Are You Making These Mistakes with Your Media Releases?

As an author, or potential author, there is going to come a time when you will need or want to write a media release about your book.  This article is about the biggest mistakes people make when writing a media release.  Since being able to write effective media releases is an important part of any writer or author’s marketing and publicity campaign, you need to know what to do – and what NOT to do.

There are some people who try to make it seem like writing a media release is somehow a “big secret” – or they’ll try to tell you that you need to hire a professional to put together a good publicity campaign.  And that’s just not true.

On the other hand, just like any other type of professional writing, there is a structure and strategy to writing media releases – and if you don’t know them, you can wind up making some big mistakes.  And again, that’s the point of this article!

So let me ask you something:

• Does the thought of writing a media release (also known as a “press release” or “news release”) to promote yourself or your writing business make your mouth dry, your stomach turn over and your hands shake?

• Are you worried about how to do it, what to say or who to send it to?

• Do you wish the floor would just open up and swallow you whole rather than try to promote yourself and your writing business?

Well, then stay tuned, because that’s why I’m writing this next series of articles for you. By the time you’ve finished reading, you’ll understand exactly what to do, how to do it and why – in short, you’ll come across as the consummate professional – and increase your chances of getting publicized.

Let’s get started by talking about the biggest mistakes that people make when writing a media release – because if you’re making them too, I can pretty much guarantee your media release is going to be thrown in the trash can and won’t even be read!

Biggest Mistake #1: When you’re writing a Media Release, don’t call it a “press release” or the media will know you’re a novice, and chances are, they’ll drop it in the trash can without even reading it.  You can call it a “Media Release” or a “News Release” if you want.  Press Release was the term used by the media before the internet got involved.  Now that “electronic” media is used these days, you need to know – and use – the proper lingo.

Biggest Mistake #2: Use mixed case. NEVER SUBMIT A MEDIA RELEASE IN ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS. As you can see, it’s much more difficult to read that way, and as we know from writing on the Web, writing anything in uppercase letters is the electronic equivalent of screaming at your reader.

Also, make sure you always follow the rules of grammar and style. Errors in grammar and style affect your credibility. Excessive errors will cause your media release to be rejected. If you’re not sure what style a particular media source uses, you’ll want to get familiar with it before submitting your media release.

With a little online research you can find out everything you need to know before you send your next media release.  You can also find stylebooks at your local library, bookstore or Amazon.  For example, the Associated Press Style Book is updated every year.  http://www.apstylebook.com/ and it’s used in most journalism and adult writing courses.

Biggest Mistake #3: Don’t add html language or links in your media release. Most of the time, online distribution services don’t allow links (except in the resource box, of course.) Which means if you include them, your media release is going right into the trash can, not the distribution list.  Also, if the service does allow links, only put links that are relevant and give the reader valuable information. (See the link I gave you in in Mistake #2?)  Remember – your media release is NOT a sales letter.

Biggest Mistake #4: Not putting enough information in your news release. If you can say everything you need to say in only a few sentences, then chances are you don’t have a newsworthy story. (*Note: You may hear that your news release should “never” be more than one page long.) I have found that a media release should be as long as it takes in order for you to tell your story.  So if that means one and a-half or two pages, then that’s how long it should be. Do your best to keep it short and sweet, but don’t take out important information just to make it fit on one page.

Include a summary paragraph for online submissions. Some online news services request that you include a one-or-two line summary of your press release. This is because some distribution points only receive your headline, summary and a link to your media release.  Which means, when you’re submitting to online services, not including the summary paragraph may reduce the effectiveness of your media release. (On the other hand, a summary paragraph usually isn’t necessary with print, television or radio media.)

Biggest Mistake #5: Not formatting your media release in the right way.  Like everything else, there are “industry standards” when it comes to writing – and even submitting – your media release.

If you’re not sure what the industry standards for a media release are, then stay tuned, because I’m going to go through them all for you.