List Price: $15.99

Tags: Business & Investing, Marketing & Sales, Public Relations,

Book Description:
Two things you must know about writing a press release Most stories you read in your newspaper originated as a press release Most press releases never get read How to Write Perfect Press Releases shows you how to write a press release that will be read because, if it isn't, your press release marketing is worthless.  The media myth We love -- and the media likes to perpetuate -- the image of journalists in trench coats and fedoras doing the rounds, cultivating inside sources; buying them drinks in smokey bars; and basically beating the bushes to see what stories they can turn up. The press release reality The reality is that journalists are too busy and have too few resources to fill hundreds of blank pages every day by doing anything so time-consuming and hit-and-miss. Staff journalists need to turn in a certain number of stories a day or week; freelance journalists need to turn in as many stories as possible or they don't make a living. Journalists need stories to come to them and that happens when people and businesses know how to write a great press release. Writing a press release is easy when you know how I've received thousands of press releases as a journalist for publications like the Financial Times, Esquire, GQ, and the International Herald Tribune; and I've written hundreds more as a public relations professional, so I know that comparatively few public relations professionals are writing good press releases. That's bad news for them but spectacularly bad news for the clients paying them to write those releases. Why most press releases fail You'll slap your head in disbelief when I show you in the book the simple reason most press releases fail. How is it that highly paid public relations professionals get something so basic so wrong? The releases I wrote for clients resulted in coverage all over the world. You can do the same for yourself once you understand how to avoid the easiest and commonest mistake in public relations writing. The dirty secret of media releases There's a dirty secret the media doesn't want you to know. But I'll tell you what it is and how it's going to help you in writing and pitching your story. Be your own public relations professional In How to Write Perfect Press Releases I have distilled everything I know about presenting stories to journalists into a plain-English guide that will turn you into your own PR expert. You'll learn: The common mistakes that lead to most press releases never being read (and how to make sure your release is read) Why press releases need an angle and a now-factor (and how to give your writing those edges) What journalists are looking for (and how to write it for them) What is Small World Syndrome (and how to find the bigger picture) How to find the right publication and the right journalist to write your story (and how to fit your story to them) The anatomy of a press release (and how to format and structure your release to maximise the effect of your writing) How to find a "lead" for your story (and how to make sure you don't "bury" it) An example release to use as as sample press release template A book worth studying This book is now on the reading list for the University of Sydney, and is being considered by universities all over the world for their syllabuses. It's one of the few practical guides available.