Most press releases don’t get published.
This is partly due to the sheer volume of incoming press releases and partly because of the lack of news value contained in the releases.
But yet, the chance of a press release being published is greater today than ever before. All newspapers, magazines and their web sites, need and want content, especially free handout content. Demand is high and the supply is much higher. So what’s the problem?
After working for almost two decades at Toronto newspapers, here is what I’ve learned about press releases:
• Media handouts and press releases flood into a paper non-stop, seven days a week. Well-produced releases are easy to spot; lousy ones are quick to be thrown out.
• Many companies and marketing folks confuse “press release” with “please publish this ad so we can make money” or “please cover our event so we can make money”.
• Many businesses and PR agencies forget that a press release is supposed to contain interesting news information for the public, and not just advertising for a business.
• Any release with a headline of “Photo Opportunity!” is usually thrown out. It’s a given that such a release will have no news value and the photo-opp will just be a weak, staged event.
• Any release with a headline of “Media Alert!” is usually thrown out.
• Text-only releases are skimmed for the headline and first paragraph. If the information is strong, then it’s kept for further consideration.
• A release with a photo is treated the same as a text-only release BUT the included picture is always always looked at in full:
- If the text is strong and the photo strong, it will get published;
- If the text is weak but the photo strong, it will get published;
- If the text is strong but the photo is weak, it will get published with a staff-produced image or it’ll be kept for further consideration;
- If both the text and picture are weak, then it’s discarded.
The inclusion of a photograph with a press release or media handout is always a big influential factor. Even if the picture is weak, it can still “tickle” the imagination of a smart editor.
If the “chance-of-being-published” scale goes from 0 (trash can potential) to 10 (published big), a text-only release starts the climb at zero. But a press release with a photo starts at five. Enough said?
