A press release or media release, as it is also called, is a condensed article that is written in a journalistic style. The purpose of the news release is to highlight what is interesting and newsworthy about your company or organization.
Traditionally, a press release is short lived, meaning it has a limited amount of time to make your impact on the media before it becomes old news and is replaced by fresh press releases. This is not scary it's just like writing any other piece of info. Make the press release just one page.
The really cool thing is that if you submit it to the correct places, you may get a phone call requesting an interview!! This is huge for your and website.
Press Release Template and Example
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Contact Person Company Name Telephone Number Fax Number Email Address Web site address
Headline
XYZ, Inc. Announces Widget to Maximize Customer Response Rate
The headline is one of the most important components of the press release because it needs to "grab the attention" of the editor. (Just like any other article, blog post, or video that we might create)
It should be in bold type and a font that is larger than the body text. Preferred type fonts are Arial, Times New Roman, or Verdana. Keep the headline to 80-125 characters maximum. Capitalize every word with the exception of "a", "the", "an", etc.
City, State, Date Your first paragraph of the release should be written in a clear and concise manner. The opening sentence contains the most important information; keep it to 25 words or less. Never take for granted that the reader has read your headline. It still needs to contain information that will "entice" the reader. Remember, your story must be newsworthy and factual; don't make it a sales pitch or it will end up in the trash. Pretend like you are the reporter. What would an objective reporter write?
Answer the questions "who", "what", "when", "where", "why", and "how". Your text should include pertinent information about your product, service and event. If writing about a product, make sure to include details on when the product is available, where it can be purchased and the cost. If you are writing about an event, include the date, location of the event and any other pertinent information. You should include a quote from someone that is a credible source of information; include their title or position with the company, and why they are considered a credible source. Always include information on any awards they have won, articles they have published or interviews they have given.
Keep your sentences and paragraphs short; a paragraph should be no more than 3-4 sentences. Your release should be between 500 to 800 words, written in a word processing program, and spell checked for errors. The mood of the release should be factual, not hyped; do not use a sales pitch as it will ruin your credibility with the reader.
The last paragraph before the company information should read: For additional information on (put in the subject of the release), contact "name" or visit www.yoururl.com. If you offer a sample, copy or demo, put the information in here. You can also include details on the products availability, trademark acknowledgment, etc. in this area of the release.
About (Company) include a brief description of your company along with the products and services it provides.
- End -
At the end of the release, you need to indicate that the release is ended. This lets the journalists know they have received the entire release. Type "End" on the first line after your text is completed. If your release goes over one page, type "more" at the bottom of the first page.
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2012年8月16日 星期四
2012年8月15日 星期三
Press Releases: Top Seven Things You Shouldn't Be Changing
There's a certain faction of digital public relations and PR 2.0 prophets who've been predicting the death of the traditional press release since the dawn of the Internet. More than 20 years later, the press release is still alive and evolving from its Prehistoric roots to what some might say is the "Golden Age of Digital." During this time, we've seen many transformations and newer versions of the traditional press release appear including the video news release (VNR), digital news release, social media release (SMR) and the search-optimized press release - to name a few. In some ways, a lot of these are just different names for what all press releases have become. With that in mind, there are certain elements of the traditional press release that are essential to the core of its purpose as public relations tool and should be present no matter what you decide to call your version. Here's a quick-and-easy guide to help keep this piece of your communications program on track.< br />
The Facts
Let's face the facts: there are a lot of press releases out there that seem to have no real relevancy and couldn't hide their spin and fluff under a magician's cloak. That's not what releases are supposed to be about, which is why they're also known in both the traditional and digital circles as "news releases." The news-factor means that press releases need to provide media outlets with facts in story-form. That includes the famous "Five Ws": who, what, where, when and why. With staff at many large and small traditional news outlets being reduced and the immediate copy-and-paste nature of online publications, all press releases should be written the same style as the media outlets they are meant to target.
Boilerplates
The opposite of a hot topic in public relations, the boilerplate is pretty much a given when it comes to writing press releases. However, that means that it often is forgotten about and never updated. Also because the boilerplate is a given, it's the first place someone who has come across your news yet is unfamiliar with your product, company or service will know to look to find out about you. This is an important reason to keep it up-to-date, and keep it creative. It's not forbidden or public relations taboo to tweak your press release a little depending on the nature of the news you are trying to spread. Think of it as your 30-minute elevator pitch in written form, and introduce yourself!
AP Style
AP Style is another thing those public relations prophets rail against and already consider to be in its grave; yet when the New York Times not only uses the writing style guide but also updates immediately when changes are made to the rules (think Web site to website), it's still relevant to press release writing. True, there are other style guides out there that have been created specifically for Web writing and blogging, but for the most part their rules are in-line with what the Associated Press (AP) already outlines in their special Web style section. Yes it can be tedious, but editors with limited time and too many assignments will thank you.
Abbreviations
The rules about abbreviations fall under the previous topic of AP Style, but they are so commonly misused, manipulated, abused and ignored that they deserve their own section. They also deserve special attention since they've come to be much more important during the Golden Age of Digital when search rules the Internet. Basically, the AP Style Guide states that a name or a term should be spelled out completely upon first reference followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis, then abbreviated throughout. For example: social media release (SMR). Every following reference can be abbreviated. Additionally, based on preference, you can also choose to never abbreviate a term to its acronym in a press release and spell it out in its entirety throughout the press release - which brings us to our next topic.
Readability
Readability - another forgotten element in the new kingdom when press releases are optimized for indexing by the search engines in charge. That means that they're flooded with keywords, and keyword phrases are often repeated to boost a press releases SEO results. If you're not careful, however, this strategy could damage the content of your news release, so walk this fine line with your best judgment. If your company, product or service is known in your industry by an acronym that is a popular acronym for a completely different industry, it'd probably be wise to avoid using the acronym in your press release and spell the name out in each reference. This will help boost your press release's SEO results and associate your company's name with industry terms in the search engine indexes. However, if this starts to make your press release read funny - sort of like if you were reading out loud you'd be tripping over your tongue - then stick to the original AP Style rule. When you're talking to people, you don't speak search engine language.
Localization
This one is simple. Know your audience and who you're writing for, then make it clear. Yes press releases are now distributed all over the place online to many outlets that, for the most part, aren't limited by geography. This is all the more reason why it should be clear to the reader if the release is even worth reading. For example wha t if the release is about an event at a grocery chain that only has stores in certain regions? The easiest way to note this information off-the-bat is with the dateline - it's not just for the date, if you know what I mean. You remember we talked about that little fact that starts with a "w" called "where?"
Contact Information
Contact information is the PR person's bread and butter, and it's a cardinal sin to not include it when distributing a press release. But much like the boilerplate, it is such a given that it gets overlooked and is not often at its best. It's important to remember that the contact person listed on a press release should be the most appropriate person for inquiries related to the news that particular release contains. So if you have a large company with many divisions, this contact should change so as not to make an inquiring journalist's job more difficult - that is how you lose media opportunities. Secondly, your contact information sh ould include ALL contact information for this person - name, work number, mobile number, email, Twitter handle and any other work-related way that this person can be reached. While you're at it, throw your client's social media contact information in there, too. This is the Golden Age of Digital after all, and what's the point of contact information without accessibility?
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The Facts
Let's face the facts: there are a lot of press releases out there that seem to have no real relevancy and couldn't hide their spin and fluff under a magician's cloak. That's not what releases are supposed to be about, which is why they're also known in both the traditional and digital circles as "news releases." The news-factor means that press releases need to provide media outlets with facts in story-form. That includes the famous "Five Ws": who, what, where, when and why. With staff at many large and small traditional news outlets being reduced and the immediate copy-and-paste nature of online publications, all press releases should be written the same style as the media outlets they are meant to target.
Boilerplates
The opposite of a hot topic in public relations, the boilerplate is pretty much a given when it comes to writing press releases. However, that means that it often is forgotten about and never updated. Also because the boilerplate is a given, it's the first place someone who has come across your news yet is unfamiliar with your product, company or service will know to look to find out about you. This is an important reason to keep it up-to-date, and keep it creative. It's not forbidden or public relations taboo to tweak your press release a little depending on the nature of the news you are trying to spread. Think of it as your 30-minute elevator pitch in written form, and introduce yourself!
AP Style
AP Style is another thing those public relations prophets rail against and already consider to be in its grave; yet when the New York Times not only uses the writing style guide but also updates immediately when changes are made to the rules (think Web site to website), it's still relevant to press release writing. True, there are other style guides out there that have been created specifically for Web writing and blogging, but for the most part their rules are in-line with what the Associated Press (AP) already outlines in their special Web style section. Yes it can be tedious, but editors with limited time and too many assignments will thank you.
Abbreviations
The rules about abbreviations fall under the previous topic of AP Style, but they are so commonly misused, manipulated, abused and ignored that they deserve their own section. They also deserve special attention since they've come to be much more important during the Golden Age of Digital when search rules the Internet. Basically, the AP Style Guide states that a name or a term should be spelled out completely upon first reference followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis, then abbreviated throughout. For example: social media release (SMR). Every following reference can be abbreviated. Additionally, based on preference, you can also choose to never abbreviate a term to its acronym in a press release and spell it out in its entirety throughout the press release - which brings us to our next topic.
Readability
Readability - another forgotten element in the new kingdom when press releases are optimized for indexing by the search engines in charge. That means that they're flooded with keywords, and keyword phrases are often repeated to boost a press releases SEO results. If you're not careful, however, this strategy could damage the content of your news release, so walk this fine line with your best judgment. If your company, product or service is known in your industry by an acronym that is a popular acronym for a completely different industry, it'd probably be wise to avoid using the acronym in your press release and spell the name out in each reference. This will help boost your press release's SEO results and associate your company's name with industry terms in the search engine indexes. However, if this starts to make your press release read funny - sort of like if you were reading out loud you'd be tripping over your tongue - then stick to the original AP Style rule. When you're talking to people, you don't speak search engine language.
Localization
This one is simple. Know your audience and who you're writing for, then make it clear. Yes press releases are now distributed all over the place online to many outlets that, for the most part, aren't limited by geography. This is all the more reason why it should be clear to the reader if the release is even worth reading. For example wha t if the release is about an event at a grocery chain that only has stores in certain regions? The easiest way to note this information off-the-bat is with the dateline - it's not just for the date, if you know what I mean. You remember we talked about that little fact that starts with a "w" called "where?"
Contact Information
Contact information is the PR person's bread and butter, and it's a cardinal sin to not include it when distributing a press release. But much like the boilerplate, it is such a given that it gets overlooked and is not often at its best. It's important to remember that the contact person listed on a press release should be the most appropriate person for inquiries related to the news that particular release contains. So if you have a large company with many divisions, this contact should change so as not to make an inquiring journalist's job more difficult - that is how you lose media opportunities. Secondly, your contact information sh ould include ALL contact information for this person - name, work number, mobile number, email, Twitter handle and any other work-related way that this person can be reached. While you're at it, throw your client's social media contact information in there, too. This is the Golden Age of Digital after all, and what's the point of contact information without accessibility?
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2012年8月14日 星期二
How to Submit your Photo Article or Video News
Media portals are adding new features for authors: optional uploads for photos, logos, pictures and video. Also internet search engines: google, yahoo, msn are improving page ranking where they find relevant illustrative materials, including movies take youtube example.
Pegas Planet is offering our authors community the combination of simplicity and at the same time advanced features: one author logo, one photo and one video rollick per article. As we suppose, if you are frequent writer and if you publish one or two articles per week it should be easy enough for you to work out the procedure of uploading your logo, photo and video for newly submitted article
1. Where you author small picture or logo goes. Answer under Author name or if it is press release then just below company name
2. Video. Video news is the catcher for the readers. After experimenting with page form on modern computer screen, we decided that it should be placed below the first paragraph of your article
3. Photo or picture. As we have video upload option, we are placing your photo next to the second paragraph of your publication
4. Positioning automation. For you this means that as article author you should not spend your precious time on fixing your photo or vide rollick positions it is done automatically be publication robot. All you need to do is to look at article or PR preview
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2012年8月13日 星期一
Submit Video Press Release With Mpg or Avi Movie File Attachment
If you plan to extend your company news, personal internet article or author blog with short video rollick, here we would like to give you guidelines. Press releases in some cases could be placed to trusted internet media sites for free and, considering this fact, you can beef up your internet page rank, improving SEO or head out of such traps as google sandbox, for example
1. PR header. Here you should incorporate few of your keywords as well as make this name very natural. Press Release typically allows you to make its header longer than the header in article or weblog
2. Introduction. Here you should continue adding your keywords. Plus this introduction section typically is copied via RSS feeds to news announcing web sites. Considering these facts, you may decide to make your introduction a bit intriguing, encouraging readers to read the main section of your video news
3. Author or company logo. If this is just photo, then BMP or JPEG should do the job. However if this is clipart or something which should slide over background graphical image, the make it GIF
4. Main Section. Consider enumerated paragraphs, as in this publication, or open each paragraph with bullet. In main section, as SEO strategy, consider placing exact keywords combinations
5. Video file attachment. Here the question is about video file format. Considering modern PC screen resolution to be in average 1024x768 (try to be conservative and do not expect people surfing from public libraries use wide screens), please consider making your movie clip resolution something like 320x240, and deploy either MPG or AVI
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2012年8月12日 星期日
Social Media News Releases Explained
You've surely heard the term "social media news release" in all the buzz about the new, social Web, but what does it mean? A social media news release is just like a traditional news release, except that it is also social media and Web 2.0 optimized. In short, this kind of news release encourages interactivity, is easily shared in the social Web, and contains a number of other Web 2.0 elements.
Generally, these additional elements include:
* Multimedia items, such as downloadable images, PDF/DOC files, or audio/video files.
* A way for readers to comment directly on the news release content.
* An obvious and easy way for readers to bookmark the news release in social bookmarking sites, or to share it via email.
* Technorati tags and links to purpose-built del.icio.us pages.
If you or your business produce online or email press releases regularly, you should be utilizing social media news releases. Like everything else on the Internet today, there is an expectation that content will be interactive, easily shared, and will offer sources to similar information. If your news releases do not live up to these expectations, your chances for major media coverage may be hurt. It's fairly simple to create your own social media releases, or you can use a service like PRWeb. And, since a social media news release is just a traditional release with added elements, you do not need to change your present format, just include some additional sections. These added elements include:
Multimedia section: Here you will offer a number of downloadable items, including PDF or Word documents, such as book excerpts, advanced reviews, white papers, brochures, etc., and images, like author photos, company executive photos, book cover art, company logos. Also provide any relevant podcasts and video clips in this section.
Technorati tag section: Use this section to list links to Technorati pages that are tagged with a list of good key terms relevant to your news release.
Social bookmarking section: In this section, provide links to any of your relevant purpose-built del.icio.us pages. You could also provide links to relevant pages on Digg.com or any other social bookmarking and crowd-sourced news sites.
Sharing and commenting: In addition to the sections listed above, you should also make it as easy as possible for your readers to share or bookmark your release in any number of ways. Allowing visitors to comment on your news release makes it truly interactive.
Social media section: If you don't have a social media newsroom to refer your readers to, you should consider adding a section to your news release that lists where you have a presence in the social Web. Link to your profiles in places like MySpace, Facebook, Squidoo, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, etc.
Creating your news releases using a blogging platform like WordPress makes it easy to incorporate the additional social media optimizing features. Commenting is already built in, and there are a number of good plugins for adding Technorati tags to WordPress posts and for social bookmarking, among other features.
Check out some social media news release examples here:
http://owenegertonnewsroom.com/?p=54
http://www.shiftcomm.com/Web20Releases/6102008.html
http://www.puresoapboxnewsroom.com/?p=13
http://www.hiddenlandsofnodnewsroom.com/hiddenlandsofnod/?p=33
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Generally, these additional elements include:
* Multimedia items, such as downloadable images, PDF/DOC files, or audio/video files.
* A way for readers to comment directly on the news release content.
* An obvious and easy way for readers to bookmark the news release in social bookmarking sites, or to share it via email.
* Technorati tags and links to purpose-built del.icio.us pages.
If you or your business produce online or email press releases regularly, you should be utilizing social media news releases. Like everything else on the Internet today, there is an expectation that content will be interactive, easily shared, and will offer sources to similar information. If your news releases do not live up to these expectations, your chances for major media coverage may be hurt. It's fairly simple to create your own social media releases, or you can use a service like PRWeb. And, since a social media news release is just a traditional release with added elements, you do not need to change your present format, just include some additional sections. These added elements include:
Multimedia section: Here you will offer a number of downloadable items, including PDF or Word documents, such as book excerpts, advanced reviews, white papers, brochures, etc., and images, like author photos, company executive photos, book cover art, company logos. Also provide any relevant podcasts and video clips in this section.
Technorati tag section: Use this section to list links to Technorati pages that are tagged with a list of good key terms relevant to your news release.
Social bookmarking section: In this section, provide links to any of your relevant purpose-built del.icio.us pages. You could also provide links to relevant pages on Digg.com or any other social bookmarking and crowd-sourced news sites.
Sharing and commenting: In addition to the sections listed above, you should also make it as easy as possible for your readers to share or bookmark your release in any number of ways. Allowing visitors to comment on your news release makes it truly interactive.
Social media section: If you don't have a social media newsroom to refer your readers to, you should consider adding a section to your news release that lists where you have a presence in the social Web. Link to your profiles in places like MySpace, Facebook, Squidoo, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, etc.
Creating your news releases using a blogging platform like WordPress makes it easy to incorporate the additional social media optimizing features. Commenting is already built in, and there are a number of good plugins for adding Technorati tags to WordPress posts and for social bookmarking, among other features.
Check out some social media news release examples here:
http://owenegertonnewsroom.com/?p=54
http://www.shiftcomm.com/Web20Releases/6102008.html
http://www.puresoapboxnewsroom.com/?p=13
http://www.hiddenlandsofnodnewsroom.com/hiddenlandsofnod/?p=33
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2012年8月11日 星期六
The Cutting Edge of Miami Video Production
Today information technologies and the Internet are driving things and becoming incrementally integrated in every sphere of life. People all around the globe browse through the Internet to find information, products and services. Business owners in their turn become seriously interested in online marketing and start offering their services and goods on the Internet, creating numerous websites dealing with their production. Nowadays everything can be bought, sold and offered online. The benefits of your company being represented on the Internet are evident. Choosing the right, most appealing and professionally done web presence is the key gateway to success.
As far as traditional ways of media presence such as radio, newspapers and magazines are no longer popular and effective, business owners start to turn their eyes on web video presentation. Therefore, the companies offering HD media solutions are getting more and more in demand among companies concerned abo ut their successful and professional web presentation.
If you are looking for a video production company Miami, Florida, please welcome to the company that has shaken the world media industry owing to its creative and innovative video projects. High Definition broadband movies produced by BeanoVision Productions have completely and irreversibly conquered the hearts of millions of media experts and simple amateurs worldwide.
BeanoVision Productions is a relatively young, created in 2003, video production company in Florida, Miami. However, the company is rapidly developing and is now considered the most prospective and innovative all over the United States, with a large clientele all around the world.
BeanoVision Productions is always on the cutting edge of video technology. The company is successfully striving for the leadership on Miami video production market by exercising unique and creative approach to every project, large or small. Our team of highly professional video produces is always ready to assist you even in your most daring desires and offer only the highest quality service, using the latest High Definition Video, Photography & Web Technology.
We suggest 3 major video solutions to select from:
Business solutions
Television advertising
VIP event coverage
We offer 3D animation and graphic design, professional digital photography, appealing script writing, original music composition, the most updated and advanced technologies - all to make your corporate presentation, marketing DVD or web video unique and outstanding. Explore our immense opportunities to build your companys brand and showcase it to the rest of the world! Well-crafted infomercial is the engine of your companys promotion. Exclusive TV advertising is our long suit. Each kind of TV presentation from standard commercials, long and short infomercials up to video news releases becomes a powerful marketing tool and a real masterpiece in our hands. We will not only capture the customers attention but also make it almost irresistible for him to pick up the phone and start ordering. Turning potential leads into real buyers is a piece of cake for BeanoVision Productions. Professional HD video filming of corporate events, birthdays, weddings and other special event s complemented by custom DVD packaging and duplication will not leave you indifferent.
Our professionals are working to make your website catching and appealing to your potential customers, to foster the dynamic development and sweeping expansion of BeanoVision Productions, and finally, to bring closer the day when we will proudly call ourselves the number 1 video production company Florida.
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2012年8月10日 星期五
The Multiple Benefits Of Video Conference In Business Training
In this age of fast-paced technology, video conference seems to be the unique way of conducting corporate training sessions. The conferencing services let multiple participants to converse with each other throughout live session, regardless of their location. For large-scale companies, who are in the process of high hiring ratio, such video conferencing services can help them curtailing the new hire orientation cost and cost of conducting session across several locations at the same time. Well, the good news is that, video conference is not just limited or confined to IT sectors, rather it has spread its wings in the arena of education, medical, finance and other sectors as well. Let's take a note of what good this video conferencing services serve when it comes to managing business training and related purpose.
Knowledge sharing across organizations- video conference appears as the right way to facilitate fresher, gain specialization in their job skills from specialized people. For instance, if a big company or corporate firms feel like imparting training to their worldwide employees for the launch of new products in the market, there seems no better option than the web video conference. Frankly speaking, it seems really tough to assimilate all the workers from different work places in short time and through such system, the required workers group can gain knowledge accordingly. There are some workshops, which offer training across various locations via HD video conferencing. This arguably helps in increasing productivity alongside employee satisfaction.
Satisfaction of Employee- The employee who is being involved in new hire orientation program has to tour across different locations offering the same content. This not only hampers the work life balance of the employee, but also make work atmosphere dull for him. With the help of such conferencing, an employee can deliver contents to the new hire worldwide same time and thus creates a robust professional work ambience. Thus conferencing service not only reduce the business cost but also help increasing the revenue of the firm.
Good for training providers- Some corporate firms offer corporate training where trainers are required to traverse all across the world. Here video conference comes to a great rescue, conducting the same session to various corporates at the same time. Since, video conference appears as the most effective and smartest communication tool, it seems equally important to use it in a professional manner. It is good to consult the technician experts prior to buying video conferencing solutions as the whole setup is not an easy one. However, there are multiple factors to be taken into consideration and it is necessary to ensure that your system is perfect otherwise it could suddenly breakdown in the middle of the process. Find out adequate time to learn about its operation, maintenance, and other necessary things prior installing. There are plentiful options, which you can get for your video conferencing equipment, so the wise thing would be to study every minute details of the technology. This will help you in offering top-notch services and professional presentation in the long term without being stuck in major issues.
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