There’s no such thing as free publicity. Even mentions in the media, which many business people see as the Holy Grail of business promotional opportunities that may not technically cost money usually have many hours of time invested in making them happen. Securing media publicity is often about having great connections and business owners can boost their chances here by using LinkedIn or other social media, such as Twitter, to make connections with freelance journalists, bloggers and staff writers for the types of publication you would like to see your business promoted.

But once you’ve got the connections…what next?

Creating a Media Release About Your Business

An effective media release is typically a one-page document that clearly details the core aspects of what you do and how it is relevant and important to the readers of a specific publication. In other words, when a journo or editor reads your media release, the first thing they are thinking is ‘why should my readers care?’

Give them a reason to care and you’re off to a good start.

Coming up with ideas for media releases isn’t as daunting as it sounds. Ideas are all around you if you know where to look.

Seasonal triggers can be a good starting point. If there is a national day that may be relevant to your business – think Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, as well as all the cause-specific days that are on the calendar each year and trigger specific stories about particular issues and events – plan well in advance to pitch to the relevant media. Remember that many monthly magazines have a very long lead time to plan content. Your ideas about getting a Christmas-related story in your favourite magazine? It’s something you probably need to pitch in July. Even daily newspapers that have specific sections within the paper often plan content weeks in advance. Being prepared is always a good business strategy!

Linda Reed Enever is an experienced PR professional who runs Media Connections – a place where business people can connect with bloggers, journalists and other media professionals and promote their media releases.

According to Linda, “most business owners tell me they don’t know what to write in a release when often the next idea is right in front of them”.

Linda’s tips?

“Your next media release is often hiding inside your day,” she says.

“Your customers and clients work with you and buy from you for a reason. Those reasons are your news and your story.”

Where to look for your next release idea:

• Today's Paper your next story idea maybe in there
• Your blog – the story you tell your clients if often news
• Your Newsletter
• Your competitors what are they saying and doing?
• What is your staff talking about? Is there an industry trend or topic making office gossip?
• The questions your clients are asking – can you answer them in a release that educates the public?

Linda’s Challenge: Take a look at what is happening in your day and find a story!

How To Create an Effective Media Release

Writing a media or press release can seem like a big job but with the following tips, and perhaps professional help from a copywriter, you will be well on your way to creating your release and, potentially, connecting with the media.

• Start with a great headline.  This should be a short and snappy attention-grabber. It should include points from your release and sum up its subject.

• The first paragraph is called ‘the lead’. It is the most important part of the release and should contain the strongest key message.  This is where the who, what, when, where, and why of the story lives.

• Journalists and Editors see lots of releases and may not read beyond the first paragraph, so it is important that it contains all the necessary and relevant information.

• After the lead, make sure that remaining paragraph is less important than the one that precedes it. When your release is written this way, the story can, if necessary, be trimmed from the bottom up.

• It’s important to keep each paragraph self-contained. Regardless of how many paragraphs are deleted, the story should still make complete sense.

• Keep your media release to one page (maximum 400 -500 words). The aim is to encourage a reporter to pursue your story. You don’t want them to feel bored or overwhelmed. A good media release is all about capturing attention.

• Finish with the Media Contact Details and the Company Boilerplate. This is your media “elevator pitch.” about your company and product offerings to a reader who may not know anything about what you do.

Linda Reed Enever’s Book of PR Tips is available from Media Connections. For more information, visit www.mediaconnections.com.au