News This Noon

Sorry for my otaku with this problem (otaku is more than a hobby, a little less than an obsession).

Many of you may have known me ever since I founded Imediafax, an Internet media service. I send people over a million press releases every year by fax and email. You probably think I have day-to-day news that’s not for me.

Actually, no. The press releases I write and send to people are going very well. My clients are very happy with me because they are successful in their efforts to inform.

My problem is the drafts of the press releases they send me.

It takes forever to solve the problems that I see in the press releases that are sent to me. It’s also very painful.

I’ve seen a lot of bad press releases over the years, and now I know what the underlying problems look like and how to fix them.

My role as a publicist is that I spend a lot of time teaching my clients to understand the psychology of media relations.

In the press release, rubber meets the road because this loose sheet of paper focuses on the media. The importance of copying a press release cannot be overstated. There should be no problems or negative factors that will reduce or eliminate media interest and reaction. One fatal mistake and it’s over.

Therefore, it is very important to identify problems and review press releases. I spend a lot of time and effort not to send stories that still have problems.

The problem is that when people send me press releases, it often takes a long time to identify and report problems, then more time to explain and discuss all word changes with customers, and even more time. Keep it ready and approved to be shipped.

Honestly, it can be very painful for everyone involved. I’m pretty audacious with my clients because their success is all that matters. I don’t take punches. My comment process can hurt many very bloated egos of highly skilled people on the way to a trouble-free press release that maximizes the chances of success when it is finally sent out. Many people think they can write a press release. Very few of them are very good at it.

They simply did not follow the media’s responses to enough press releases to learn from the mistakes made when writing press releases. They have not yet understood what the mistakes are, so there is no constant improvement.

That’s where the editorial blood, sweat and tears really lie. It becomes even more difficult when a press release for the client is written by another professional publicist. Now the client receives the opposite advice from two professionals. One says, “Make it hot,” and the other says, “Cool.” What should a publicist do?

So my motives for writing this article are really selfish. I want to spend less time on this. My life will improve significantly if my clients send me news that takes less time and effort to fix. Simply put, for every press release that doesn’t have these problems, I’m free to spend more time on something that’s more beneficial to me and my clients.

All of the issues listed here have been identified as the reasons for the failed press release. This is based on more than 20 years of experience dealing with the consequences – the actual number and quality of responses received when sending a press release.

Here are the most common reasons for the failures of press releases:

1. You wrote an ad. It’s not a press release at all. He sells goods. It does not provide reliable news of real tangible interest, additional information, education or entertainment.
2. You wrote for a minority, not for most people in the audience. You just won’t compete with other press releases that are explicitly written for a wider media audience.

You’re the center of attention, not the media audience. You focus on your business and marketing, not what interests the publisher and its audience.

4. You forgot to put five W in front. (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN AND WHY PUBLIC WILL BE INTERESTING). You have not explained to the media clearly and succinctly why this might interest the public.
5. You are too verbose and stingy. You’ve focused on the details and the details, not the basic ideas, the problems, the factors, the facts, and the news. You’re not talking about the really significant impact your history has on people.
6. You put too much information on a page – a one-page press release is so small that the editor needs a magnifying glass to read it.
7. You’ve added corporate logos and other flimsy low-value-added graphics that distract the editor from your main message. You may also have used an unusually beautiful font or file format that turns into nonsense in a fax machine.
8. You have written a personally biased article for publication in the media, instead of presenting in the media the idea and objective reasons why the media audience will be interested.
9. You have written about features and facts and forgot to explain what it means for real people. Tell a story about real people. In real life, add human interest.
10. You wrote about the connection of your news with someone else’s fame and fame. Whatever. Never stand in the shadow of another person. Make your own light. Tell your story.
11. Your press release is a response to what just happened. You’re late. You’re behind the eighth ball. Whatever. Come for the news.
12. You’ve included too much hype, self-aggregated compliments, catchy quotes, unnecessary reviews, slang or chatter. Get rid of it.
13. You may have also noticed previous media coverage indicating that this is no longer a new problem. Get rid of it. Let every press release stand on its own two feet.
14. You have tried to impress and be smart or innovative, but you have presented yourself as naive, less informed, biased, carefree, arrogant or crazy. Just Sun Go Straight.