TE&Co. Magazine: The Power of a Press Release

At TE&Co., we average two or three Press Releases every few weeks for each one of our clients.?

A Press Release is always our starting point to map out our client’s messaging. It serves as the snapshot and capture of all of the relevant information that should be inscribed in external-facing-documents; the who, what, why, where, when —?and any other vital information that would prepare the reporter, producer, or journalist on their interest in covering our news.?

While having lunch with a well known correspondent in the Chicago Market, she went out of her way to complement our releases, insisting that ours were more clear than others in the immediate area. Initially, I was grateful for her encouragement. But it wasn’t until after she showed me a few examples or lengthy and confusing releases that I understood how our approach may be something worth sharing with others.?

The Formula?

General speaking, the structure of every press release write is as follows:?

• Logo: Your brands logo
• Headline: Your perfect headline, I would brainstorm this as a group.?
• Photo: Choose a Photo that tells the story. We prefer to shoot with our clients on the front end to ensure their media kits are prepared prior to moving to the PR phase.?
• The What: Very simple, don’t overthink this. Today/ this week, X is doing Y.?
• Why it Matters: A single sentence or two explaining why it matters to the business, brand, community, etc. Tie it into the story you are seeking to tell.?
• Quote: Express excitement through a quote — or use this opportunity to reinforce the values or mission of your brand.?
• Additional Information: To learn more, X. Or, This news comes as [insert previous news].?
• Boilerplate: The stock language of who or what your company is about. If you don’t have this prepared, start with your ‘About Us’ perhaps on your website.?

Why it Works

This ‘formula’ has brought us hundreds of inquiries from members of the media who are clear on what story we would like to deliver. It takes the thinking out of the angle in which our clients are covered.?

To be clear, this is the reality of PROACTIVE PR; specifically for strategic communications that align with branding.

Certainly a crisis or rapid response would carry over a few notes from this list, but the release would come after scenario planning — which will be featured in the second issue of the TE&Co. Magazine.??

Hitting Send?

Once your press release is good to go, it’s time to send out to your media lists. We curate custom lists for our clients using the PR software Cision and hand craft lists based on relationships in the media. From there, it’s a high touch outreach and ‘blast’ campaign with the following four pillars in mind: Local, State, National, and Industry.?

The successful of press release is also dependent on a few factors:?

• Timing —?The current news cycle?
• Scheduling —?Media availability?
• Impact —?Does your news reflect the interests of their readers

If a specific campaign falls flat. That’s a sign we need to reposition the angle —?or wait a week or two and send out again.?

I think of it like pitching a business —?or gambling. There is a lot of strategy and a bit of luck that goes into it.?

Here are our top Press Releases from 2021 that can be used a template:?

All-in-one E-Learning Platform Moali Launches, Changes Landscape for “Gig” Economy Professionals?

Desired Outcomes

Not listed on each of these examples is the strategy notes that we discuss with our clients. The question of the day is —?what is the desired outcomes of this release. I.e. what do we want people to do as a result of this news, what publications would we like to see these in, etc.

A simple press release, for example, can be tied to a Series C round of funding, the sale of a business, news of growth —?or the need to grow ‘we’re hiring.’ Start with your goals, and go from there.?

Happy pitching.?