Getting the Attention of the Press

Reporters, journalists and editors are very busy people. The nature of their business is that it is deadline-driven. They are forever chasing the latest news story, looking for the elusive "scoop." Every day they wade through a deluge of press releases from marketing executives and PR firms, searching for the occasional pearl among the oyster shells. To a certain extent, your success in getting your story published depends on how well you package it for the news media.

I hasten to point out that packaging alone is not enough. The story itself must have news value. You can't "sell" a stale and un-newsworthy story with gimmicks or slick packaging.

That being said, it's still a challenge to make sure your news item rises above the noise threshold and gets the editor's attention. The average boating writer gets hundreds of press releases every month - new products, new gadgets, new management appointees, plant expansions, plant closings, new dealers - you get the picture. When I was a trade reporter, I used to open my mail with the trash can between my legs. At least 90 percent of the press releases went straight into the can. Now that most press releases come by e-mail, it's even easier - you just keep one finger always on the delete key while browsing your in-basket.

So here are a few practical suggestions that I hope will help you get better press coverage for your company, based on 25+ years in the PR business.

1. Make sure it's newsworthy. If it's not news, don't bother.

2. State the news clearly. Your press release or media advisory should summarize the key news message in the first paragraph. Keep it straightforward and businesslike. Save the flowery creative prose for your ads and sales brochures.

3. Build relationships. Cultivate personal relationships with key editors. Get to know them. Learn about their lives, their families and their interests. You don't always need to have an "agenda" when meeting with the press, other than just building and sustaining friendships.

4. Call a press conference. If your news is sufficiently important, you might want to consider holding a press conference - either at a major trade show or in a media center such as New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Paris or London. But remember, journalists are very busy - especially when they're covering a big boat show. Don't waste their time convening a press conference to make a trivial announcement that could be covered by a simple press release.

5. Hit the road. Take your story to the press. Schedule a trip to the major publishing centers, and meet with editors and journalists in their own offices. This gives you a great chance to establish personal relationships and also lets you present your messages in a less formal atmosphere. Reporters often prefer a private interview over a formal press conference, since they can develop their own "angle" on the news without sharing the story with their competitors. Obviously, this works best when there's a concentration of appropriate media in a relatively small number of cities.

6. Make it easy to cover your story. You'll have a better chance of getting your story into print if you do as much as you can to save extra work for the journalists. Provide straightforward, well-written copy and interesting photos. Give them everything in electronic format, and don't forget that image files must be high-resolution (300 dpi JPEGs are preferred).

7. Finally, I refer you back to Item #1 above. Make sure it's newsworthy. No matter how nicely you dress up a dog, it's still a dog.