Press Releases SHARING NEWSWORTHY INFORMATION

Bad News…  Read the article from the Economist and discuss following questions with a neighbor:  What is the issue?  If you were in charge of PR at Marriott, what would you do to respond to this bad news?

What is a Press release?  Communication piece written to share newsworthy information with a target market.

What do press releases do?  Press releases…..  Share details  Reflecting opinions and facts  Quotes from leaders at the organisation …to convey a meaningful message

Ultimate goal of Press Realeases  Get your news in The News  Connect with target market  Promote events  Share information  Educate  Give customer service news  Attract new customers  Build connections with existing contacts

 Who?  What?  When?  Where?  Why?  How?  Who cares?

Origin of Press Releases  Originally intended to provide the press with a short, preapproved messages, so journalist could write an article about the news.  Better control of public news  Journalists liked “just the fact” format

 Not only for press  Not only written by companies

Steps in writing a Press Release THE CASE OF THE LANDON HOTEL

Step one: picking a newsworthy topic Be clear on your “ why ”.

What is “newsworthy”?  Announcements  Events  Educational information  Product launches  Reaction to other news  Event of influence

 Focus on educating your target market.  Focus on helping your target market.

Marketing + Education Mark ed ing

Step 2: Clarifying who your press release is about.  Organization  Event  Person  Product  Response to media

Who is the release for?  Local media?  Investors?  Customers?  Event planners?

Who? Event planners Local organizations

Step 3: What message is critical to the reader?  In case of the Landon Hotel:  specifics

What? on the brainstorm sheet  Specifics: o Up to 35 people o Whiteboard o Wi-Fi o Projector and 60- inch LCD monitor o Business center o Full concierge support

Step 4: focus on the when? In your release  Keep releases new and relevant  Include call-to-actions

Step 5: Clarify the “where” if the release is location specific or there is a call to action. Where? Landonhotel.com

Step 6: Defining the “why” gives a press release meaning.  Define the why(s ) through a Marketing point of view.  Press releases are about serving the recipient.  Keep “whys” authentic in the quote of a release.

Step 7: The “ how ” of a release weaves action into the content  “How” examples  Attend an event  Visit an website  Watch a video  Visit or call a store location

 Usually at the end of a press release

Step 8: The “ who cares ” is the glue that ties the release together  Is deeply connected with the “why”  Why should your target reader care?

Writing the Press Release PRACTICAL STEPS

Press Release Title  First thing the reader sees!  Make your title count  Keep it short  One line

Most important part of the release  Press Release Titles are:  Factual  Descriptive  Capture attention  Large Font

Title and subhead  Be specific as possible  Use the subhead for more infos:  Keep subheads to no more than 2 lines

Using quotes  Quotes should support the release, provide insight, and tell a story.  Quotes give the media approved statements to use in stories based off the release.  Quotes should include  Who is saying it  Their role in the organization  Don’t quote for the sake of quoting!

Using quotes  Quote used in the Landon Hotel release:

Crafting the body  Get to your point immediately  Keep your release educational and authentic

The Boilerplate  A short organizational statement that is approved for the media to use if they want to say more about your company in a story they are writing:  Who your organization is  What you do  Whom you serve

Boilerplate of The Landon Hotel