Sending out a press release? Avoid these six common errors:

1) Making the editor work too hard. This is the most common error; look on any PR distribution site and you'll see it made hundreds of times a day. Remember that most editors are very busy, overworked and understaffed. They'd like to drop your press release right in their publication. But if you fill the release with a lot of fluffy promotional copy or write a lead that extols your company's greatness before it gets to the actual news, they'll have to edit it before they can use it. The more editing your release needs, the more likely it will wind up in the trash can. Look at the publications you're targeting an write the release the way the editor would write an article. That'll make your release easier to use.

2) Spamming releases. With modern release distribution tools it's easy to send your release to thousands of editors who have no interest in it. Avoid this temptation. Send each release only to those publications likely to use it. Otherwise editors will learn to delete your submissions before reading them.

3) Failing to provide graphic support. Remember that editors need to do more than publish good stories: they need to create attractive page or web layouts, and for that they need images as well as text. Releases accompanied by good photography or graphics will get more use than those that aren't; what's more, they often get longer treatment, because the page editor often needs to wrap your photo with text.

4) Calling/emailing the editor to make sure they got your release or to find out if they're going to use it. Never do this. Most editors get hundreds of releases a week; bothering them in this way will only earn their contempt. Do your homework up front to make sure you're sending the release to the right editor at the right address. And keep an eye on your target publications or use a clipping service to verify usage.

5) Failing to provide thorough contact information on your release. If an editor is really interested in your story, he/she will want to follow up. But it is astonishing how many press releases go out without a name, phone number and email address of a press contact. Remember rule 1: make the editor's job as simple as possible.

6) Failing to date the release. Some companies try to play it cagey by not including a release date in in the dateline. After all, if there's no date on it, it's always fresh, right? Wrong. Editors need to know they're providing the latest information for their readers, and if you don't provide this confirmation up front, they'll move on to the next release in the stack.

Learn more about this author, Scott Knickelbine.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about How to write, optimize and distribute effective press releases?
We want to hear your view. Write now!