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Answer Upon - Press Release Writing Tips To Help You Succeed
“If that was the problem, why didn’t she come to me directly?”These are the words of a distraught boss who lost Sarah, his highest performing sales rep to another company. The reason: more money, more opportunity and extra time off to go to Texas to see her ailing mother.The boss, a hotel owner didn’t want to lose Sarah. In fact, he had just invested in sending Sarah to a mandatory training in Atlanta and now he was losing her. Had he known she was quitting he wouldn’t have sent her to the training.As he scratched his head wondering why Sarah didn’t approach him before taking another job, the boss made a deal he thought Sarah couldn’t decline: more money, an extra week off and a better office.Of course, he made the offer through his Sales Director who had to tell the boss the bad news: Sarah declined the new offer.The boss never knew Sarah was lying. Sara didn’t quit because of a better opportunity, she quit because her boss was a jerk.Sarah was planning on quitting before she went to Atlanta. In an interview Sarah told me how she felt about her boss.No one ever got a pat on the back.People were constantly fired without explanation.There was no training and no employee hand book.He has no compassion and no one ever knows what to expect.It was miserable working for him and I knew I had to get out.These are words straight from the horse’s mouth…(the horse being Sarah, who is now happily employed elsewhere) with a boss she respects.Sarah’s boss will never know the truth about why she quit because when you don’t trust someone you won’t be truthful with them.There are about seven things that employees won’t tell their bosses, and the number one thing is the real reason they are quitting. In Gallup poles, research suggests that no other variable directly affects an employee’s productivity than his relationship with his boss. The number one reason an employee quits is because of the direct relationship with his supervisor, and in Sarah’s case, it was her relationship with her boss that tipped her over the edge. When will we catch on that relationships do impact the bottom line?
Many Companies go through changes. Management changes, product changes, service changes or other changes. To not have something to write about, in most companies would be rare. Do you have a hot new service you are now providing? Do you have a great new service you plan to offer coming up in the future that you would like to inform the public of? Do you have some new widget that you are importing that no one else has? Are you hiring some new executive from a Fortune 500 Company that will add an asset to your Company? These are just a few ideas to keep in mind.
Some of our customers have found using a combination of our Mass Media Distribution press distribution type once a month, combined with a lower level of distribution at a second time within the same month to work well for them.
Although some new shoe string budget Companies may find a press release expensive, in the grand scale of marketing, the cost of a well written press release may go a long ways! This type of marketing may reach further than any other type of advertising method
As long as you have a good story to tell that will be interesting to the general public and of course editors and journalists, a press release may also be viewed as a way of brand marketing. People will begin to recognize your Company in the news. This being said, we do stress that you should have a story to tell. All to often we come across those who send out weekly press releases with no story to tell. These types of Companies will eventually become tuned out by editors and journalists.
Section 6 – Images In Your Press Release
If you are in the position to be able to include an image
There is a big debate in the truck washing industry currently in whether it is better to go totally automatic with a mechanical robotic truck wash system and equipment or used human labor and hand washing to clean all the trucks. If you ask a truck driver or a trucking company they would prefer a hand wash because the job comes out better and because less things are broken such as mirrors, fittings and rubber components which get hurt from the chemicals that are used.We human labor and hand washing the chemicals cannot be that harsh otherwise they cannot work with them. This also means that nothing will be discolored such as aluminum fuel tanks or rubber and plastics. In 2002 I did a research project on the industry and I found Inter-clean Corp. to have the best equipment at the time. But a lot can happen in 4 years right?However, if you are considering starting a truck wash then why not call them and get all the brochures and talk to some of these folks and see for yourself. Remember truck washing equipment can run up to 200 thousand dollars and if you are just starting out it might be best to hire College Kids, athletes from school and do all the truck washing by hand, but leave room to build a half unit later to do trailers only with a machine for speed and the rest by hand, you would not piss off the truck drivers or get a bad reputation. Consider this in 2006.
We cannot stress enough the importance of a well written press release.
While you are writing your press release, keep your target audience in mind. At the same time, keep in mind that part of your audience will be an editor, reporter or journalist. This is important as these are the individuals that if they like your story, will publish it giving you another arm of exposure.
Ensure that the first paragraph of your press release answers the important questions such as Who, What, When Where and Why. You have one sentence not to loose the editor/journalist.
The content within your press release should be accurate, easily readable and to the point. A well written press release does not need to be a novel. Remember the point of a press release is to entice the reader or journalist to contact you for further information. You do not need to tell your Companies entire life history. In fact, shorter press releases (usually between 175 – 300 words) tend to receive more exposure, if written well. Why? Because many trade publication journalists may be looking for a short informative piece of information to fill a spot within a magazine, paper or web site. Have you ever seen short snip-its within the side of a magazine, or down the side of the page on a web site. Guess where the information comes from.
A carefully written and informative press release will be sure to capture the eyes of journalists. Make sure you take your time, and edit your release carefully.
Section 2 – Do Not Embellish or Exaggerate Your Press Release Grammar
As we already know a well written press release, with perfect timing will give you the exposure everyone is looking and hoping for.
Now that you have written your press release, submitted it for distribution and are receiving phone calls and emails about it, you will no doubt have some questions to be answered.
If your press release is written with embellishments, you will very quickly lose credibility. Keep in mind, that this loss of credibility will also carry over to future press releases. Journalists will remember a source. They will remember a name. They will remember a web site. If you leave a bad taste in their mouth, they will remember this experience. This means the next time you submit a press release, which may be accurate the second time around, will not be looked at by a journalist that remembers you as someone that will embellish a story. Do not embellish or exaggerate your press release.
Make sure if you are using facts and figures to enhance your story, that you provide sources of these numbers where you can. The reason for this is simple. It adds credibility. If you publish figures or information, even though the information is accurate, people may go with the theory “it must be to good to be true”. Again, although completely innocent, may lead to appear stretching the truth. And again, this will lead to your press release possibly being overlooked in the future.
If the information is true, and you cannot back it up, if possible go conservative and inform them when they contact you. This may not always be possible, but remember, you do not want to turn a journalist/editor off.
Section 3 – Grammar
Please make sure that your press release has been read, edited and re-read before submission. A poorly written press release will be a very fast turn off for any journalist or editor. A poorly written press release will also be a negative reflection for any Company.
By doing so, you will be able to catch any grammatical errors. Although some of the best writers will occasionally miss grammatical errors or typos, by making sure you read, edit and re-read your press release, you drastically reduce the chance for error.
Print your press release. By printing your press release and reading a paper copy, you are more likely to catch any errors. This works great for press releases that may be a little on the longer side.
Perhaps have a coworker or friend review your press release. Sometimes another set of eyes may catch an error. Although you may have read and re-read your work, sometimes when you are extremely focused, you may tune an error out.
Wait until the morning and re-read your press release. You would not believe what a difference a night of sleep can do for you when you are writing. When your bright and fresh, re-read your press release to ensure that it is exactly how you want it.
If everything reads well and there are no errors, submit your press release for distribution.
24-7 Press Release Distribution Newswire is currently working with a couple of editors to be able to offer the writing service or editing service for your press release. Although this feature is not currently available, we are working on this for you.
Section 4 – How Often Should You Submit Your Press Release?
At 24-7 Press Release Newswire we offer many types of press release distribution ranging from basic to professional.
Our professional press release distribution is under our Mass Media Distribution program and includes press news distribution to a pool of approximately 80,000 journalists, 4000+ web sites, opt in journalists that request news to be sent directly to their inbox and of course relevant trade publications. Major web sites and trade publications include such locations as Yahoo Finance News, MSNBC, The New York Times, USA Today, Ask Jeeves, Google News amongst many others. At 24-7 Press Release, distribution is also sent to opt in feed subscribers that subscribe to pull our headlines to use as content on their web sites. When our headlines are updated, their headlines are also updated. Part of this wonderful press distribution is attributed to our partnership with PR Newswire.
Now that we have wowed you with what type of press release distribution we are capable of, we should inform you that a poorly written press release will receive pretty much no pickup. This means that although some places may actually publish your press release (not a lot of places though), if it is poorly written, it will be immediately disregarded. This also means that journalists will look at it and disregard it. They will also, more than likely disregard future press releases from the same source/Company.
What are we saying? In short, although we may provide this wonderful distribution, if it is not a well written news release, you will not receive very much feedback.
24-7 Press Release Distribution offers lower levels of press distribution that range from distribution the RSS Feed Subscribers and JavaScript feed subscribers right up to our Mass Media Distribution. View our list of press release distribution options at:
Section 5 – How Often Should You Submit Your Press Release?
We have this question asked to us many times and now have decided to finally include this bit of information within our Press Release Writing Tips section.
So how often should you submit your press release? Rule of thumb is once to twice a month. However, if you do not have any news worth mentioning, then once a month is a good rule of thumb.
Many Companies go through changes. Management changes, product changes, service changes or other changes. To not have something to write about, in most companies would be rare. Do you have a hot new service you are now providing? Do you have a great new service you plan to offer coming up in the future that you would like to inform the public of? Do you have some new widget that you are importing that no one else has? Are you hiring some new executive from a Fortune 500 Company that will add an asset to your Company? These are just a few ideas to keep in mind.
Some of our customers have found using a combination of our Mass Media Distribution press distribution type once a month, combined with a lower level of distribution at a second time within the same month to work well for them.
Although some new shoe string budget Companies may find a press release expensive, in the grand scale of marketing, the cost of a well written press release may go a long ways! This type of marketing may reach further than any other type of advertising method
As long as you have a good story to tell that will be interesting to the general public and of course editors and journalists, a press release may also be viewed as a way of brand marketing. People will begin to recognize your Company in the news. This being said, we do stress that you should have a story to tell. All to often we come across those who send out weekly press releases with no story to tell. These types of Companies will eventually become tuned out by editors and journalists.
Section 6 – Images In Your Press Release
If you are in the position to be able to include an image w
With all the inexpensive popup trade show displays on the market today, particularly on the internet, suggesting spending a little more money for a larger, heavier display may sound counter -productive. The following 5 reasons will help explain why that is not so:1) Expandability - Because most portable display truss is built in a modular fashion using easy to connect parts the display you design initially may be changed for future use. You can start with a 10' display and at a point in future (when you've discovered trade show marketing works) that very same 10' display's modular parts can be used in a new 20x20 island that looks completely new. No popup display can do this. The modular nature of truss displays allows for replacement parts to be obtained, if needed. Most popup displays require the purchase of an entirely new display or major component for repair.2) Utility - Because of the materials used truss has much greater utility that traditional displays. By combining modular truss parts constructed of steel the display you create from truss has load bearing capabilities. Now you can easily have weight carrying counter tops for computers or plasma screens. Our truss products even have specific plasma screen hanging hardware. Hang computer CRT’s, plasma screens or looped digital presentations right in traffic areas. None of the inexpensive popup displays you find on the internet today can do this.3) Portability - Modular truss systems are constructed of component parts with smaller dimensions that allows them to be packed in a small enough cases to be UPS shippable. (Larger cases are available that would allow the entire displays to be packed in one case that would be shipped by truck freight if desired.)4) Ease of Use - Modular truss systems have simple screw type connectors that allow the component parts to be assembled with the use of a simple tool (screw driver or allen wrench). Because you only put up one small piece of the display at a time it is easier to assemble for smaller people because they don't have to lift heavy weights. Some truss now available has “snap together “ components requiring no tools.5) Appearance - This is probably the biggest advantage of truss type booths. There aren't 100,000 of these systems out there that all have the same curved appearance.Truss systems are futuristic in their appearance, can be configured in numerous different ways to fill the same 10 or 20 foot booth space and using their load carrying capability c
If your press release is written with embellishments, you will very quickly lose credibility. Keep in mind, that this loss of credibility will also carry over to future press releases. Journalists will remember a source. They will remember a name. They will remember a web site. If you leave a bad taste in their mouth, they will remember this experience. This means the next time you submit a press release, which may be accurate the second time around, will not be looked at by a journalist that remembers you as someone that will embellish a story. Do not embellish or exaggerate your press release.
Make sure if you are using facts and figures to enhance your story, that you provide sources of these numbers where you can. The reason for this is simple. It adds credibility. If you publish figures or information, even though the information is accurate, people may go with the theory “it must be to good to be true”. Again, although completely innocent, may lead to appear stretching the truth. And again, this will lead to your press release possibly being overlooked in the future.
If the information is true, and you cannot back it up, if possible go conservative and inform them when they contact you. This may not always be possible, but remember, you do not want to turn a journalist/editor off.
Section 3 – Grammar
Please make sure that your press release has been read, edited and re-read before submission. A poorly written press release will be a very fast turn off for any journalist or editor. A poorly written press release will also be a negative reflection for any Company.
By doing so, you will be able to catch any grammatical errors. Although some of the best writers will occasionally miss grammatical errors or typos, by making sure you read, edit and re-read your press release, you drastically reduce the chance for error.
Print your press release. By printing your press release and reading a paper copy, you are more likely to catch any errors. This works great for press releases that may be a little on the longer side.
Perhaps have a coworker or friend review your press release. Sometimes another set of eyes may catch an error. Although you may have read and re-read your work, sometimes when you are extremely focused, you may tune an error out.
Wait until the morning and re-read your press release. You would not believe what a difference a night of sleep can do for you when you are writing. When your bright and fresh, re-read your press release to ensure that it is exactly how you want it.
If everything reads well and there are no errors, submit your press release for distribution.
24-7 Press Release Distribution Newswire is currently working with a couple of editors to be able to offer the writing service or editing service for your press release. Although this feature is not currently available, we are working on this for you.
Section 4 – How Often Should You Submit Your Press Release?
At 24-7 Press Release Newswire we offer many types of press release distribution ranging from basic to professional.
Our professional press release distribution is under our Mass Media Distribution program and includes press news distribution to a pool of approximately 80,000 journalists, 4000+ web sites, opt in journalists that request news to be sent directly to their inbox and of course relevant trade publications. Major web sites and trade publications include such locations as Yahoo Finance News, MSNBC, The New York Times, USA Today, Ask Jeeves, Google News amongst many others. At 24-7 Press Release, distribution is also sent to opt in feed subscribers that subscribe to pull our headlines to use as content on their web sites. When our headlines are updated, their headlines are also updated. Part of this wonderful press distribution is attributed to our partnership with PR Newswire.
Now that we have wowed you with what type of press release distribution we are capable of, we should inform you that a poorly written press release will receive pretty much no pickup. This means that although some places may actually publish your press release (not a lot of places though), if it is poorly written, it will be immediately disregarded. This also means that journalists will look at it and disregard it. They will also, more than likely disregard future press releases from the same source/Company.
What are we saying? In short, although we may provide this wonderful distribution, if it is not a well written news release, you will not receive very much feedback.
24-7 Press Release Distribution offers lower levels of press distribution that range from distribution the RSS Feed Subscribers and JavaScript feed subscribers right up to our Mass Media Distribution. View our list of press release distribution options at:
Section 5 – How Often Should You Submit Your Press Release?
We have this question asked to us many times and now have decided to finally include this bit of information within our Press Release Writing Tips section.
So how often should you submit your press release? Rule of thumb is once to twice a month. However, if you do not have any news worth mentioning, then once a month is a good rule of thumb.
Many Companies go through changes. Management changes, product changes, service changes or other changes. To not have something to write about, in most companies would be rare. Do you have a hot new service you are now providing? Do you have a great new service you plan to offer coming up in the future that you would like to inform the public of? Do you have some new widget that you are importing that no one else has? Are you hiring some new executive from a Fortune 500 Company that will add an asset to your Company? These are just a few ideas to keep in mind.
Some of our customers have found using a combination of our Mass Media Distribution press distribution type once a month, combined with a lower level of distribution at a second time within the same month to work well for them.
Although some new shoe string budget Companies may find a press release expensive, in the grand scale of marketing, the cost of a well written press release may go a long ways! This type of marketing may reach further than any other type of advertising method
As long as you have a good story to tell that will be interesting to the general public and of course editors and journalists, a press release may also be viewed as a way of brand marketing. People will begin to recognize your Company in the news. This being said, we do stress that you should have a story to tell. All to often we come across those who send out weekly press releases with no story to tell. These types of Companies will eventually become tuned out by editors and journalists.
Section 6 – Images In Your Press Release
If you are in the position to be able to include an image
Take some bold steps and help your employees and business partners open up to real change and help them start thinking again to the longer term. Send a message that you are ready to commit to new ways of thinking and that that includes a commitment to the success of your employees in the changing workplace.1. Reconsider your company vision.A vision statement uses the future to help analyze the present. It must have a message that everyone from the CEO to the receptionist to your freelance workers can understand and put into practice daily. Vision is the match that lights the fire of potential in people. To do its job, a vision must be long-term, meaningful in a human context and appeal to a higher purpose. Make several drafts of your vision and circulate them to people who’s opinion you value inside your company and out.Ask yourself and others these questions:Does our vision lead to action?What will your customers be looking for from your company?Can you live with this vision? Are you willing to act in accordance with it even if times get rough?2. Devote more time to the management of people power.People issues only seem to capture our full attention during times of crisis. Give them the time they deserve by setting up regular monthly staff meetings to discuss HR issues only.Try this exercise: Managers rate the effectiveness of each employee on a simple scale from one to ten. Employees you rate 4 or below are clearly not making it in your workplace. Take action to move them within the company or help them move out of the company within the next 30 days. Employees you rate 8 or higher should have ongoing leadership development plans - they are your superstars. Spend more time with these people than any others. Make sure they know how you think about them and put them in coaching programs to be sure they continue to develop.3. Start a 360 degree performance review process.Have employees reviewed not only by their supervisor, but by their peer group as well. Make these reviews optional for the first year, but mandatory for employees who want to be considered for promotions.A Caveat: It takes at least 6 months of preparation to introduce a 360 degree review process effectively. Show employees the evaluation materials you intend to use up front. Train employees how to accept negative feedback by giving them a system to take it in and process it before reacting. Also train employees to give feedback that is work-related and objective with factual examples not feelings.4. Have the employees
By doing so, you will be able to catch any grammatical errors. Although some of the best writers will occasionally miss grammatical errors or typos, by making sure you read, edit and re-read your press release, you drastically reduce the chance for error.
Print your press release. By printing your press release and reading a paper copy, you are more likely to catch any errors. This works great for press releases that may be a little on the longer side.
Perhaps have a coworker or friend review your press release. Sometimes another set of eyes may catch an error. Although you may have read and re-read your work, sometimes when you are extremely focused, you may tune an error out.
Wait until the morning and re-read your press release. You would not believe what a difference a night of sleep can do for you when you are writing. When your bright and fresh, re-read your press release to ensure that it is exactly how you want it.
If everything reads well and there are no errors, submit your press release for distribution.
24-7 Press Release Distribution Newswire is currently working with a couple of editors to be able to offer the writing service or editing service for your press release. Although this feature is not currently available, we are working on this for you.
Section 4 – How Often Should You Submit Your Press Release?
At 24-7 Press Release Newswire we offer many types of press release distribution ranging from basic to professional.
Our professional press release distribution is under our Mass Media Distribution program and includes press news distribution to a pool of approximately 80,000 journalists, 4000+ web sites, opt in journalists that request news to be sent directly to their inbox and of course relevant trade publications. Major web sites and trade publications include such locations as Yahoo Finance News, MSNBC, The New York Times, USA Today, Ask Jeeves, Google News amongst many others. At 24-7 Press Release, distribution is also sent to opt in feed subscribers that subscribe to pull our headlines to use as content on their web sites. When our headlines are updated, their headlines are also updated. Part of this wonderful press distribution is attributed to our partnership with PR Newswire.
Now that we have wowed you with what type of press release distribution we are capable of, we should inform you that a poorly written press release will receive pretty much no pickup. This means that although some places may actually publish your press release (not a lot of places though), if it is poorly written, it will be immediately disregarded. This also means that journalists will look at it and disregard it. They will also, more than likely disregard future press releases from the same source/Company.
What are we saying? In short, although we may provide this wonderful distribution, if it is not a well written news release, you will not receive very much feedback.
24-7 Press Release Distribution offers lower levels of press distribution that range from distribution the RSS Feed Subscribers and JavaScript feed subscribers right up to our Mass Media Distribution. View our list of press release distribution options at:
Section 5 – How Often Should You Submit Your Press Release?
We have this question asked to us many times and now have decided to finally include this bit of information within our Press Release Writing Tips section.
So how often should you submit your press release? Rule of thumb is once to twice a month. However, if you do not have any news worth mentioning, then once a month is a good rule of thumb.
Many Companies go through changes. Management changes, product changes, service changes or other changes. To not have something to write about, in most companies would be rare. Do you have a hot new service you are now providing? Do you have a great new service you plan to offer coming up in the future that you would like to inform the public of? Do you have some new widget that you are importing that no one else has? Are you hiring some new executive from a Fortune 500 Company that will add an asset to your Company? These are just a few ideas to keep in mind.
Some of our customers have found using a combination of our Mass Media Distribution press distribution type once a month, combined with a lower level of distribution at a second time within the same month to work well for them.
Although some new shoe string budget Companies may find a press release expensive, in the grand scale of marketing, the cost of a well written press release may go a long ways! This type of marketing may reach further than any other type of advertising method
As long as you have a good story to tell that will be interesting to the general public and of course editors and journalists, a press release may also be viewed as a way of brand marketing. People will begin to recognize your Company in the news. This being said, we do stress that you should have a story to tell. All to often we come across those who send out weekly press releases with no story to tell. These types of Companies will eventually become tuned out by editors and journalists.
Section 6 – Images In Your Press Release
If you are in the position to be able to include an image
All franchisors must address issues of national account pricing and service. The renegade franchisee who does not wish to follow the pricing guidelines for the demands of the customer can in fact cause the entire franchise system to lose a major national or international account. How do all you know this, you ask?Well, because this became a serious issue in our company, where we had many regional accounts with nationally known companies who wished to use our services in each market we expanded into. In some cases they wished us to travel to faraway markets just so we could serve their entire fleet. It is for this reason that I added this clause below to our franchise agreements;4.8 National and International AccountsTo the extent that Franchisor enters into an agreement to provide The Company to any National or International Account which has a location within the Marketing Area, Franchisor may offer Franchisee the right to service such account at such location at the terms upon which Franchisor and the National or International Account have agreed. In the event that there is more than one Franchisee licensed by Franchisor in the Marketing Area, Franchisor may allocate opportunities to service National or International Accounts between such Franchisees, as Franchisor in its sole discretion deems appropriate. If, for any reason, Franchisee elects not to service a National or International Account that is offered to Franchisee, Franchisor may, in its sole discretion, service such account or appoint any other party to service such account.- -- --- ---- --- -- -It is recommended that all franchisors who runs service companies or sell products to large government agencies, corporations or national organizations that they get with their franchise attorney and ask them how best to address this issue for their strategic marketing plan. I hope you will consider this in 2006.
Now that we have wowed you with what type of press release distribution we are capable of, we should inform you that a poorly written press release will receive pretty much no pickup. This means that although some places may actually publish your press release (not a lot of places though), if it is poorly written, it will be immediately disregarded. This also means that journalists will look at it and disregard it. They will also, more than likely disregard future press releases from the same source/Company.
What are we saying? In short, although we may provide this wonderful distribution, if it is not a well written news release, you will not receive very much feedback.
24-7 Press Release Distribution offers lower levels of press distribution that range from distribution the RSS Feed Subscribers and JavaScript feed subscribers right up to our Mass Media Distribution. View our list of press release distribution options at:
Section 5 – How Often Should You Submit Your Press Release?
We have this question asked to us many times and now have decided to finally include this bit of information within our Press Release Writing Tips section.
So how often should you submit your press release? Rule of thumb is once to twice a month. However, if you do not have any news worth mentioning, then once a month is a good rule of thumb.
Many Companies go through changes. Management changes, product changes, service changes or other changes. To not have something to write about, in most companies would be rare. Do you have a hot new service you are now providing? Do you have a great new service you plan to offer coming up in the future that you would like to inform the public of? Do you have some new widget that you are importing that no one else has? Are you hiring some new executive from a Fortune 500 Company that will add an asset to your Company? These are just a few ideas to keep in mind.
Some of our customers have found using a combination of our Mass Media Distribution press distribution type once a month, combined with a lower level of distribution at a second time within the same month to work well for them.
Although some new shoe string budget Companies may find a press release expensive, in the grand scale of marketing, the cost of a well written press release may go a long ways! This type of marketing may reach further than any other type of advertising method
As long as you have a good story to tell that will be interesting to the general public and of course editors and journalists, a press release may also be viewed as a way of brand marketing. People will begin to recognize your Company in the news. This being said, we do stress that you should have a story to tell. All to often we come across those who send out weekly press releases with no story to tell. These types of Companies will eventually become tuned out by editors and journalists.
Section 6 – Images In Your Press Release
If you are in the position to be able to include an image
Surviving a crisis, more often than not, provides a chance for a total turn-around and a new direction for your business. But managing a crisis is not an easy task as it entails a lot of things to be done on multiple fronts for sure-fire results, albeit in a very short period.“Companies, whether big or small, are judged more by what they do wrong than what they do right,” claims Cindy Railing, a PR consultant from California. Your business is going to suffer if the situation at hand is not properly handled. Crisis management means immediately blocking the holes in the dam which if left unattended, even though for a short time, would cause major damage.Common Causes Of Crises In Start-UpsAwareness of causes which could lead to unmanageable crises beforehand could help avoid the onset of one. But missing the signals will land you in troubles every time. The common causes for crises in start-ups are listed here.1. Lack Of Planning And Failure To Follow One: Although small businesses are supported by the SBA and other agencies, many lack a proper contingency plan. Broadly speaking, many contingency plans do not make provisions for impending disaster. What is worse, anticipated risk profiles are not in place from the beginning.2. Lack Of Financial Discipline: Most start-up small business owners use their business and personal bank accounts interchangeably. Procrastinating on the part of receivables and payables increases your interest burden, which pushes your business towards a crisis.3. Unforeseen Problems: Sudden cancellation of order/s or decline in product demand for unforeseen reasons (also a failure to plan for this).4. Obsolescence And Irrelevance: Your product loses relevance because of obsolescence of technology or due to the arrival of a replacement. This includes loss of relevance due to market erosion, as in the case of outsourcing to third world countries.5. Acts Of God And Changes In Laws: Hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, floods and war can wreak havoc on your business, as can changes in laws which don’t favor your current line of business.Tiding over the CrisisLet’s take a couple of representative cases of crises to examine how the businesses can survive through them.Crisis due to fire hazard: 1. Make sure there is no loss of life 2. Report the fire and any associated losses to your creditors, clients, insurance company and banks 3. Get losses estimated; if necessary, get help from professionals 4. Evaluate the possibility of early commencement of operations and if
Many Companies go through changes. Management changes, product changes, service changes or other changes. To not have something to write about, in most companies would be rare. Do you have a hot new service you are now providing? Do you have a great new service you plan to offer coming up in the future that you would like to inform the public of? Do you have some new widget that you are importing that no one else has? Are you hiring some new executive from a Fortune 500 Company that will add an asset to your Company? These are just a few ideas to keep in mind.
Some of our customers have found using a combination of our Mass Media Distribution press distribution type once a month, combined with a lower level of distribution at a second time within the same month to work well for them.
Although some new shoe string budget Companies may find a press release expensive, in the grand scale of marketing, the cost of a well written press release may go a long ways! This type of marketing may reach further than any other type of advertising method
As long as you have a good story to tell that will be interesting to the general public and of course editors and journalists, a press release may also be viewed as a way of brand marketing. People will begin to recognize your Company in the news. This being said, we do stress that you should have a story to tell. All to often we come across those who send out weekly press releases with no story to tell. These types of Companies will eventually become tuned out by editors and journalists.
Section 6 – Images In Your Press Release
If you are in the position to be able to include an image within your press release, you will definitely increase the readability of your release.
Images are worth 1000 words. This is why magazines are so popular. They have images, they tell a story. Try to imagine your local newspaper with no image on the front page, but rather straight text. Try to imagine People magazine with no images of your favorite celebrities. Need we say more?
At 24-7PressRelease.com, we allow you to attach images to your press release at the $45 contribution level.
When selecting our Mass Media Distribution program, we are unable to attach an image directly to the press release for distribution, but rather we include a link to your image on our site.
Images tell a story. Images get attention. Images within your press release are a great way to extend your Companies logo. This works especially well when you are sending out multiple press releases a well. Think of it as a method of branding.
Section 7 – Language And Wording Of Your Press Release
A well written press release means a press release that is written for everyone to understand.
Avoid the use of unnecessary flowery language or redundant expressions. Avoid unnecessary adjectives. Extra unnecessary words will distract from your story. While some jargon may be necessary for your press release, do not over do it. Your goal is to communicate your news and speak in an ordinary clear language. Excess jargon may confuse your reader, and may be enough for a journalist to exclude your story.
If you do proceed to use complicated jargon within your press release, your press release will be substituted with one that is easier to read and understand. Not everyone understands your industry or terminology as well as you do.
If you have an editor contact you, this probably means they are a little bit savvy of your particular industry. This may be a better time to use your jargon as chances are they will be a little familiar if they have taken the time to contact you.
Again, keep your press release to the point and basic. Leave the detailed jargon for the phone call or follow up email.
Section 8 –Newsworthiness
Do you have a story to tell, or are you writing your press release just to throw your name out into the masses in hopes that someone will catch your hook and read your pointless information?
If the latter is what you are doing, then stop. Try to resist sending a press release out for the sake of just sending out a press release. The reason for this is to save face. If you send a press release out with absolutely no information that is not of interest to the public, and worse yet, continue to do this, you will eventually alienate yourself from journalists. When your Companies name, or your name is seen, it will be ignored or skipped.
Write an interesting press release that is newsworthy. Write about a new service you are offering that is unique from your competition. Write about a new fortune 500 Company manager that is now on board with you. Do not write about how you exist and it is nice to exist.
Are you able to time your press release with an event or time of year that is approaching? Are you able to tie your press release with a current event? If so, then your story will have a hook for journalists.
Section 9 – Permission When writing your press release, you may run into the common instance of attribution or writing a quote from an individual.
Having the permission from this individual, to use their quote within a press release is extremely important. Failing to do so may result in a lawsuit, something that no Company would like.
If you are close to an individual, a verbal ok may be all that is required. If you are unsure of the individual, it is best to receive their permission in writing.
Section 10 – Parts and Components Of Your Press Release
Generally a press release will have certain parts to it which make up your “press release”.
These parts would consist of:
Date Instructions: “For Immediate Release”, “For Release Before (date)”, or “For Release After (date)”
Contact information: Include as much information as possible here. Make it easy for the media to contact you about your story. Important pieces would include your phone number, fax number, email address, Company address. Failing to leave contact information may cast your press release as being illegitimate or grey, simply because of the theory “No contact information? What do they have to hide? Why don’t they want to be contacted.”.
Headline: This is, as it states at the top of the page and must be an attention grabber. Failing to write a strong headline will jeopardize your entire release. You may have a fantastic press release, however if your headlines does not something that will grab your readers attention, it will be overlooked for a different release with a better headline.
Think of a question within your headline. It is in the general interest of people that they want to be sure they are “normal”. They want to make sure they are “keeping up with the joneses”. What we mean by this is, a headline in the form of a question is often an attention grabber. Something like:
“Losing Weight Is Easy, If You Follow These Simple Rules, Do You Follow These Simple Rules To Lose Weight?” This type of a headline draws a user into the story, simply because they want to know if they are normal. Try a question. It will draw a reader into your story.
Summary: This would be the line following your headline. This gives you a second chance to draw the media into your story. Again, keep this as a point and interesting. This is the perfect place for a strong statement or two to keep the reader interested.
Body: This will be the main area of your press release. Keep it simple. Keep your press release to the point. Make it brief. Try to stay between 175/200 – 350 words. Remember, the press release is to entice the media to contact you for further information and write their own conclusions. Draw the reader to your web site if you have a press release web site to further their reading. Do not try and tell them your entire Company history in your press release.
About Us: Not everyone uses a broiler plate, however this is the perfect place to add some brief information about your Company. I.E., “XYZ Company has been in the business of building widgets since 1900. XYZ Company is a top distributor of widgets and is recognized as a pillar in the widget industry.”
End of Press Release: To end your press release, simply enter ### on a blank line at the end of the release. Any information after the ### will not be published.
Section 11 – Start Strong
As already mentioned, not only should your press release have a catchy title and sub headline, your first paragraph will also be very important.
This is the perfect location for giving information about what you are trying to portray to the reader. Perhaps the use of some statistics may be used, as long as you do not go overboard.
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