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What is a press release?

What is a press release?What is a press release? I get asked this quite a lot… and I think that in some ways the term is to blame. It can sound a bit daunting, but actually there’s no need to feel anything but excited about the good old press release. It can be a gateway into a world where your business, whether you’re product or service based, equestrian or country or something completely different, gets valuable column inches. And this can help to win you fans, followers and customers.

What is a press release?

When I talk about press releases, I mean a well written and concise document that informs its readers of new and newsworthy things happening inside your business. See. It doesn’t sound as scary now. And that’s good, because although the way we consume our news and content has changed (and we know that some magazines aren’t having the best time, let’s be honest here), the press release still works. Whereas historically a press release would only be sent to magazine editors, that’s no longer the case. Website editors should also make up part of your press list, and so should bloggers who might be interested in your kind of business. And what about influencers? Those people with large, highly engaged social media followings that can help you reach your target markets? The best way to inform these people (who you should already have reached out to and be communicating with!) about your new product or service is through a press release.

What should a press release be?

A press release is a way to convey your message to who you need to see it. It should be well written, free of typos and grammatical errors (we’re all human, but do your best, people appreciate it), not too long but not too short, with relevant contact details and a high res image.It should get to the point quickly, tell the reader what to expect further down in the intro, and not drone on about every aspect, carpet colour choice and sacking in the company’s history. This has no place in the main body of the press release. Unless it directly relates to the news story. So if you’re talking about a company’s 40th birthday, it might be useful to summarise the history. But when I say summarise, I mean in a short paragraph with the key facts and dates. If you’re talking about a new horse rug, the fact that there are three generations employed at the factory and they all enjoy afternoon tea once a week will be of little significance. OK. The latter would be a stretch on any day. Although you could create some nice social content around that. But that’s a different story. Press releases shouldn’t ramble. They should be concise. Don’t feel you need to write hundreds and hundreds of words. No one is reading them. Sorry, but it’s true. Editors don’t have the time. They want key facts presented well. They can then build a story about this if they need to add more information or they can use what you’ve sent. Or you might even be asked for more information.

So that’s what a press release is. It’s a concise way to convey new and newsworthy content to people who have the potential to spread your message to your target market. And it can do your business a lot of good. If you do it right.

 

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How to get featured in magazines – part 3

How to get in magazinesIn part 3 of how to get featured in magazines (how to get featured in magazines – part 1 and how to get featured in magazines – part 2 are here), we look at how to make YOU something worth featuring. Yes. You. Whether you’re a product creator or you sell a service, this can work for you.

Making you the star of the show

A lot of magazines run profiles on people. This could be what they’ve achieved in their career, the people that they’ve helped, the barriers they’ve overcome, etc. etc. If you’re happy to step into the limelight and reach out when relevant features appear (or, even better, get in touch with the magazine with your angle – which must be something that fits the profile of the magazine and fits their style). Some magazines will run a piece like this in each issue. It might be a case study or a profile – or it might have a million other names too. Of course, as with everything in this how to get featured in magazines series, there’s a way to do this. Here are six tips to help you.

  • Think about the magazines you’d like to be featured in and buy them. Get a feel for the magazine, the readership, the writing style and the kind of stories that they tend to publish. Do you fit this? Or can part of your story fit this?
  • Find out who the person responsible for the relevant section/s of the magazine is and get in touch. Email them or call them and make sure you know what angle you’re going for and that you show your knowledge of the magazine.
  • Be prepared to help them out as much as you can. As in how to get featured in magazines part 1, we discussed making the editor’s life as easy as possible when submitting product copy, the same applies here.
  • Be prompt. If the editor needs x, y or z by a, make sure you do your best to get it to them them AND keep them informed if there is going to be a problem.
  • Have imagery sorted. Depending on the title, they might arrange a photoshoot, but it’s always good to have some snaps of you that you’re happy to share with the world.
  • Be nice. Editors are under a lot of pressure. They might say no. They might have a million people who want that slot, they might not think you’re right for it. And that is fine. That’s life. Be nice. Be helpful. Be gracious. Because although you might not be right for this opportunity, you have no idea what they’ll be working on next week, next month, or next year.

Have you been featured in a magazine? Which one and what was your story? Please comment below – I’d love to hear it!

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How to get featured in magazines – part 2

How to get featured in magazines part 2Following on from ‘How to get featured in magazines – part 1’ we now have part 2. The sequel. Let’s
hope that, unlike so many sequels, it’s as good if not better than the first!

Today, we’re looking at the press release. This is the main focus of how to get featured in magazines part 2.

The press release

The humble press release is something that is getting increasingly cast aside in favour of others things, and God knows there are enough ‘is the press release dead’ features around. But I don’t think it is. Well, not the way I think about it! In my world, a press release has a very simple aim. To inform the press of news. This could be a new product, a new service, news about appointments and company developments. It’s designed to inform the press as to what is going on in your world, to see if they want to create a story and feature it in their magazine or on their website/blog. Of course, it’s not quite that simple – and a fair chunk of common sense needs to be in play here. Here are 10 things to consider when putting together a press release to help you get featured in magazines…

  • Get the right contacts – make sure you are sending it to the right people or person.
  • Connect with these people before you add them to your press list and make sure they’re happy to be added.
  • Make sure the news you’re writing about is actually news. Sounds silly? You’d be amazed at the stuff I see that is neither new or newsworthy.
  • Be concise. No one has the time to read a huge document to get to the point.
  • Look into how to create a good press release. There’s a method that will be discussed in a future blog. It matters.
  • Check spelling and grammar. Everyone makes the odd typo, but check, check and check again to try and avoid this.
  • Send high res images to support your story – and make them good. Clear, crisp images are necessary for print. Well, for online too. But sending crap images will make you a whole lot less likely to get featured and, even if the story is amazing, you’re adding more work the writer’s plate.
  • Do not break anyone’s inbox. Check your file sizes.
  • Be nice. Send a nice email with your story that outlines what you’re talking about and invites people to get in touch if they need more.
  • Think about the format you send things in. I did a bit of research into this a while ago and found that most of my list were happy with one way, but another group wanted it a different way – so I send it out in two formats. Yep – it takes a bit more time, but it increases the chance of getting coverage, and that is what it is all about!

Missed part 1? Have a read here.

What do you think? Is the press release dead? Have you sent out press releases and generated great results? I’d love to hear…

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How to get featured in magazines – part 1

Many magazines are suffering from a dip in circulation, but there’s no doubt about it, being featured in a magazine is ‘nice’. It’s good for the ego, it can be good for business, and some people feel that being featured in printed media has much greater clout than online. I can understand this thought process (although I don’t really subscribe to this idea myself – as in – both have value and there are a lot of variables to consider). But that aside, there are many ways to get featured in magazines. Or, at least, to put yourself in the best position to get featured in magazines. If that’s what you want. I’m going to break this into a few different blogs to allow us to explore each theme fully. So this is part one. How to get featured in magazines – part 1.

How to get featured in magazines – part 1

Features list

If you have a product, this one is for you. Actually, it’s how I have achieved a lot of media coverage over the years How to get featured in magazinesfor my clients. Each year I receive a media pack from each magazine. This includes a rate card, testimonials, facts, figures… and often a features list. Now, features lists aren’t set in stone and they can and do change, but particularly for monthly titles it gives you a good idea of what themes they’re following. Some features lists highlight buyers’ guides and product features, others show broad themes. And now it’s down to you. You need to put in the legwork.

What do I do now?

You need to speak to the magazines with relevant features and do all you can to make it as EASY as possible for them to pick your product to feature. What does this mean? This means that, when you’ve spoken to the right person at that magazines (the products editor, editorial assistant, features editor – whoever is responsible at that publication, and this varies depending on the size of the publication) you need to do all you can to make their life easy. Concise emails. Correct info in the correct format. High res images. Meeting deadlines. That kind of thing. There are no guarantees that your product will be chosen, but the best chance you have is by providing the right person with everything they need, in the right format, before/when then need it.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, it is in some ways. However, what also needs to happen is the ground work – so that’s establishing connections with these magazines, it’s being able to write and provide the copy in the correct format, it’s having the high res images, it’s being on hand to help the magazine staff when they need it, to help them achieve their goals. And be a nice person. Please. Magazine staff are under a lot of pressure – deadlines, a million (I don’t know the figures!!) emails a day from PR and the like, editors, subeditors, picture editors – there’s a lot of stuff going on and, sadly, you’re not going to be their number one priority. And it won’t make you popular if you to act like you are. It’ll just (quite rightly!) annoy them. And you don’t really want to annoy people that you’re trying to form long lasting connections with, do you? That’s a pretty poor policy!

This is part one of the how to get featured in magazines series, but you can also read part 2, part 3 and part 4 by clicking on the links.

For more tips on how to promote your business (and to make sure you don’t miss a blog) – why not Like my Facebook page or sign up to my newsletter (and with the newsletter I’ll be picking one subscriber a month to win a box of goodies!!)

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Happy New Year!

It seems like forever since I’ve blogged on my own site…and looking at the date of my last post, that’s very much the case! The truth is that I’ve been so busy working with my clients across various media that my own ‘stuff’ seems to have taken a bit of backseat – and for those snippets of news I want to share, I write on my Facebook page…so if you’d like to hear what’s going on with my lovely bunch of clients, the Rhea Freeman PR Facebook page is your best bet! I’m hoping and planning to do more blogs this year, but as they’re usually more in-depth and ramble on (!), they take a wee bit more time! Hope to see you on the RFPR Facebook page!

I would, however, like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy, healthy and successful 2016. I do think that people put too much focus on the ‘new year, new you’ idea. If you want to change, then just crack on! If you’re looking to improve your business, spread your message, increase your profits, get more people talking about you and what you do, don’t let a silly date stop you or, worse still, put so much pressure on you that you set yourself up for a fall and become completely demoralised! If you want to have a booming business by the end of the year, then don’t wait to start promoting yourself, and don’t set yourself huge goals without thinking how you’re actually going to achieve them. It’s just depressing if you don’t have a vague plan! You don’t need to spend the national debt on ads, you can start small by getting yourself organised on social media, filming yourself or your product and posting these clips, getting a tried and tested in a magazine. Setting little, achievable goals is more do-able, a hell of a lot easier, and forms a great foundation to build a more joined up campaign. So, if this New Year is all about building yourself a better, bigger business, remember that there are very few overnight successes…but there are many perceived overnight success stories that have come from years of hard work!

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