Millions of people read the newspaper every day. Many
others read magazine articles. Most of those two groups
combined believe and trust the better part of what they
read.
What is published on those pages becomes regarded as truth,
or at least it holds an inkling of truth. The stories on
those pages are often the topics of morning radio shows, of
people chatting at work, and among friends. In short, the
stories that make it to print have an impact on consumers.
So therein exists a very effective form of collaboration
marketing. With the media, you are building the trust of
consumers, who will in turn be more likely to buy your
product or service. The trick is to get the newsmakers to
write about you and your business, and that starts with
news releases. In accomplishing that, you will form a
strategic alliance with you and the media.
Many businesses today have incorporated communication plans
into their marketing strategies. A large part of these
plans involve attaining the media, as an alliance begins
with writing news releases to local and/or national
publications. The key to success here is to have well
written releases. And if all else fails, have a well
written release. Yes, it's that important. The media
receives countless press releases each day and if it is not
in the correct form, or if you have a made a huge mistake,
your release is gone to the trash.
Hiring a communications firm to write them for you is a
great idea. They will also have a large media list with
specific contact information for publications in your area
and around the country. Getting your release to the right
person is important. These contacts can be found on your
own in most cases, although it make take a lot of work and
you may have to make your way through many gatekeepers to
find them. There are online services where if you
subscribe, you will have access to their media lists.
However, some of these sites can be hundreds of dollars to
obtain.
If you are going to give it a go yourself, here are a few
key things to remember in writing a news release. Never
call members of the press members of the press. It is
thought of as a negative term these days. So, at the top of
your page it should read 'News Release', not Press Release.
If the content of your release is time sensitive, then the
words - for immediate release' should be in the second
line. This will tell the media that the info in the release
has an upcoming expiration date. If it can be used for a
while, then it should read 'for release at will.' This will
give your release a longer shelf life and it has a better
chance of seeing its way to print. Be sure to include your
contact information. Keep paragraphs very short, one or two
sentences. Keep the entire news release to one page when
possible.
Consistency is going to play an important role in this
strategy. Forming a strategic alliance with the media will
be a key in your collaboration marketing plan. Some will
choose to send releases media once a month for an elongated
period of time. Some plans span 3 months, while others
choose a more secure year or more. Of course, not all
releases will turn into articles because big news happens
and you will get sent to the bottom of the pile. But
chances are if you consistently send your releases, you'll
see your name in print.
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Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A strategic
Collaboration Marketing consulting firm. He empowers
business owners to discover and implement Integration,
Alliance, and Joint Ventures marketing tactics to solve
specific business challenges. He demonstrates how to create
your own Collaboration Marketing Strategy to increase your
sales, conversation rates, and repeat business.
Contact: christian@christianfea.com
http://www.christianfea.com
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