When your organisation has a genuine news story, you can reasonably expect some coverage in a mainstream newspaper or the trade press. However, publication is never guaranteed.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why I have written this blog to give you some important tips to help you boost your chances of success.<\/p>\n
Importantly, don\u2019t call them press releases\u2026 Call them NEWS releases\u2026 This gives a better impression straight away.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also important your news release is written in the succinct and objective language of news. If a reporter must spend time rewriting it, you are less likely to achieve publication. But if your story hits all the right notes, it\u2019s much more likely to be handed straight to the designer.<\/p>\n
News Editors are very good at spotting a cynical PR ploy. That\u2019s because they\u2019re bombarded with them every single day. Therefore, make sure your story has a legitimate public interest angle.<\/p>\n
The classic example is raising money for a local charity. But don\u2019t get confused about who the story is about\u2026 The focus should always be on the people that benefit, not your business.<\/p>\n
For other kinds of stories, only use your business as the subject as a last resort. If you think creatively you can find a strong angle that doesn\u2019t make you sound like you\u2019re just angling for column inches to promote your business.<\/p>\n
If it\u2019s about a new product then focus on how it will help people. If you are up for an industry award then make that the story, emphasising that you are a local employer.<\/p>\n
OK, so you\u2019ve found your story. Now it\u2019s time to start drafting your news release. A good tip is to leave the headline until last. It may be clearer what it should be once you\u2019ve written the story.<\/p>\n
Another good tip is that generally-speaking every sentence should be a new paragraph to break the story down into a logical and readable structure. Sometimes it\u2019s appropriate to have two sentences in one paragraph, but this is usually one short one and one longer one.<\/p>\n
Your very first sentence (and paragraph) is known as your \u2018intro\u2019. This is your big chance to grab the reader\u2019s attention. The classic formula for an intro is to round up the \u2018who, what, where, when, why and how\u2019 of your story.<\/p>\n
\u201cLocal children will benefit from a new play area at Appletree Park thanks to a fundraising dinner organised by Wally\u2019s Widgets that raised \u00a310,000.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now you should write the supporting information for your story in descending order of importance. A good test is to imagine cutting the story off at any paragraph break. If the story still makes sense, then you\u2019re structuring it well.<\/p>\n
As we reach the end of the story, it\u2019s time to add a little spice. Up until now you should have refrained from using subjective language to lavish praise or emphasise quality. However, if it\u2019s somebody\u2019s opinion then it\u2019s fine. Quotes will do this job for you.<\/p>\n
Local parish councillor Barry Simpson said he was delighted with the money for the new facility, adding: \u201cThis play area will be a wonderful addition to the village, and we are very grateful to the wonderful people at Wally\u2019s Widgets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then add a quote from you or a nominated representative of your business. They will typically say how delighted they are to help a good cause.<\/p>\n
Finally, it\u2019s time to think about your heading: \u2018LOCAL KIDS TO BENEFIT AFTER DINERS RAISED \u00a310K FOR NEW PLAYGROUND\u2019, or something similar. Sometimes it\u2019s good to add a sub-heading to reinforce the importance of the story. In this case you might wish to add: Local councillor looks forward to \u2018wonderful addition to village\u2019.<\/p>\n
Any snippets of information that didn\u2019t make the final cut can be put into a section below your news release called Notes to Editors. This is common practice and means that a reporter can scan for anything else he or she finds interesting.<\/p>\n
Another good idea is to send it on a Monday or Tuesday morning because these are traditionally the slowest news days.<\/p>\n
Sometimes it\u2019s also good to follow up your news release with a quick call to the news desk to encourage journalists to acknowledge your story. That\u2019s because it may have become buried in a reporter\u2019s inbox.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
FREE Lymington Italia Festival for local branch of MS Society \u2013 July 1st<\/strong><\/p>\n Lymington\u2019s FREE Italia Festival will be held on July 1st this year with all charitable proceeds going to the Lymington and New Forest branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.<\/p>\n The Lymington and Pennington Town Council event is set to be bigger than ever in 2018, thanks to a huge wave of local support.<\/p>\n For those who don\u2019t know, it\u2019s all about chic Italian motor cars, quality Italian food, a fun family day out and raising money for charity.<\/p>\n The day begins at 10am when 50 classic Ferrari owners from the Wessex Ferrari Owners\u2019 Club will meet with their beloved vehicles at Lymington\u2019s Yacht Haven.<\/p>\n At around midday the iconic sports cars will depart in convoy to Pennington Cross, then travel up Stanford Hill, along Southampton Road, down Avenue Road and along Gosport Street, before entering the High Street.<\/p>\n Once there, the cars will be parked in the centre of town, which will be pedestrianised so people can admire them.<\/p>\n A Raffle, with a wide range of prizes including a ride in a Ferrari and\/or Aston Martin, will be match funded up to \u00a31,000 by Barclays.<\/p>\n Visitors will also be able to enjoy an authentic taste of Italy thanks to an Italian food market, which will offer an array of Mediterranean taste sensations.<\/p>\n This will include olives, vinegars, antipasti, pesto, breads, cheeses, desserts, salami, meringues, ice cream and fudge.<\/p>\n There will be face painting and a Ferrari models stand, along with pizzas, traditional Italian street food, pasta, a hog roast, fish & chips and a BBQ as well.<\/p>\n Plus, local traders will be selling Italian clothes, handbags and artisan gifts.<\/p>\n Not only that, Lymington Rock Choir will be performing at 2.00pm, singing a medley of songs.<\/p>\n Mayor of Lymington and Pennington, Anne Corbridge, said: \u201cEvery year this event exceeds all our expectations, and we\u2019re looking forward to another enjoyable day out this time around.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great fun for the whole family, and I\u2019d like to thank in advance our sponsors, the choir, the stall holders and the local businesses who have kindly donated some very desirable raffle prizes.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Lymington and New Forest branch of the MS Society said: \u201cWe\u2019re honoured to have been chosen by the Mayor as her Italia Festival charity for 2018. Lymington and New Forest MS Society has helped hundreds of local people living with the effects of MS.<\/p>\n It provides advice, gives practical and emotional support, and organises exercise classes and social groups.<\/p>\n You can find out more about the 2018 Lymington Italia Festival on the event\u2019s Facebook page \u2013 www.facebook.com\/lymingtonitaliafestival<\/p>\n Notes to Editors:<\/strong><\/p>\n Sponsors this year:<\/p>\n Raffle tickets can be bought on the day from the council stall, which will be located outside the EE shop in the High Street. The raffle will be drawn at 3pm. Ferraris in the convoy this year include:<\/p>\n 1973 Dino, F430 Spider, Ferrari FF, 550 Marinello, 458 Speciale, 430 Scudiera, 360 Modena, 458 Italia, Mondial, F40, F12 and California.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When your organisation has a genuine news story, you can reasonably expect some coverage in a mainstream newspaper or the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[21,16,33,14,10,18,11,17,12,32,6],"yoast_head":"\n
\n\u201cThe branch doesn\u2019t receive any funding from the national MS Society, but relies on its own fundraising together with donations from generous groups and individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\nRaffle prizes:<\/p>\n\n