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Public Relations / Press Release Tips
Build a press kit.
Once you have the press release from Fame Blaster, you'll need a few other items to round out your press kit: a 8 x 10 photograph of you or the product, a bio about you and/or your team, and any press clippings that support your publicity campaign. You should also make these available on your website for easy download. If you have video clips from news interviews or other media appearances, stream them on-line and burn them to DVD. You can include one in your press kit. Place these materials in a folder and label the front accordingly.
Start with local media.
Everyone hopes to land CNN or the Wall Street Journal. But to get there, you need a nice portfolio of press coverage. This may include newspapers, magazines, TV/radio interviews, and internet coverage. The best way to build a portfolio quickly is to start in your own hometown. After all, you're a local hero making big news, and the local media is likely to cover someone who can pop into the studio on a moment's notice. It's also easier to schmooze local reporters and editors...call them up and invite them to lunch! Our distribution partner has several programs to help you reach local, regional and ultimately, national media players.
Make sure your announcement is 'newsworthy.'

You can publicize anything. Problem is, most press releases are passed over because they aren't 'newsworthy.' For example, let's say Jack Sprat launches an internet business blog. Jack wants to drive traffic by landing off-line newspaper interviews. He contacts the local newspaper reporter, and asks her to cover the launch. "Great" she says, "But what's the story? Hundreds of blogs launch each week. Get back to me when you have a story." So Jack gets to work. He contacts twenty famous businessmen and entrepreneurs, and lands phone interviews with Donald Trump and Steven Jobs, and posts them on his blog. He then hires Fame Blaster to compose a press release, which he then sends to his reporter friend. He lands a local full-page feature, which gets the attention of the local AP office. Before he can blink, his blog is mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, and Jack quits his day job to blog full time. NEWS SELLS. General announcements, not so much.

Don't spam editors.
You may be tempted to send your release to hundreds or even thousands of journalists. After all, their email addresses are easy to find on the internet. But be careful, you may be wasting your time and alienating those that you're trying to reach! Why send a release about your business blog to a sports editor? And why does a gardening editor care about your new hotdog stand, unless you're selling veggie dogs? You can avoid this hassle by hiring a distribution service that has existing relationships in the media, and will target your release to the appropriate editors, all at a reasonable cost. Please see our distribution partner for more details.
Don't assume e-mail works for everyone.
Many reporters and editors have been in the business a long time and are reluctant to use e-mail, believe it or not. Some prefer fax, or snail mail, while others will do phone interviews. If you're self-distributing the press release, always check the media company's website for submission procedures and follow up accordingly. If you have doubts, call the reporter directly and ask.
Condense your verbal pitch down to a ten-word hook.
Practice your pitch. Learn how to describe your business in ten strong words and make it interesting. If you reach a reporter by phone, she may ask you for a quick summary, and you need to spit it out quickly. She's probably on deadline, and has no time for the long story.
Submit to internet news sites.
Obviously, the internet is the quickest way to reach millions of people with your story. You should post your press release on your site, and then send the link to interested parties in your address book. You can submit to major news services like Yahoo News and Google News, as well as sites like Digg and Reddit. If you have your press release posted on a dedicated web page, you can submit the URL to directories and it will eventually show up on web searches. Our partners can do this for you.
Contribute to blogs and forums.
This is one of the best ways to drive traffic to your site, and/or your press release. Put your web address in your signature and get involved with blogs, forums and social networks related to your business or product; reporters may be scanning sites for stories. Be sure to actually interact with the community; don't just sign up and spam them with your press release.
Package yourself as an 'expert.'
In the example above, Jack Sprat launched an internet business blog and it took off after the Wall Street journal mentioned it. Now, he wants to land additional press, and perhaps even speaking engagements. So Jack adds new information to his blog indicating his availabilty as a speaker. He also creates a new press release, which offers free tips for internet entrepreurs. At the end of the release, he adds info about his availability as a speaker. He contacts his new reporter friends, and submits the release, which they gladly run. Jack then starts a new speaking career as an internet business expert.
Become a media player.
Once you get the hang of 'traditional' public relations, you can offer to write for the print media, or appear on radio and television shows as an expert. (See above.) If you take this route, always have a product, service or website to discuss or promote, and include your URL or phone number in all of your materials. Producers are always looking for guests...why not you?



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