Secrets to gaining free publicity
Wild with excitement, Jim carried on like
a prospector who’d suddenly struck gold. “Thanks
for the advice,” he exclaimed. “It’s a
miracle. I’ve booked more jobs in two days than I did all
last month. At this rate, I’ll have to hire at least
three more crews just to handle all the new work. Publicity is
great!”
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There are just two ways to get the name
of your cleaning business into the local newspaper — by
paying for an advertisement or by having a newsworthy event
that is covered by the local press. Both can be rewarding, but
a news article brings a level of credibility that you
don’t get with purchased space. Besides, surveys show
that people think all advertising contains false or misleading
information to some degree.
News articles, on the other hand, are
written by third party news organizations that have nothing to
gain by endorsing your business, so believability is high.
The problem is that unless you’ve
recently gained some notoriety or happen to live in a very
small town, the chances of having a news correspondent knock on
your door and ask to do a story about your business are remote
at best, so in order to gain the desired publicity,
you’ll have to create interest in your company and your
service by sending out a press release.
Unfortunately, most people don’t
have much experience in writing the kinds of press releases
that are likely to get published and that’s why most
press releases end up in the editor’s waste basket rather
than in the publication. But that shouldn’t keep you from
trying.
Your chances of getting a press release
published are much better if you know what a news editor looks
for when choosing one article over another. Being aware of
these “secrets” will give you a distinct advantage.
Keep in mind that most large pressrooms get hundreds of news
releases a day so when yours comes in, it faces a lot of
competition. The first secret to getting published is this:
1. You must have a story of interest.
Newspapers depend on news to fill their
pages and much of this comes from people just like you, but
they won’t publish articles that are boring or irrelevant
to the readership. If a news release doesn’t catch the
eye immediately, it goes in the trash, which brings us to the
second secret to getting published.
2. Lead with a strong, compelling
headline.
News editors don’t have time to
read all the press releases they receive, so instead of reading
the entire copy, editors simply scan headlines looking for
something of interest to their readers.
When writing a headline for a press
release, cut the hype. Don’t talk about your
“fantastic service that solves everyone’s
drycleaning problems.” Editors are a cynical bunch and
can spot oversell a mile away. And stay away from the use of
industry buzzwords that only drycleaners know the meaning of.
It’s a turnoff and could get your article dumped in a
heartbeat.
Also, drop the ego. Unless you’re a
very famous person, don’t use your name or the name of
your company in the headline. Including these names might pump
you up but it generally has a negative effect on editors and
writers. They don’t care who you are, they just want to
know what you have that might interest their readers.
If the headline is appealing, the editor
moves to the first paragraph.
3. Your first paragraph should
“sell” the article.
The first paragraph, also known as the
lead paragraph, or “teaser copy,” summarizes what
the press release is about. It is sometimes done as a subhead
with just one or two sentences.
The first paragraph should tell what your
news is, whom it’s about, where it will be, why
it’s important, when it will take place and so on. Get to
the point fast. Make the lead paragraph concise but
informative. If you can keep the editor’s attention,
there’s a good chance he or she will read the entire
article but remember this:
4. Tell a
story. Don’t advertise.
Write the press release just the way you
would like to see it in print. Remember, newspapers don’t
exist to give you publicity, they exist to provide readers with
interesting stories. Of course, you hope to reap the benefit
that the publicity brings your way, but your primary focus is
to create as much interest and curiosity as you possibly can.
5. Keep it short.
Your press release should be no longer
than two pages double-spaced. Write short sentences using short
words and short paragraphs. Visually, it should not be
intimidating and it must be easy to read. This is important, as
most media types just scan press releases, avoiding long
paragraphs, looking for kernels of information that might lead
to an article or a news brief.
In some cases, the main roadblock for
many cleaners is not coming up with a news idea. Instead
it’s the technical details of submitting a release, such
as who to contact and how to format the copy. Although
legitimate, don’t let these concerns keep you from
recording your experiences and putting them on paper. There are
a number of sources where you can get assistance in these
particular areas.
In the meantime, whenever interesting
things happen around your business, record them and when you
have time, apply these five secrets to gaining valuable
publicity. Then step back and enjoy what you’ve been able
to come up with.
The experience of writing and submitting
a news release itself is invaluable for your own personal
marketing education. Getting free publicity should be part of
every drycleaner’s marketing plan. Make it a point to
plan events throughout the year that will get your business
featured in the local media because it’s true…
money can’t buy what the press can give you.
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