors That Kill Press Releases
May 26, 2010 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
This year marks 30 years in business. How will you celebrate? Can a press release help your visibility?
Your goal is to give away several thousand books. Could a press release frame this for the media, thereby adding to the success of your campaign?
A relatively new business, you’ve just landed a partnership with the most respected expert in your industry. Should you write a press release?
In every case, the answer is yes. Each business in the scenarios listed above could use a press release to garner additional visibility and tell their firm’s story.
Press releases help you get the word out. If you’re preparing a press release, read on to avoid five common errors that could kill your story before it begins.
- No lead time. When contacting publications to distribute your press release, research deadlines. If you’re posting your release online, some services require a two or three day period in which to review your information. Weekly papers, magazines and many trade publications have even longer timeframes. Allow plenty of time in order to earn maximum coverage and avoid error number one.
- No contact information. Journalists receive numerous solicitations daily. An interesting idea gets trashed if it’s too much trouble to find out more. Avoid this error by supplying all contact information, including an after-hours telephone number and make it easy for journalists to contact you.
- No relationship to the audience. Spamming (the art of sending unsolicited press releases via emails) endears you to no one. Most of us understand the restaurant critic doesn’t choose to hear about a book giveaway. Without a specific tie-in, your release will be trashed. Select an audience that cares about your topic and avoid error number three.
- No call to action. Dozens of do-it-yourself press releases fail to get results simply because there is no call to action. Build your news release around what you want the public to do. If you want to sell tickets, mention all the details of the event and explain how the public can purchase tickets. Give options for readers to get more information.
- No picture or additional information. When your press release focuses on an award, or information about the founder, include a headshot. If there is a particularly compelling photo opportunity, be sure to include it. At the very least, be sure to add a paragraph with “About the Company” information. Typically referred to as boiler plate, this paragraph sometimes runs in its entirety. So, ere on the side of caution by providing full information.
Today’s digital world encourages the use of press releases to communicate directly with customers, prospects and the general public as well as journalists. Increase your chance of coverage by avoiding these common errors.
Do you have additional “No” messages to add to the list?
Staying Power Comes in Small Increments
May 3, 2010 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
Why do some commitments work and others fail miserably? Mindset makes a difference. But the real key for me comes from the reframing of the project to a small and repetitive task.
Fifteen minutes applied consecutively makes a significant difference over time.
I first understood this concept when I applied the 15-minute rule to a needlepoint project I detested. I set a timer and resolved to stitch for 15 minutes. Every day I could see the boring blue basketweave expand. In a matter of weeks, the piece was complete.
“Hmmmmmmmmmmm, I thought. That worked well.”
I expanded my “daily” notion to another impossible task: losing ten pounds. In a now-familiar ritual, I took 15 minutes to set my menus, plan my exercise and visualize my success for the day. I made a dramatic change within a 13-week time frame, meeting my goal and proving once again the power of small daily time increments.
When I read The Artist’s Way, I discovered a different version of my approach to success. Author Julia Cameron walks the reader through essays, offers tasks each week and suggests writing a minimum of three pages a day. The three pages consciousness stream of writing took longer than 15 minutes, but the effort forced me through a creative block and highlighted success through the daily application of self to task.
You’d think by now that I’d have the lesson down. In spite of previous successes, I too have to be reminded:
“Never underestimate a quarter hour increment.”
Just this week I agreed with my mastermind group to apply the power of 15 to a new challenge. Our discussion revealed difficult or stopped projects for each of us. We’re now on a 30-day quest. We committed to each other and put in a penalty for failure to meet the goal. So, is it working? Yes. I can report four pieces of progress for each of the four days to-date.
In a world with too little time one simple fact remains: daily work adds up. The power of compounding small increments is often underestimated.
Grab fifteen minutes almost anywhere: arrive slightly early for an appointment and take 15 while you wait on a luncheon partner; close your email program and take 15; get up 15 minutes earlier and take 15 for your project.
Do one small thing each day and you will move forward.
NOTE: Last November, I challenged myself with a 60-minute increment. The result was the Six Week Marketing Master Plan. The ebook, designed for small business owners without a marketing department, walks you through every step of a marketing plan in just a few minutes a day. Ready to try for yourself the power of 15?
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