Wonderful Guide to Media Relations by Folks in the Know

I was researching reporters at The Seattle Times this morning and came across a wonderfully well-written Media Access Guide. A cooperative effort by The Seattle Times and the Asian American Journalist Association--Seattle Chapter, the guide was produced in early 2004. Non-profits and those new to the communications field will gain valuable knowledge from this easy-to-understand and easy-to-apply guide. It's so refreshing to see journalists put their efforts into educating the public about the mysterious and misunderstood process of landing a story in the newspaper or on radio or television broadcasts.

Visit http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/contactus/media/media_access_guide.pdf and enjoy.

Accreditation in Public Relations

On the first sunny Saturday anyone in the Bay Area can remember in a long time, I attended an APR (Accreditation in Public Relations) class with six other local professionals. Sounds dull, but on the contrary, we had a valuable and entertaining exchange of ideas and advice. The six hours flew by. We had an excellent instructor, Elisabeth Handler, APR, and the event was organized by Cathy Morley Foster, the Vice President of Professional Development for San Francisco PRSA.

I am looking forward to continuing my quest for APR. I think the rigor demanded by this process will pay off in big dividends for my clients and for me. Anyone wishing to know more about the accreditation exam should visit the web site: http://www.praccreditation.org/

Publicity for New Companies

Mark Zweig, publisher of The Zweig Letter, advises new architectural/engineering/consulting firms to conduct an in-your-face PR campaign as soon as the doors open. He writes: "When I speak of PR, I am talking about the media. You need a press list. It should have at least 100 editors and writers on it from all publications you would like to show up in. Then, you need to send them a press release (something they may consider newsworthy) on a weekly basis."

If you are considering writing your own press releases, check out my checklist below:

Writing a Press Release

Reporters, producers and editors expect to receive press releases in a standard, easy-to-read format that public relations professionals spend years mastering. Here are the basics to developing a good press release:

· Always include your contact information at the top of the page. This information includes your name, company name, phone number and e-mail address.

· The key to getting an editor’s attention is a short, catchy headline.

· Unlike a good novel, press releases provide the outcome for the reader in the first paragraph. Thus, an editor can determine if the story is a good fit for his audience quickly, without having to read through pages of extraneous information.

· The rest of the press release is devoted to providing the facts. Quotes from experts and statistics are used to substantiate the results that were delineated in the first paragraph.

· The final paragraph is called the "boilerplate." It provides the media outlet with background information about the organization releasing the information.

· Once the release is written, you can disseminate it to the media in a variety of methods. The most efficient method is to utilize a news distribution service (e.g., PR Newswire or Business Wire). These services, with offices in every major U.S. city, charge a fee for distribution. Their staff will help you determine the best distribution circuit for your release.

· Alternatively, you can do your own research and distribution. The first step is to call the newsrooms of local and national newspapers, radio stations and television stations and request the appropriate contact information for each media outlet. This research will take hours to assemble and you should be aware that personnel at media outlets change frequently. Thus, if you wish to send out additional press releases in the future, you will need to update your original research each time.

If a small business wants to develop an ongoing relationship with the media, the most efficient route is to hire a public relations consultant. A public relations firm will not only write the press release for you, it will also distribute the press release to the appropriate reporters, and "pitch" your story to the targeted media outlets. Public relations professionals constantly update their media databases, thus eliminating the need for you to devote your energy to researching this information. They also have contracts with the news distribution services that will ultimately save you money.

--Mary Tressel
mary@tresselpr.com