Press Release Contacts
It is extremely useful and definitely beneficial when writing a press release to have contacts. You will need those contacts, whether journalists, editors, or publicists, to turn your press release into an interview, an article, or a broadcast.
People who write press releases for a company and do so often are most likely going to have a few contacts. If the company is more locally run and less nationally run they are most likely going to have a few journalist contacts from the local county newspapers. These journalist contacts will be useful when trying to get your press release into the paper. You will be able to submit the press release to them, and if they already are familiar with you they are more likely to take the time to read it.
The down fall of having only journalist contacts is that most likely you are going to know only a handful. If your company ever desires to take itself from the local to the national level, you are going to need to contacts to help promote that business through the use of press release.
A great way, and probably the best way, to expand your list of contacts whom will be receiving your press release is to find and hire a publicist. A publicist is someone who already has hundreds of contacts in the broadcasting, newspaper, and even magazine businesses. By hiring that publicist you are hiring their contacts and opening up for yourself a much broader range of journalist, editors, and live reporters.
When trying to find a publicist it is important to look into their work background. You want to find out things like does the media already know this person? If so how is their relationship with the media? This is a very important question because although someone may be well known there is a great difference in being well known and liked and being well known and hated. Get work references from the publicist you are looking into and find out from others who have hired them what their personal experiences were. You also want to speak to some of their contacts to find out if they enjoy working with this person, or would ever consider working with them again.
Once you have found a great publicist you can begin submitting your press releases to them. Now a publicist is not an editor. The publicist job is simply to get people to notice your press releases. If your releases are poorly written though, or too long, than it will be your own fault if your publicist cannot get any broadcasting services to take interest in them.
A boring press release would be one in which you take to long getting to the point. Your ideas and announcements need to be clearly stated and straight to the point. You also do not want them to be too wordy, as this can become boring and confusing to the reader as well. You do not need to use big words or catchy phrases to describe the event your are writing your press release about. Keep your press release simple and to the point.
A press release that is too long is one in which there are more than two pages. Most press releases can be clearly stated in one and a half to two pages. More than that will begin to seem like a long and wordy story and you will lose the interest of your reader, who you want to be the true writer of your story. State it clean and clear, it's that easy.
So press release contacts can range from journalist to broadcasters, editors, to publicists. The contacts that you keep in your list certainly need to be tailored to the type of press releases, and the amount, that you send out. If you send out a lot of press releases each year, the best option for you will be to hire a publicist.
For additional information on press release contacts you may want to visit:
http://www.publicrelationsideas.com/a_publicists_contacts_ask_for_the_bad_000112.html
http://101publicrelations.com/hireapublicist.html?s=prideas&c=perfect_publicist
