Recently I rewrote and edited my last Media Motivators article on the McEddie "Everywhere" McGuire personal brand and turned it into a media release. It generated two high profile radio interviews on ABC and commercial radio and a Google search on the words "Eddie McGuire" positioned my story on the first page at number 10 out of a possible 3.2 million mentions. It also prompted one news editor to contact me and ask if I could write a column for his influential, high-profile and award-winning newspaper. So how did I do it? More importantly, how can you turn your expert knowledge into a news release that gains you tens of thousands of dollars worth of media coverage for free? And what are the secrets of writing media releases that get used instead of deleted and ranked highly in Google? This is a question critical to gaining ongoing media coverage in a consistent way for any organisation or individual. How to write a news release that generates free publicity is a great skill to have. The good news it is a learned skill! This article covers media release writing in detail - the 7 secrets of writing a great news release. 1. Strong News Value Your media release must have a strong news value and not be trying to sell something or be blatant advertising. The media will see through this. Conflict, drama, currency, relevance, proximity, prominence, and timeliness are the strongest news value. Ask: what is new about what we're doing? 2. A Well Written Headline A headline must grab the attention of the editor or reporter. 3. A Well Written Lead Paragraph A lead paragraph must continue to hold the attention of the editor or reporter and summarise what the story is about. 4.Quotable Quotes Quotable quotes add credibility and human interest to a media release. They are the flesh that goes on the facts or bare bones of the story. They must be memorable and well crafted. Take this quote from a famous athlete who had just come out of retirement, "I'm bored, I'm broke and I'm back!". Nice - simple, memorable and direct. Plus the media love it because of its honesty, structure and rhyming nature, especially the alliteration with all the first words starting with the letter 'b'. 5. Clarity In Writing Style Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking. Don't try and put the whole story across with every detail. Remember, the aim is to get the media interested in the story and then call for more detail. A media release is not the same as an article, promotional brochure or detailed announcement to the Australian Stock Exchange! 6. Strong Call To Action Your media release must end with a call to action. What is it you want people to do after reading or hearing your message? Invest in your stock, buy your book or vote for you! 7. Comprehensive Contact Details A news release should always contain current contact details for the media to follow-up. At a minimum these are landline, mobile, web and email. |
