Your Audience DOES Count!: Writing From the Consumer’s Point of View
Crafting a press release involves a delicate balance between promotion and impartial reporting.
It’s a challenging task to promote your company or client while ensuring media and the public receive the information.
In this role, you must juggle two conflicting objectives: shaping a positive narrative for your client and delivering unbiased news to media outlets.
The ultimate goal is to cater to the audience’s needs.
When people tune into the news on various platforms, they expect quality journalism and relevant information that impacts their lives.
While editorial biases are common, news should ideally remain objective and factual. A press release usually originates from an entity seeking to publicize its activities.
The newsworthiness of your content determines whether it gets published.
To gauge the relevance of your news, put yourself in the audience’s shoes. Consider what matters to them and how your story affects their lives.
Align your content with the audience’s interests to increase its appeal to editors.
Identify your target audience before crafting your message.
Whether you’re announcing a new business venture or organizing a community event, tailor your approach to resonate with the intended recipients.
Connect every detail in your press release to your audience’s experiences. Show them how the information will impact them in the present or future.
Ensure that each piece of news serves a purpose and engages the readers effectively.
When highlighting key issues, focus on what you want the audience to take away from your message.
Whether you’re sharing upcoming developments or improving the company’s reputation, prioritize the most critical aspects to deliver a compelling narrative.
If you’re tasked with garnering media coverage without a clear direction, explore different angles and choose the most impactful and appealing ones.
Select the most significant activities or achievements to showcase, as not every piece of information will make it to publication.
Editors have limited space, so be selective in what you submit. Highlight the most important aspects of your client’s initiatives to increase the chances of publication.
Quality over quantity is key when crafting a press release.
When a company intends to announce details about a new product or service, it’s essential to keep the information straightforward and easy to understand.
Focus on how the product or service will benefit the reader without delving into technical jargon. Save the intricate details for future advertisements.
Editors often face the challenge of sifting through piles of press releases that lack newsworthiness.
To make your press release stand out, ensure that it is new local, unique, relevant, and significant.
Select the most newsworthy topics related to your company to capture the editor’s attention.
Consider the audience’s perspective when crafting your message.
Avoid overwhelming readers with too much information and ensure that your key ideas are presented clearly and cohesively.
Remember that the average news audience consists of middle-aged, married, white-collar workers who consume news on the go.
Make your press release reader-friendly by avoiding complex language and convoluted sentences.
Keep your message concise and to the point to maintain the reader’s interest.
Emulate the straightforward style of writing advocated by Andy Rooney, prioritizing clarity over unnecessary complexity.
Ultimately, the goal is to deliver news in a clear, engaging manner that resonates with your audience.
By simplifying your language, organizing your message effectively, and focusing on the reader’s needs, you can increase the impact of your press release and improve its chances of being noticed.
When crafting a press release, it’s crucial to maintain objectivity in your writing. Avoid using subjective adjectives like “best,” “only,” “exciting,” or “dull.”
Instead of saying, “The mayor lives in an expensive house,” opt for a more neutral tone like, “The mayor’s house is estimated at $500,000.”
If you must give an opinion, attribute it to a specific individual, such as in the: “‘This is by far the best product we’ve released to date,’ said Corporation X’s Vice President, Steven Smith.”
Refrain from making sweeping statements without a direct quote.
Steer clear of stereotypes, whether related to gender, ethnicity, or other sensitive topics. Be mindful of societal issues like a woman’s marital status or appearance.
Always consider if the information would be relevant if reporting about a man to avoid unintentionally alienating readers.
Follow three key principles when writing for your audience: simplicity, clarity, and fairness.
Consider if your press release is easy to understand, uses neutral employment titles, appeals to a broad audience, and addresses potential reader questions.
Ensure the timing of your disclosure is appropriate and focus on essential information that will interest your client in the near future.
Strive for a concise message that can be easily understood without unnecessary deciphering.
By adhering to these guidelines, your press release will resonate as a genuine news story, free from bias or promotional fluff.
Seek feedback from others to ensure your writing maintains objectivity and credibility.
By upholding ethical standards and presenting information in an unbiased manner, you can build trust with your audience and increase the effectiveness of your press release campaign.
Tempting With Teasers: A Tantalizing Taste of the “Less-Is-More” Theory
If there’s one thing an editor hates to read, it’s a dull press release that rambles on about unimportant information.
Your primary function as a direct extension of the news staff is to relay significant news to the editor so that he or she can pass it along to their readers.
However, the content you send should not only be worthy of valuable space in the publication, but should also include an irresistible factor as well.
Making your news alluring can be done in two different ways.
Either the information alone is something the audience can’t live without knowing, or you make it seem that way.
News that stands on its own two feet is of paramount concern to the entire community.
This includes national coverage of worldwide issues, and major tragedies and triumphs.
A lawsuit involving Sam’s Software might be interesting to the local consumers, but a lawsuit against Microsoft will be of great interest. Why?
Because Microsoft produces a product that is internationally utilized in almost every business in the world.
Sam’s Software doesn’t have the recognition that Microsoft does.
If your client’s news isn’t exactly a top-of-the-hour headline, you’ll need to draw your audience into your world, where the news you’re presenting is of utmost importance.
How can you do this? By tempting your readers into learning more. You don’t do this by giving them a “shotgun” lead, as it’s known throughout the Journalism field.
A shotgun lead is a method of introduction for a story where the writer immediately tries to cram as much information as he can into the very first sentence.
In this instance, the reader might as well stop reading after that first sentence, since you’ve already placed your cards on the table.
While you want to tempt your reader, you also want to avoid delaying relevant information by asking them a question.
Unless the publication is a lighthearted, human-interest outlet, then it’s best to avoid question leads in a news publication.
To offer your audience a more thrilling read, try using a suspenseful lead to lure them into the rest of the text.
But to do this, you must maintain an honest approach and a high degree of integrity.
For example: “Sheriff Patterson realized Monday morning, that something was amiss, when he answered a call from a two-year old Labrador Retriever.”
This lead hints at the events that took place, and makes the reader want to continue to find out how a dog called the police station, why it called, and what happened after Sheriff Patterson answered the phone.
If you were writing it as a shotgun lead, it might read like this: “Sheriff Patterson received a call Monday morning from a Labrador Retriever, who was trained to push the automatic 911 button on its owner’s phone.”
A lead like this tells us that the dog was trained prior to the event, on how to dial the emergency number, so chances are, the owner had an on-going ailment of some sort.
A reader might continue on to find out what happened, but it’s pretty much all summed up in the first sentence.
It’s just a matter of whether or not you want to read a story about a canine hero.
The “Less-Is-More” theory doesn’t necessarily mean fewer words – just less information.
Of course, it’s always good to keep your verbiage down to a minimum for the editor’s sake, and to increase your chances of publication.
But less information means teasing your audience with good things to come.
Another method of luring the reader into devouring your story is by shock value. This doesn’t mean offensive, just shocking.
There’s a difference between the two that is as important as any other factor in developing your press release.
Offensive would be anything your audience would possibly be angry with you for printing, such as explicit language or graphic details or pictures.
You’ll notice in your local paper, if a story is written about a crime or particularly gruesome accident, a warning will precede the article.
This warns readers of vivid details, so that if they prefer to skip that information, they can.
It’s better to forewarn your audience, rather than sneaking the text in, and then hearing about it later.
Some publications and news shows, unintentionally offend their viewers by reporting on a community’s dislike for a certain establishment, for instance, while showing graphic scenes directly into the homes of the viewer.
Shocking, on the other hand, heightens the reader’s initial reaction, but explains the information throughout the rest of the story.
A shocking example might be the following: “Ten high school students were pulled from the wreckage of an overturned truck Tuesday morning, as firefighters scrambled to bring them to safety.”
“I loved it,” said Jessica Smith, her head encased in a thick bed of bandages. The reader is thinking – “She loved it?”
But the next sentence goes on to say… “The Mothers Against Drunk Drivers Association sponsored the event, which demonstrates how drinking and driving affects al of those around us.”
Ah. Now the reader knows the event was a hoax.
No children were really injured, and we can see how Jessica would be enthusiastic about participating in such an impacting display.
You do have to be careful when working with teaser leads, however. Sometimes they can backfire.
If your reader is in a hurry, he or she might be irritated that they wasted even a few valuable seconds on a false setup.
Others will be grateful for the deviation from the standard news format, and will appreciate the relief that comes from knowing it wasn’t a bad accident after all.
Look to your intended media target to find out what lead style the editorial staff prefers, or adheres to.
If you don’t see any leeway from the basic factual lead intro, then stay with what works for that particular publication.
In the example above, you would rephrase it to read: “Mothers Against Drunk Drivers sponsored a lifelike wreckage scene at Cross County High School Tuesday morning to demonstrate the ill effects of drinking and driving.”
Whatever method you use to entice your audience into reading the rest of your story, do it fairly and honestly.
Don’ trick a reader into thinking a story is about one subject, only to have them discover it’s really about something totally different.
Make your teaser intrigue and attract readers, but stay away from misleading them or giving away too much information on your news from the beginning.
Give it an unexpected twist or turn to add a bit of the unexpected to your piece. Your teaser should prepare the audience for what’s to come.
Never start your piece in a positive light, only to take a dark tone later on in the body of the press release.
An example of this might be: “Patterson Industries will open a new location on the East Cost this summer. Unfortunately, this means 15,000 jobs will disappear from ourcounty in late August.”
Tell your readers from the start if the news if good or bad – especially if it has a profound impact on the lives of the citizens who are reading it.
Your intro should indicate the tone of the piece following the first sentence.
A teaser can be introduced at any point in the story, but the text following it should directly relate back to the teaser.
Don’t open with a teaser and then not explain it until three paragraphs later.
Your reader will be frustrated trying to find the information, or lost once he stumbles upon it, and can’t recall what it’s referring to.
This is called a trick lead, and your audience will hate you for it.
The premise here is that if you tempt them right away, then they’ll be willing to read the rest of the story just to find out three-quarters of the way down the page, what they thought they were going to find out in the beginning.
It defers crucial facts, and shouldn’t be used to enhance your message. It might end up bringing you a disaster.
The “Less-Is-More” theory can best be effectively used if you can find a unique method of enticing your audience, but immediately following, answer the riddle you placed before them.
It breaks the monotony of the standard news format, but quenches their desire for the basic facts.
You intentions in writing a provocative teaser are to try to make the reader choose your story over someone else’s, and to spend some time in your story before they leave.
On average, readers spend only 20-30 minutes per day consuming news.
Break that down to each section they open, and every page, and the chances of them actually reading your entire story are slim to none at best.
Make sure you follow the guidelines below to increase the stretch of time readers spend learning more about your article’s contents.
• Do I have a unique angle to offer my readers?
• Have I given everything away from the beginning, or is there more to tell once they sit down with the bulk of my content?
• Is my intro offensive to any group of people?
• Does my intro lead the reader to the next sentence, or halfway down the page?
• Have I made my intro as interesting as possible, while focusing on the main idea of my story?
• Did I mislead the readers, or does my intro accurately reflect what it’s about?
If your press release allows for a minimal amount of teaser touting, your readership will increase as the audience anxiously awaits your next bit of information.
If you overdo it, though, they might view you as someone who doesn’t provide them with professional news quickly enough.
Tantalizing teasers have more to do with how you present your information than what your information actually is.
The bad thing is, you don’t really have control over how your ideas are ultimately presented to the audience. The editor of the publication has full control over that.
And he or she will ensure that the publication is uniform in how it delivers its news to the public.
Your most valuable source of direction, then, is to get a hold of an actual recent publication, and write your intros in the same format.
This development also has a lot t do with what medium you choose to send your press release to.
If it’s the newspaper, chances are, they’ll follow the basic Five W format of leading into a story.
However, if the release is being sent to a local television station, the producers will almost definitely lead with a teaser.
They’ll tempt the audience right before a commercial, hoping they don’t change channels in the meantime, and then again once they return from their break, as they dive into the story itself.
One difference between the paper media and print media is the way they promote their stories.
In a paper, the headlines are front and center – readily available as the very first thing a reader sees and consumes.
But in a news show on television, the best is saved for last.
Time after time, you’ll hear the broadcaster say, “Coming up next,” but next doesn’t happen until 55 minutes into the show.
It’s a way to make sure you stick with their channel, and they do it because they can. A paper makes its money selling advertisements no matter what.
Once the paper is sold, it’s a done deal. But a broadcast station has to keep you tuned in for the entire timeslot so that you’ll see their advertiser’s commercials.
Use your teasers sparingly, but effectively, and you’ll find the public has fun with your piece, and might take the action you desire on your product or services.
If you feel better sticking with what’s safe, the adhere to the Five W’s, and allow the editor to come up with a more enticing lead.
Go To Profit from Press Releases Part 1
Go To Profit from Press Releases Part 2
Go To Profit from Press Releases Part 4
Go To Profit from Press Releases Part 5
