How to write a press release that gets published!

When I was employed as editor of a daily newspaper in Western Pennsylvania and later as a writer for the Phoenix Gazette and the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, one of my chores was to go through the mail. Each day, I was inundated by press releases and letters from businesses, large and small,

Some of the press releases, to put it as gently as possible, were laughable. They were the first ones to hit the "round file"-- my wastepaper basket. Others met the same fate because they were (1) Irrelevant to my newspaper's needs, meaning the story had little or no interest for our readers; (2) Lacking in pertinent information and I was too busy to follow up on what would essentially be a free plug for the organization sending in the news release or (3) Dull, outdated, poorly written or otherwise lacking the immediacy the news media needs in order to justify running a press release. With that out of the way, I come to the subject that concerns, you: What ingredients go into the kind of press release that daily and weekly newspaper editors -- and even TV, radio and magazine editors -- may look toward favorably?

Hear about the 5 W's

A baritone that every news story had at least five ingredients, all beginning

with the letter W: what, who, where, when and why? Remember those words.

You're deciding to open a new business or perhaps expand your old business. Or maybe you're adding a new product line or service to an existing firm. Or you've hired a new manager, department head or employee.

Each of these events, properly presented in a press release, can answer those five Ws.

Here is how such a press release might read. Put in the name of your company where appropriate:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

"Green's Hardware, which first opened its doors in Fair Hope City Oct. 1, 1902, will ring up its final sale at 112 Main Street Friday. Owner Harry Green announced today he is moving his operation into a facility nearly double the size of the old store at the new Brighton Shopping Center.

hated to leave the old place," said Green, 67. "My father started it and it's served our customers well. But increased demand for our products and services and a desire to better serve our customers make it necessary for the company to have more floor space. We're looking forward to reopening for business on Monday, April 22, and we hope all our old customers will be there for the grand opening.

What... Where...Who... Why... and When. All answered in just three paragraphs. Some stories practically write themselves. One of your employees wins a national or regional award... a celebrity visits your business to promote a book or for some other reason that can be publicized.. a fire or other disaster forces you to change an important part of your business or move to another site. All of these events have publicity value -- if they are presented properly to the news media.

Try to put yourself in the editor's shoes. Ask yourself, "Why would an editor be interested in the story I am trying to present?"

Editors are looking for news. Whether they have a daily or weekly newspaper, a radio or TV news broadcast or a monthly magazine, they want stories that have one or more of the following ingredients:

(1) NEWS VALUE. Simply put, is this something that is different, exciting, helpful, productive or entertaining to the public? If it is, write about it.

(2) FEATURE VALUE. Is your story so different, so offbeat, so stunning that a national magazine -- Forbes, Good Housekeeping, Field & Stream or even the National Enquirer- might be interested in it? If the answer is yes, congratulations: You're miles ahead of your competition.

(3) PHOTO POSSIBILITIES. Does the story lend itself to good photo coverage? If the answer is yes, you may be in position to launch a media blitz. For example, while visiting my parents in Sutersville, PA., a small town near Pittsburgh, I discovered the local Sportsmen's Association was planning to release 1,800 trout into the Youghigheny River.

Realizing that the Yough had once been a dumping ground for coal and steel byproducts, I grabbed a camera and went to the release. It was a beautiful, sunny day. Hundreds of people turned out, many of them carrying fishing poles. I interviewed several members of the Sportsmen's Association and sent out releases that were used in a number of daily and weekly newspapers. I even managed to interest the editor of a national outdoor magazine who decided to run a story on the cleaning-up of a great river.

When developing your strategy for free publicity, one of the first things you need to decide is where you want your press release to be published or produced.

If you are interested only in the local news media, learn who the editors are and the deadlines for publication. Contact the media and get the names of the editors in advance who are responsible for the types of stories you expect to be submitting. Find out if they have any preferences on how the stories should be submitted. Then follow the guidelines.

Don't become a nuisance. Editors are busy people and their time is valuable. Limit your phone calls or news releases to events that are actually news -- not fabricated events designed to gain publicity. The editors will appreciate it and your chances of success will be greatly increased.

Remember that editors are always looking for a good story. If you have one that is really offbeat, don't be shy. Write it as interesting as you can, as factually as you can make it. Double space the release, use proper grammar and punctuation and send it to all the appropriate editors in your area. You may hit the jackpot, just like Rich Hovey of Phoenix, AZ.

Hovey owned a sports car dealership. He was planning a major auto auction and wanted to let the public know about it. Hovey called a photographer friend of mine and asked him for advice on how to publicize the event, which was three months away.

The photographer quickly determined that Hovey had a lot of interesting cars to auction off, including a convertible once owned by Elvis Presley. Good, but not good enough. Anything else, the cameraman asked?

Hovey put on his thinking cap. Finally he said, "My son is 10 years old and he can tear down a Rolls-Royce engine and rebuild it from scratch."

Paul smiled and called me. I immediately contacted halfa dozen editors, and -- presto -- we set up the story Hovey needed to get publicity in half a dozen major national magazines, including People Magazine and the Star. Our story? "The World's Youngest Rolls-Royce Mechanic" made headlines from coast to coast and was even picked up overseas. The auction was a stunning success. Thousands of people attended and Hovey sold more than $11 million worth of cars. The star of the show, of course, wasn't Elvis' blue convertible: It was the pint-sized mechanic with the grease-smudged face, digging deep into the bowels of a British-made engine.

Your story may not be as dramatic as this one, but have hope. If it contains the five Ws and you put it together in a neat professional package, you can do it and enjoy similar success.

If you're looking to get national publicity for a service or product that would be of interest to readers across the country, a well-written news release can return thousands of dollars in orders or new business for the price of a few postage stamps.

One question businesspeople always ask me when they're looking to send out press releases for a national audience is, "Where do I find the newspapers to send my press release?"

There are about 1,600 daily newspapers, more than 6,000 weeklies and some 2,000 magazines racked on newsstands in the United States. That provides a tremendous number of potential markets for free publicity.

Your local library has reference guides listing these publications. A few good sources are Writer's Market, The Standard Periodical Directory, Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory, Bacon's Publicity Checker, and the Editor & Publisher International Year Book.

If you have a computer, I recommend the Bates Directory of U.S. Dally Newspapers and the Bates Directory of U.S. Weekly Newspapers (which includes selected radio and TV stations). These two databases print out mailing labels for thousands of newspapers, TV and radio stations and are a bargain at just $45 each. They'll save you hundreds over what it would cost you to buy a mailing list and are simple enough for a computer novice to use with ease. (For info contact: International Features, 8 South "J" Street, P.O. Box 1349, Lake Worth, FL 33460. Telephone: (407) 582-8320.)

Magazines have specialized editorial requirements and a general press release won't always work. By checking directories like Writer's Market, you can send releases to the ones that cover subject matter in your field. It doesn't hurt to turn out several versions of your press release for the different markets.

Find an angle

For example, if you are wanting to interest editors of publications catering to senior citizens, your press release should emphasize your product's benefits to seniors. If you're sending a release to women's publications, you need to find an angle that would interest the housewife or working woman just like the press release you tailor for men's publications would emphasize whatever men would find useful about your product or service.

You don't need to spend lots of money on a fancy printing job for your press release. A neatly typed release can be photocopied and sent out with excellent results. I recommend writing releases that are no longer than three pages, double spaced. But there is no hard and fast rule. I've seen releases as short as one paragraph and as long as five pages do equally well. It depends on the subject matter. Write what it takes to tell the story and keep it simple.

Just remember to use the five Ws and put your press release together in a professional package that's easy to read. Do that and you'll be the envy of your competitors. Good luck and we'll see you in the papers.

Rick Lanning has published more than 1,800 articles and short stories since 1970. He is available as a public relations consultant and can be reached by writing him at 1119 First St., Sutersville, PA 15083.