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Category Archives: Effective press releases

Topic archive: effective press releases
A press release is pseudo-news story, written in third person that seeks to demonstrate to an editor or reporter the newsworthiness of a particular person, event, service or product.
Press releases are often sent by e-mail or via a newswire. They can also be part of a full press kit, or may be accompanied by a pitch letter. Journalists or bloggers may use it as a standalone story, for reference (file) or as part of a larger article.
What makes news?

Timing
Subject of news stories
Innovation
Significance
Prominence

Below is a list of our articles and thoughts about effective priess releases, like what to put in a press release or how to get your story noticed by the press.

The ideal pitch to the press – part 10: time sensitive

The ideal pitch to the press – part 10: time sensitive
Including bullet points within your pitch gives journalists an at-a-glance summary of the pitch but what if your pitch is time sensitive or exclusive? 10. TIME SENSITIVE/ EXCLUSIVE INFO:  Where your pitch is time sensitive, tell the journalists so they know exactly how long they’ve got to pick up and run your story before it…
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The ideal pitch to the press – part 9: summarise

The ideal pitch to the press – part 9: summarise
Our last two tips this week finish our top ten tips on how to make a pitch engaging for a journalist and, last but not least, are just as important as our first two tips…so be sure to pay particular attention to them if you want your pitch to be a success: 9. NUTSHELL SUM…
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The ideal pitch to the press – part 8: attachments

The ideal pitch to the press – part 8: attachments
So we now know what should be included within the pitch, but what about attaching additional information on the client such as press backgrounders and including links within your pitch to their website? 8. INCLUDING ATTACHMENTS: This is a no-no. Your pitch should have everything in the email body itself. URLs should be included with…
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The ideal pitch to the press – part 7: preamble

The ideal pitch to the press – part 7: preamble
So, following our last six tips, you now have the perfect pitch…or do you? Here, tip 7 offers you more detail on positioning your pitch and giving it context: 7. OMIT PREAMBLE: In just a few sentences, answer the five w’s. These are the most important questions to be answered by anyone writing an article…
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The ideal pitch to the press – part 6: positioning

The ideal pitch to the press – part 6: positioning
So, following our last five tips, you now have the perfect pitch…or do you? Here, tip 6 offers you more detail on positioning your pitch and giving it context: POSITIONING: summarise your entire pitch in the first sentence and be sure to give it context. Basically, this means explaining to the journalist why you have…
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The ideal pitch to the press – part 5: everyday news

The ideal pitch to the press – part 5: everyday news
Draft your pitch in an informal manner, be aware of deadlines, email, call to discuss it then follow that with a summary of your conversation while ensuring the journalist will want to open and read your pitch in the first place by giving it a short, to the point subject line that explains your pitch…
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The ideal pitch to the press – part 4: subject lines

The ideal pitch to the press – part 4: subject lines
So you now know to draft a pitch in an informal way, being careful when you send it and how but what’s the next step in ensuring your pitch is one a journalist will want to open and read in the first place? 4. HEAD ON: Your subject line should be short and to the…
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The ideal pitch to the press – part 3: contact

The ideal pitch to the press – part 3: contact
Last week’s posts on how to write the ideal pitch explained how important writing your pitch in an informal and conversational way is in attracting a journalist’s attention and when the best time to pitch is. This week, we discuss how to pitch to the journalist: 3. TWO EMAILS AND A CALL: Email a pitch…
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The ideal pitch to the press – part 2: timing

The ideal pitch to the press – part 2: timing
Last week we posted our first top tip on what to consider when targeting the media with a pitch. In addition to ensuring that your pitch is written in an informal, conversational tone, our second most important tip is all about timing awareness: 2. OBTRUSIVE TIMING: know before pitching when media deadlines are, as journalists…
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The ideal pitch to the press – part 1: talk don’t pitch

The ideal pitch to the press – part 1: talk don’t pitch

All too often PR professionals pitch ideas to journalists with no real thought to the story’s angle or how relevant it is for the journalist / media they’re pitching to. At Vitis, we make sure everything we send to the media is to the point so it doesn’t waste their time. Here, we give you the first of our simple, all-important top ten tips to consider when targeting the media with a pitch:

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