Following up After Sending a Press Release
In order for a business to run they need publicity so that people will come to them and buy their products. If they do not have good publicity then it will be very hard for them to be successful and they may not stay open very long.
One way that many businesses get publicity is through pitching stories and press releases. They send their information into a reporter or editor and the reporter or editor decides whether or not he or she wants to use it.
If they do, you are in luck because then your business will appear in the paper and you will get some good publicity. If they do not then you have to try to find other ways of getting good publicity or you may have to just keep trying until your story gets accepted.
There is one part in between sending the release and the decision to have it published though. This is the follow up. A while after you have sent your release into the editor then you follow up that release with a phone call.
Some editors do not like this and will ask you not to do it because it annoys them. If you annoy them then you probably will not have very good luck trying to get positive publicity. On the other hand if you are aware of their likes and dislikes you can avoid things like this.
So if the editor does like phone calls, you wait a bit and then call him about your article. You do not want to ask silly questions and such. You just want to find out if he was interested in your article and if there is any more information he would like to you.
If you ask silly questions and annoy them you will get on their nerves and they will not want to publish your article. It is very important that you are very good in the follow up phone call. They have to know you are serious and that you really do have a great story.
Receiving an email from you about your story is one thing, but actually talking to you in person is another and while they may not have been completely impressed reading your story, they just might like it better when it comes from you in person.
When you call have to have what you are going to say prepared. You want it to have been well thought out so you can sound confident over the phone and not nervous. You have to be able to sound like you are not scared and that you are happy for the opportunity to be speaking with them.
Another thing that a call will do is reinforce the story into the reporter's brain. Having heard it once he may have thought it was pretty good but he may not remember a lot about it, but hearing it again will reinforce it in his brain and give you better chances to get your published.
It is like when your mom tells you to do a job and you forget, but when she tells you the second time it is stuck in there and it is not coming out. Sometimes people need to be told more than once and then they will remember it always.
When you follow up after a press release you basically just want to remember to be confident and precise. Do not sound nervous and do not fluff it up with unnecessary questions and details. You want to impress the reporter and sound experienced.
For more information about follow up calls you can go to the following links:
http://www.publicrelationsideas.com/how_to_follow_up_a_news_release_000055.html
http://101publicrelations.com/sr12.html?s=prideas&c=52_tips_news_releases
