How
should you start your press release?
Will
you lead with:
·
A
question that invites interest?
· Provocative stats that alarm people?
·
Wild
predictions of something big?
·
Bold
statements that demand attention?
·
Major
accusations against a known entity, person, or institution?
·
A
confession or secret exposed?
·
A
joke, quote, or fact?
Your
opening salvo is so, so important. The
media has no time to waste and reads things quickly and abruptly skimming for certain ideas, terms, or
concepts. They need to know right away,
without bullshit or fluff, what exactly are you offering them? So be straight to the point, but be bold,
confident, and creative.
Don’t
bury a big reveal or your most shocking element.
See the first paragraph or two of your press release as the key real
estate to win the media over. They will
stop reading if you haven’t lured them in early on.
I
would suggest that when you look to put a media pitch together that you jot
down key points that you want to make.
They don’t initially have to be in any particular order. They don’t have to be complete sentences or
even spelled correctly and written in a consistent tense. Just free think. Let the ideas pour out.
Then,
after your mind dump releases your ideas, facts, and questions, begin to
arrange them in an order of priority.
Piece them together like a puzzle.
One thing should lead to another.
Cut out the least important stuff.
Go light on details. A pitch is
just a teaser – something to alert the media there’s a good story, but not so
detailed as to tell the entire story.
Your
introductory paragraph sets the pace for the rest of the press release. It dictates what will be discussed and in
what style. Are you pitching a news
story? A human interest piece? A profile piece? Your first paragraph will tell all.
Your press release breaks down into these parts:
·
Headline
– keep it short and snazzy
·
Subheadline
– supports the headline
·
Image/Photo
·
Opening
two paragraphs
·
A
quote or two from you
·
5
to 6 bullet points reflecting key messages
·
Concluding
paragraph that summarizes things
How
you start off will dictate if they read any further or want to follow up with
you. Once you craft your press release,
go and read it as if hearing it for the first time. Do those first few paragraphs really grab
your attention? Are they the strongest
things you can possibly say? If yes is the
answer, then put your pen down and send it out.
DON”T MISS THESE!!!
How authors get their book marketing
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So what
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Should
You Promote Your Book By Yourself?
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No. 1 Book Publicity Resource: 2019
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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative
opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone
and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him
on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels
much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2019. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in
Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and
IBPA’s Independent. This was named one of the best book
marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the
top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best
resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.
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