A month ago,
I was asked to craft a press release
for the story that released this week.
As I hadn’t crafted a press release
for the publishing industry before,
I asked a friend for advice.
She sent me a copy of the press release
her publisher had crafted for her.
It was dry,
very professional, yes,
but after reading it,
I wasn’t inspired to write a blog post
about the book release.
I couldn’t think of a topic
I’d write on.
And that’s the point with press releases
from smaller businesses and brands.
WE are not the story.
OUR news is not the story.
We’re not big enough to be a story.
Our press releases should be story starters.
Our ‘job’ is to suggest stories,
giving the media quotes to use in these stories.
How many hits did she get on this press release?
Two – from sites affiliated with the publisher.
And that’s too bad
because her book really was newsworthy.
My book isn’t as newsworthy
but I wrote a press release
jammed full of story ideas.
I referred to reality TV shows,
Fifty Shades Of Grey,
body image,
and quite a few other topics.
I’ve lost count of how many times
this little press release has been quoted.
Is your press release a story starter?