Public Relations Tips: Newspapers

Becoming a columnist is a career goal many writers and journalists aspire to achieve. Columns are usually magazine and newspaper staples, written at specific intervals such as daily or monthly. Columns consume little of a publication's precious space and devote themselves to a single subject. Columnists usually write a column devoted to their area of expertise, be it fashion, food, relationships, manners, dog training, knitting, health, or humor. A columnist must be able to write columns that are clear, accurate, compelling, interesting, and concise. A columnist must also be able to use their writing voice and point of view to write appealing columns. It goes without saying that a columnist must have excellent writing and communication skills.

Becoming a columnist is not an easy career to break in to, especially if a writer wishes to become a magazine columnist. However, given the number and popularity of newspaper and magazine columns, it is apparent that there will always be a need for columnists. Writers should not be discouraged by the associated difficulties of becoming a columnist, but should focus their attention on perfecting their craft. With diligence, a writer may be snapped up by a publication and become the author of their own column.

A writer will do well on his or her mission to become a columnist by keeping several pointers in mind:

Continue reading "How to become a columnist" »

Posted by DK at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Associated Press was founded in America in 1841. The purpose of the founding of it was to combine the efforts of the five largest New York newspapers to bring about more news of the going on's in Europe. To this day Associated Press remains a large combined effort of some of the United States most influential news paper companies. People seek out news from the Associated Press from all over the world.

With the rise of the Internet back in the early nineteen nineties the Associate Press has struggled to maintain a standing in the news and information world. Their ability to make history over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries has not helped their case, as their technology is not necessary since news and information is so readily available to the reporter and the everyday person.

Continue reading "Associated Press Newswire" »

Posted by DK at 07:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Something that every person involved in public relations knows is that press releases are a very important tool in the industry. But if you have not been involved in PR for a period of time you might be under the assumption that a press release is the most important tool that you can use in the PR industry, but this is far from the truth. Press releases are an important tool, but they are not the most important tool that you can use. In fact when it comes to press releases you should actually use them in combination with other PR tools to help get your clients or your organizations message across to the general public. But those other PR tools should be focused on tracking current and emerging trends in your industry. A good saying to remember about press releases is that "PR does not stand for press release".

Posted by DK at 07:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Many people believe that the most important way to get publicity for business is in the business sections of newspapers. It may be more important though that instead of targeting papers, targeting business journals.

The way most people think about it.when you have a great story to tell, the most important consideration is targeting. You want to reach the right people with your message at the right time. I often compare the difference between business journals and your metro business paper as the difference between a shotgun blast and a rifle shot. When your story lands in a business journal, you are directly going to the target that you most want to reach.

You can find more great information about publishing your content in business journals in How to Use Business Journals to Tell Your Story.
http://101publicrelations.com/businessjournals.html?utm_source=prideas&utm_content=business_journals

Posted by Dan at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Letters to the editor are one of the fastest, easiest and least time-consuming ways to catch the media's attention and spread your message to the greatest number of people possible. Unlike news stories that are written by reporters, letters allow you to state an opinion, offer an alternative viewpoint, heap praise, or move someone to action-in your own words. That means there's a much smaller chance that the facts will be wrong or that your message will be twisted or diluted as it might be in a regular news story.

Why You Should Write Letters
To keep your name in front of the public. Even if you're already receiving great publicity, use letters to the editor to supplement the stories that are written about you.

To build or maintain a high profile. Because well-written letters are so easy to get printed, you can use them as part of your campaign to build your celebrity image, increase your profile in the community or simply to become better known, and to be seen as an expert.

To learn of the many other reasons to write letters to the editor, as well as great tips on writing them right see Special Report #4 "How to Write Crisp, Compelling Letters to the Editor to Promote Your Product, Service or Favorite Issue"

Posted by Rachael at 07:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Letters of agreement are common occurrences when ironing out negotiations between you and a journal that wants to publish your article. It’s often better for someone who’s not in the law department to right the letter of understanding. Simply because the law department will put all the legalese in it most of the time, because that’s their job—to protect their organization. It’s better for you to memorialize what you think the agreement is and send it to them, and if they agree with it, great! If they say, “Well, that’s not exactly our understanding,” that’s always better than being in the middle of a business transaction of any sort and finding that you did not have effective communication and meeting of the minds up front.

All other things being equal, even though it takes a little bit of time, it’s worth the writer’s while. It’s worth your effort to do a letter of understanding. Most publishers don’t do anything more formal than a letter of understanding.

For more tips on letters of understanding, or agreement letters, check out Legal Issues You Must Know When Writing Articles For Fee or For Free.

Posted by DK at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Copyright law is a vehicle that protects the creators of original works. You can’t copyright a title, an idea or a fact. But you can copyright any other tangible, fixed, creative expression. It’s the creative expression of the ideas or the facts that is protectable. The law recognizes that you own those rights, and therefore have the ability to decide exactly how they’re going to be used for reproduction or to create derivative works or to display in public, or to publicly perform. It’s important to copyright your articles, or to maintain your copyright, to at least not give away, or lose, the rights to control how that work is used in the future, so that you can determine how it’s used for your lifetime plus 70 years.

For more clarity on what copyright is and how you can make it work for you, check out Legal Issues You Must Know When Writing Articles For Fee or For Free.

Posted by DK at 09:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Editors toss the best news release into the trash if the headline is flat, dull or lifeless. Your article is likely to be forgotten, too, if the editor can’t figure out from the headline why readers should care about what you have to say.

That’s why writing attention-grabbing headlines is absolutely critical. Surveys taken in the newsroom show that an editor spends an average of only 5 seconds reading a news release before deciding whether to use it or toss it. Half that time, two to three seconds, is spent just on the headline.

You can apply many of the tips you read in Tips for Writing Eye-Catching Headlines
for Your News Releases and Articles not only to news releases but to headlines you are writing for informational products such as special reports and audio tapes, speeches and headlines posted at the top of pages at your web site.

Posted by DK at 08:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

-Email pitches must be very, very short. Absolutely no more than one screen of copy. Reporters should not have to scroll to get to the meat of the story idea you’re pitching, they may not have that kind of time.
-Use bullet points and boldface certain words or phrases that you really want to jump out.
-Use a sexy subject line, something that really catches the reporter’s attention. Whatever you do, don’t put in the subject line “news release” or “something for you,” or something that doesn't give them any idea what your pitch is about. The more specific you can be in the subject line the better.
-Absolutely no attachments. Don’t send anything to reporters as attachments unless they specifically ask that you do so.
-Don’t ever flag your pitch as high priority when it’s not.
-Use an email signature that includes your name, company name, address, telephone number, and fax. Also include the word “expert” in your signature, assuming you are an expert.

To learn other helpful tips for email pitching to reporters, check out Secrets of Perfect Pitching to Reporters.

Posted by DK at 09:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A great tip for pitching is to offer reporters other sources and contact information like names of other people who they can call or email and use as sources for the story you are pitching.

Why? Reporters are under increasing pressure to produce multi-source stories. An editor does not want to publish a story that gives background or commentary from one source. They want sources who can speak on both sides of a particular issue, and who can bring to the story a wide variety of expertise and different viewpoints.

When you provide multiple sources, you’ve suddenly made the reporter’s job easier and positioned yourself as a golden source.

Any time you can help the media do their jobs better, or do their jobs easier, they’re going to view you as a valuable source, and they’re going to come back to you again and again.

Remember to give out sources that are friends or colleagues – not people who are in a position to take away from your story and add to their own marketing ability.

Find out more helpful information at Secrets of Perfect Pitching to Reporters.

Posted by DK at 07:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is it better to pitch an editor because they’re higher on the totem pole?
No. The best rule of thumb is if you’re going to be pitching somebody, pitch as low as you possibly can.
Find out who the beat reporter is who writes about the topic that you want to pitch. Call or email them, and give them your pitch.
Reporters are under tremendous pressure to come up with story ideas every day, either for the 6 o’clock TV news, or for their daily newspaper, or for their magazine. Reporters love to be able to go to editors with a great story idea as opposed to being told by an editor that they have to cover something.
If you’re ever uncertain as to who you should contact, just call the media outlet. You can ask for the newsroom. Then ask whoever answers the phone who the best person is to pitch to.

For more tips refer to Secrets of Perfect Pitching to Reporters.

Posted by DK at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ensure your pitch won’t fall on deaf ears - try these tips when you are pitching your story to a reporter:

- Create the pitch before you pick up the telephone. In other words, sit down in front of your computer and write out the pitch. Then rehearse it until you’re able to do it convincingly within 30 seconds.
- Let the person on the other end of the phone know who you are and where you’re from. The next words out of your mouth need should be, “Is this a good time to talk?”
- Explain your idea in one or two sentences. Then follow it up with a very short explanation—one sentence, if possible—as to why readers or listeners would care.
-The next question to ask is, “Does this sound like something you'd be interested in?”
- Use the word “trend” in your pitch and reporters will immediately perk up.
- Never use the word publicity. It will kill your chances.

To learn more about what a perfect telephone pitch consists of, check out Secrets of Perfect Pitching to Reporters.

Posted by DK at 08:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So your article has been printed and you are absolutely delighted. There are some things that you need to do with follow-up that are very important to making sure you get the biggest bang for the buck.

• Send a handwritten thank-you note to the editor of the publication that just printed your article, thanking them for running it. You’d be amazed at how few people ever do this.

• Be sure that you make reprints of the article. Most publications will give you permission to reprint from their publication.

• Ask yourself who else might be interested in the article. Don’t be satisfied by getting it printed once. You’re not going to have to write another article from scratch. It’s already written.

• Climb the media ladder. Ask yourself, “Is there a bigger publication that would be interested in printing this article?”

Get more information on how to recycle articles over and over again to appear in a wide variety of other publications at How to Write How-to Articles for Newspapers, Magazines, and Trade Journals

Posted by DK at 04:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Before you write an article, it’s a good idea to simply query the editor of the publication that you want to get into to see if they’re even interested in your article.

Who do you query at a publication? Aim as low as you can on the totem pole with your query. Try to find out who the editor of the particular section of interest is and query that section editor.

Try to find out how that editor likes to be contacted - whether by phone, mail, fax, or email. These days, more and more people in the media prefer to communicate by email, simply because it’s so efficient.

Your query should be to the point and include the following:

• Let the editor know that you are familiar with their publication and their audience. You will impress editors immensely if you can prove to them that you have read their publication, you’re familiar with the types of articles that they publish, and that you can help their audience.

• Tell them the idea or the snappy headline for your article and why you think their readers should care.

• Ask, “Is this something that you think your readers might find interesting?”

For more helpful tips on how to impress editors and write effective articles, check out How to Write How-to Articles for Newspapers, Magazines, and Trade Journals

Posted by DK at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How do you choose a snappy title for your how-to article that will command the attention of editors and readers?

A great way to is to steal great headlines by going to the supermarket, or any place where they sell magazines, and peruse the covers of the major magazines like Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Oprah’s magazine, and even some of the news magazines.

Take a look at some of these headlines and you’ll see different formulas emerging. It can be “6 tips on how to…” or “5 ways to…” or “7 secrets of…”. People love secrets and editors love articles where the headline starts with a numeral.

You can often take these headlines and just substitute a word or two that applies to the story you are going to be writing for you or your client, and you’ve just come up with a headline.

Once you’ve selected your title, what about the rest of the article? How do you get your article published? For more information on writing and publishing how-to articles, check out How to Write How-to Articles for Newspapers, Magazines, and Trade Journals

Posted by DK at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you’re clever, you can use letters to the editor to promote your product or service - for FREE.

One way to do this is to weave information about whatever you are selling into a letter that states a strong opinion on a related issue, or comments on an article that was recently printed, without making the letter sound like a blatant attempt at a free ad.

Here's an example:

Entrepreneur magazine ran this letter from Eric Lofgren, CEO of Panzer Studios, commenting on an article on low-cost PCs.

"Thanks to you and your delightfully unaware reporter, I now have a largely successful business. And what is it, you might ask? I make a living upgrading old computers.
Recently, thanks to articles like yours, I’ve been spending a great deal of time trying to help users who bought an inexpensive "power" PC. These computers were aimed at the consumer market and, unfortunately, are woefully unsuitable for any business...Before you print another article of this quality, could you please test these things for yourselves?"

See how he worked his company's services into the comment? How can you do the same?

For more information on how to use letters to the editor (by the way, these also work as comments on blogs and forums too) check out How to Write Crisp, Compelling Letters to the Editor to Promote Your Product, Service or Favorite Issue

Posted by DK at 05:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For a small business in a local community, the opinion page of your newspaper is an incredible opportunity. It’s easy to get publicity by commenting on a feature or article. However, understand that you don’t want to give yourself a bad name either, so choose your words wisely, and stay away from halting criticism and harsh judgments. It’s possible to make a point without giving offense.

Also, there are options if the newspaper covers your competitor but not you. Write a letter that comments on an aspect of the story that the reporter didn’t touch, but that you can contribute to. If it’s relevant and interesting, you’ve turned a potentially unhelpful situation into a good chance for publicity.

Read more tips like this The Fastest, Cheapest, Easiest Ways to Publicize Your Small Business—Even if You’re a Solo Entrepreneur.

Posted by DK at 07:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Briefs are very short articles you can use to build your publicity. Why spend your time writing briefs?

- They fill odd-size holes on a page, and they can sometimes stand alone. If you offer a 75-word list, it stands a much better chance of getting published than a longer, 900-word article, which an editor has to have a lot of space for.

- Briefs help portray you as an expert in your field. You can send the same tip sheet to a variety of publications. For whatever reason, the media (particularly magazines) are not as concerned that the same information appeared elsewhere. So you don't have to worry that "I can't send this to Woman's Day because I've already sent it to Family Circle." Just go ahead and send it and if they've got a space for it, they may use it.

- You can promote yourself with briefs much more so than if a reporter wrote a long story about you. If you're going to pitch an idea about yourself and they call you to do an interview, and write a big story, they decide exactly what goes in that big story. Many editors are going to make sure that it doesn't sound too promotional and doesn't include too much hype. But with briefs, you can promote the heck out of your product, service, cause or issue much more than in a longer story. For some reason, editors will let you get away with it in those shorter briefs.

These are just a few of the many tips you can find in Briefs, Fillers and Quizzes: How to Write Them and Why Editors LOVE Them

Posted by DK at 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Just as each different type of media outlet (radio, TV, newspapers, magazines) communicates their stories in different ways, each has a different set of needs for information in a media kit. Tailoring your media kit to fit their needs not only saves you from having to send out unnecessary materials, it also makes you look great in their eyes because you're sending them exactly what they need.

Radio

The radio bookers hardly do their research a lot of times, so a lot of times if you do provide good interview questions, they will practically read right down the list. You also want to provide some backgrounders for them so that if they actually are doing their research, they can read up on it and feel knowledgeable. They usually will not look over the product or the book all that carefully. They may not even get into it all. You just want them to be able to look at it, do a talk show, and sound credible based on what's right there.

Newspapers

Continue reading "Tailoring your media kit to fit the recipient" »

Posted by DK at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)