One of the most important and influential parts of media PR is the use of a press release. If written correctly, a press release can be extremely effective and help considerably with the increase in popularity for a business.

Many people believe that writing and submitting a press release is all that is needed to fully complete the process. Unfortunately, as ideal as this would be, it is not the case and there are actually five separate steps that should be followed to ensure press releases are created and released effectively.

1. The very first point to be aware of is that the press release should be written properly, which includes the use of correct and proper spelling, punctuation and grammar. Furthermore, it has to be remembered that a press release is not simply an article and must contain several different writing points, including a catchy yet appropriate headline, an interesting story that will gain the attention of its readers and the relevant and appropriate contact information.

2. The second point is what makes or breaks a press release and is to ensure that the right publication is chosen. Depending on what your press release is about depends entirely on where it should be distributed. For example, if your press release is focused on something local, then a call to your local newspaper is probably the most suitable. Furthermore, it also has to be decided whether print or sound would be better, as occasionally a press release would be more appropriate if first published on the radio.

3. Once the correct publishing outlet is decided upon, it is important to find out who to send the press release to. It is very easy to find a general postal address or e-mail address for most types of media outlet. However, there are copious amounts of information, not just press releases, sent to these details each and every day and therefore if a more detailed address can be found, such as a name for a person within the relevant section, your press release will have a much greater chance of being seen.

4. After the press release has been the submitted, do not be afraid to chase the submission up. Press releases are submitted in large quantities and it is easy for a press release to be overlooked, regardless of how well it is written. As this is so often the case, especially in larger publications, a quick phone call to the person who was sent the press release is all that is needed to ensure it has been received and is being read through.

5. Resubmit if necessary. If your release gets lost in the shuffle or does not generate a response, resubmit it. Simply resend a copy of the original release to the same media contact. Then follow up to see if your release has been received. And don't forget to soft pitch your news item. If these efforts fail, be persistent and repeat the process. Remember, it is the squeaky door that gets the oil. Now that you've been introduced to these five steps, try them and see what happens. You will be pleasantly surprised at just how easy it is to implement a successful publicity campaign.

The Spa Way Media PR has created a number of well devised successful campaigns for a range of businesses to help them seek the right exposure in the market.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 20th, 2009 at 9:32 pm and is filed under Public Relations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.