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Where should I look to find
story ideas for my press releases? It's a question that
a local web designer asked me recently during a client
meeting. My advice to him would apply to any small-business
owner. Start by looking at yourself and your company because
like everything else in life, the best ideas are often
found right under your nose. The same can be said for
story ideas for press releases.
After that meeting I couldn't stop thinking about all
the media opportunities many small-business owners often
miss. Most of the time, the problem occurs because business
owners think that journalists are only interested in big,
splashing events and press conferences. They waste so
much time waiting for a "real reason" to surface before
contacting the media that they end up receiving no coverage
at all.
Keep in mind that what journalists really want is a good
story to share with their listeners or readers. Most business
owners fail to realize that they already have "real reasons"
to write press releases. Evidence of their companies'
uniqueness and triumphs are waiting to be transformed
into great stories. All they need to do is take time to
reflect and jot down those ideas that could result in
favorable media coverage for their businesses.
Consider these ten reasons below, and if you need 15
more, then download the PDF
document at the end of this article.
-
Starting a new business - the more unique and unusual
the business the better
-
Introducing a new product or service to the marketplace
-
Launching a new web site
-
Winning a high profiled client account or contract
-
Meeting an unusual challenge or overcoming adversity
- "Industry insiders said it couldn't be done, but
we did it!"
-
Participating in a philanthropic event -- your
business has been named to serve in a leadership
position in a community, professional or charitable
organization
-
Sponsoring a workshop, seminar, or conference
-
Announcing polling or product survey results conducted
by your company
-
Changing the company name, location, web address
or a product name
-
Publicizing the changing of the guards in a family
owned business - the son or daughter becomes the
new company president after father or mother retires
Now that you have potentially 25 reasons for writing
a press release, don't just file them away and forget
about them. Print out the list, and post it some place
in your office so that you're constantly reminded to review
them and put the ideas into action.
Here's a great exercise to help you get started.
Check the list of 25 story ideas and compare them against
the articles found in the local and business news sections
of your morning paper. Do this for about a week so that
you become more comfortable looking for story ideas within
the news. You'll be surprised by how many stories are
actually generated from ideas just like the ones listed
here. You might even find a dozen more ideas that are
not even on the list. If so expand your list to include
the new ideas as well.
Next, go back over the list of story ideas and think
about each one within the context of your own company.
Jot down any notes for specific stories involving your
own business next to each entry. With a bit more research,
you can most likely use any of those ideas as the basis
for a future press release.
The bottom line is this. It really isn't that difficult
to find reasons to write press releases about your company.
Just remember that almost any type of company news is
a good excuse for writing a press release - as long as
the release is well written, has news value and speaks
to the intended audience. Give it a try. Once you do,
you could be on the path to creating a steady stream of
memorable media coverage for your company.
Notable PR Resource:
Do
you have a media relations question? Ask
Carolyn! Your questions could be featured in an up-coming
article. If
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