Marketing Talk

sandhyakhan@gmail.com · Guest

Please help - Press Releases

I am helping a consumer internet startup. I am quite ignorant when it
comes to
Press Releases.

Would anyone be kind enough to answer some questions:

1.How good / bad are the Free / low cost online PR distribution
services like PrWeb etc ?
-Has anyone used them ? Are they effective ?
- Do they leave a bad impression on people reading them..indicating
this
startup is a fly by night without resources to hire a real pro PR
agency ?
-Do these mass online services just publish the PR on their site or
do they actually send them to the reporters in the publications via
email?
- Would anyone recommend any particular company that does a good job ?

2.If one is doing it onself ..Is it best to start sending Press
Releases to small
publications and then build up to the larger publications ?
or should one send them to all at one time ?
or should it be the other way around ie send to the publications with
the
largest circulations first?

3. Will the large publications publish a story if it was already
published a month or
couple of months ago in a small publication ?

Any help / pointers on this would be highly appreciated.

Thanks
Sandy

Big Fan · Guest

Start with the biggest and work your way down.
Thirty minutes on a big Network or TV staion can be far more effective than 3
hours with a handful of small outlets.

Letter are best; then followed by a phone call.
If it's to cover an event, call a day before.

Faxes are second best.

Haven't heard a lot of good about the on-line systems since editors get bombed.

Target the recipient.
List the media you want to target.
Find the person/s best suited for your message.

Assignment desks are nice, but also target individual reporters.
They are often told to "dig up" a story on your own.
Understand why they want to cover your story.
What's the hook? Would their audience like it?
Is there a special angle other than the product itself?

Send a nice package with folder, inserts, photos...
For Email, duplicate the folder on pdf and send it.

Treat them like a sales call. Send a message and follow up on it.
Remind them.

Ask them if they need any collateral material. TV stations run a lot of video
from VNR's these days. They can cover a story and never leave the office or
fight for a cameraman.

On Sun, 25 Nov 2007 06:41:30 -0000, "sandhyakhan@gmail.com"
<sandhyakhan@gmail.com> wrote:

Dick Morris · Guest

sandhyakhan@gmail.com wrote:

Cynical · Guest

Get yourself a copy of Richard Laermer's Full Frontal PR, ISBN
1-57660-181-1. Lots of good advice on press relationships that get
you coverage without sending press releases.

Cynical
On Sun, 25 Nov 2007 06:41:30 -0000, "sandhyakhan@gmail.com"
<sandhyakhan@gmail.com> wrote: