Whether you have a member of staff writing your own press releases or have enlisted an external partner to take on the responsibility, it can be dispiriting when the content does not appear in media publications.
Journalists receive literally hundreds of press releases and story ideas each day, making it a competitive market for their attention.
With competing priorities for journalists, including filing copy for print publications, producing content for websites, updating social media feeds and even creating compelling podcasts or videos, today’s editorial staff have a lot of tasks to juggle when they receive your releases.
If you are sending out press releases and not securing any take-up, there are a few reasons why this might be happening.
The most common reasons your content is not being picked up include:
- It is not newsworthy: This is a big topic to cover concisely but put simply journalists are tasked with finding stories which are new, interesting, and relevant to their audience. Reporters and editors are bombarded with press releases every day, so they have to prioritise those which are the most newsworthy. The exact definition of this will depend on the title and its location, but generally it will be to find the stories which affect the most people, move things forward in a new direction or are unusual enough to capture the imagination.
- Your release is poorly written: If writing is not your strong point but you are tasked with sending content to trained journalists, with their busy workloads they do not have the time to go through your submission to try to understand what you are saying. Many will persist if the story is sensational but otherwise a poorly written press release will be ignored by journalists. Your press release has to be clear, concise and free of errors, both spelling and factual, to stand the best chance.
- You are targeting the wrong media outlets: With more specialist titles than ever before, as well as the growth of online news brands, not all media outlets are interested in the same stories. You should only prioritise the outlets that are most likely to be interested in your story, to stand the best chance of them using the content.
- You have not followed up your release: It can be a big task to get something approved and submitted, but do not assume your target journalists have read your release. Set aside time to follow up with journalists to see if they are interested in covering your story. An email or phone call can jog the memory or shed light on them not having received the initial contact.
Here are some simple tips for preparing press releases that are more likely to be used by the media:
- Keep it short and to the point: With time being of the essence for busy journalists, a press release should be no more than one page long.
- Use clear and concise language: Keep it simple and avoid jargon and technical terms so a general audience can understand your news.
- Be objective and unbiased: Do not claim to be “world beaters” and “the number one” as generic claims will only have to be removed, making it less likely you will feature.
Working with a public relations professional can help you assess your press releases and identify areas where you can improve. Get in touch with Osborn if you would like to know more about how our clients benefit from our support.
