Hundreds of media releases are sent each day in the hope their target editor, journo or industry trade scribe picks them up and publishes them.
But what are these editors/journos/writers actually looking for to fill their column “inches”?1
All journalists are time poor. The less time they need to spend on pulling apart your headlines and paragraphs in order to make them comprehensible the better.
And these days no one is paid to “do the rounds” - or even to pick up the phone, if it can be avoided. So your media release needs to say it all - quickly, concisely, and with a clear call to action if one is required.
Write with clarity. Understand what it is you are trying to convey and what you want to achieve and then write succinctly, making your case, providing supporting evidence and neatly wrapping it back up to finish.
If you’re announcing a news item - usually an event such as an acquisition, a transaction, or the appointment of a new CEO or analyst - stick to one point and keep your copy working to make that point as clearly and succinctly as you can. Make every sentence work towards this end.
A deeper theme or insight can be offered as a one-off briefing which is exclusive to one or more outlets, depending on the topic.
In the event an issue needs to be managed, having a Crisis Communication Plan to hand can be invaluable as it provides protection that is often needed with issues management to explain a position, developed by a company in calmer times.
It’s best to pull this together earlier rather than wait until the proverbial hits the fan. Get the best people in the room; do a SWOT analysis of a campaign or strategy; imagine a worst case scenario and build a plan for what you might do from there. It can be extremely helpful to have given this at least some thought prior to when you actually need it.
Make your content topical, about your industry and area of expertise, not just a corporate plug. Readers will see through this before the end of the first sentence.
Media loves to cover new “burning” issues – relevant, contentious, sparking further debate, beating other magazines and outlets to the story. But readers will also see through a story if it’s not backed up by evidence, data, or trustworthy sources.
When developing your content you can ask yourself the following questions:
Put yourself in the shoes of your readers so you can address their concerns. If you signal to your audience early on that you “get” them, that you understand their frustrations and challenges, you’ll build rapport with them and they will want to hear more of what you have to say.
Web readers have short attention spans. If you write for the web - short, simple sentences; active voice; inverted-pyramid style - your readers will stick with you, and the content will translate to any format. Keep sentences to 35 words or less. Twenty-first century web readers scan. They look for interesting keywords that will pique their interest. They avoid using words like ‘pique’, so maybe you could use ‘excite’ or ‘stimulate’ - words that everyone understands. Focus on your nouns and verbs.
The other answer is what works for the journalist or the distribution channel. Here’s a rough guide:
Subbing your content down to six powerful words to use with social media is also very helpful if you want to reach a wider audience.
Place all your important information up the front of your article. If you’re promoting a conference, for example, you’ll want the most important details right at the top, eg Theme of conference, date, location, timings and cost. You would then drill down to the supporting details such as guest speakers, topics and break times, followed by a history of the conference or maybe a list of related resources, at the bottom of the page.
Speak in an active voice using the word “you” as if you are addressing your audience directly. Just like I did there to YOU. Using active voice helps you create reader-friendly copy and it’s always more engaging: “You can do it” versus “It can be done”.
Sub-headings are a great way to keep your reader interested and reading as it makes them feel like they are progressing through an article and not trying to wade through endless paragraphs to some unseen end.
Keep it simple yet substantial. Write with clarity. Write strong headlines. Write for your audience.
1. Few people under the age of 50 will understand this word. There are 2.54cms in an inch. Column inches are what old-school newspaper folk used to have to fill each day with copy.