Public Relations Tips You Can't Live Without

News Releases

Editors can get dozens or even hundreds of press releases every day. Most end up in the trash can.

Have the 5 W's and an H - Include who, what, why, when, where and how.

Think about your story from the journalists' point of view - Remember that journalists write stories not reports. Think about what they think the real story is - and what their viewers and readers want to know.

Use the inverted pyramid and don't bury your lead - An upside-down pyramid is a visual representation of the journalist's mission to put the most important information at the top. A lead is the opening of the article or news release and it should contain the main point you are trying to make. (When in doubt, try reducing your main point to 25 words or less and use that for your lead.)

Write clear and concise copy - Split any compound/complex sentences into two or more shorter sentences. Try to limit paragraphs to no more than two or three sentences each.

Back up your facts - You may be able to take data that you gather about your work and use that as statistics to support your material. For example, did calls about a particular topic go up or down this past year? Are their trends up or down? Local numbers will have more meaning than national statistics, but use national statistics if you need to.

Include contact information and a release date - Pick a date for your news release when you are sure that your contact people will be available to provide additional information and do interviews. Expect journalists to ask you for the names of people willing to speak on the topic.

Letters to the Editor

Know the criteria and format - Make sure you follow newspaper requirements for letters to the editor. If you don't conform to the criteria, your chances of being published drop dramatically.

Know who to send letters to - It's not always the editor of the paper, so make sure you check out the name and title of the person responsible for letters to the editor.

Keep your focus - Letters to the editor are a great place to raise an issue and offer comments that wouldn't be acceptable in a news release. Limit the points you make so you get your message across.

Be careful about sending to multiple publications - The media likes to have "exclusives." Two publications in the same town do not want to publish the same letters. Vary your letters by rearranging and rewording paragraphs. Sending to multiple papers that don't share the same readers or compete with each other is okay.

Opinion Editorials, or Op-Ed Pieces

A great issue opportunity - Op-ed pieces are commentary pieces written by third parties rather than the reporters or other staff.

Say what you think - An op-ed is your chance to speak - directly and unfiltered - to target audiences. Your piece needs to be well thought out and grounded with facts and examples.

Check the policy - Different publications have different rules about op-ed pieces.

The author is critical for an op-ed piece - People with recognizable names or prominent positions in your community are more likely to have their articles published.

Length matters - If your letter is too long, it is likely to be heavily edited by the publication. A good guideline is 750 words.

Be careful about sending to multiple publications - As with letters to the editor, don't send identical pieces to two publications in the same town. Vary your piece by rearranging and rewording paragraphs. Sending to multiple papers that don't share the same readers or compete with each other is okay.

Other Ideas

Be an expert resource. Offer your services as an expert, and let reporters know what types of issues you can comment on. A word of caution: If you offer, be sure you can deliver. News reporters have very short production times so you need to available (or at least reachable) on short notice.

Develop a list of most frequently asked questions about your issues or industry. Give the list to the media and offer to answer questions on television or the radio.

Ask a local morning radio show to feature an "Ask an Expert" segment once a month. Arrange for experts from your organization to respond to caller questions live on the air.

Follow up on national stories by sending national stories to local reporters with a note (or calling them) to suggest a local angle.

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