Do Your Online Press Releases Make a Good First Impression?

Thousands of press releases make the rounds on computer screens every day - milling around in editorial systems, emails, RSS feeds, and online news portals like a literary Times Square.  Whether you post releases to your website or utilize a wire service, the challenge is this:  How can you make your content stand out from the crowd?

In my opinion, the headline is the most important aspect of a press release and falls under the “you never get a second chance to make first impression” category. After all, if you can’t persuade someone to open your release they can’t really read it, can they?

A headline should be compelling, it should succinctly state the theme of your release, and it should make someone want to know more. That’s it. The sub headline and body of text should have the honor of going into detail.

So what can you keep in mind when crafting your releases for a company newsroom or for online distribution?

Write a headline that is keyword rich. You know your audience. What terms or phrases will catch their attention and make them want more info? Think “hot buttons.” It is your release vs. everyone else’s.

For online releases, the headline becomes the page title. The headline becomes the press release’s page title in the HTML source code. This is one of the pieces of content that search engines use to index your press release. According to SEOmoz’s most recent Search Engine Ranking Factors, keyword usage in the page title is the #1 positive factor in search engine rankings.

Google only displays the first 63 characters of a headline. I use Google as an example, as they own a majority of search market share. I’m not saying that you should make all headlines 63 characters - just try to front-load your headline with the most valuable part of your headline so the important stuff is visible in search engine results pages (SERPs). Yahoo! shows 120-characters, in case you’re curious.

Headline creation should take you a long time. Between picking key terms that will attract your audience, coming up with a succinct way to describe what your readers can expect from your release, and considering what your readers will see should they stumble across your release in SERPs, you have a project on your hands. In the end, it will be worth it.

Your headline is the first thing people will see, and it is the key to having a release that’s read vs. one that isn’t. It also is someone’s first impression of your release.

Make it a good one.

How To Successfully Manage A Crisis …

I was reading an email today from Bulldog Reporter’s Winning PR Campaigns email. After detailing a recent Microsoft crisis situation, two simultaneous crises, in fact, the article broke down the “Secrets to Success”:

Secrets for success: Reach on as Miller offers more tips and explains why this campaign won Gold in Internet, Business at the 2008 Bulldog Awards for Excellence in Media Relations & Publicity:

1. Stay on top of emerging new-media tools that your customers are using to communicate with in the new-media environment—“Know what communications vehicles are available,” she says. “As more people get their news and information online, tools are emerging that allow you to communicate effectively. We’re lucky at Waggener Edstrom to have a whole division devoted to digital media. But our account people also have a passion for finding the tools that are taking hold. It’s not about the latest and the greatest. It’s about what’s having the greatest impact.” For example: “Twitterand blogs” are examples of effective new-media tools. “But we also use podcasts, webcasts and other tools that are super important.”

2. Reach out to analysts and other trusted third parties to develop relationships before a crisis strikes—“Know your trusted third parties,” she advises. “They can support your communications. What it comes down to is establishing ongoing relationships—because during a crisis, you can’t just pick up the phone for the first time. We establish ongoing communications with analysts, and others in the industry, by talking about the company and its history. This way, they are prepared for future incidences. We have a lot of ‘lessons learned’ conversations with analysts and those in the industry. We look at how we handled certain crises in the past and how we would handle them now. We also look to these analysts for insight and agreement.”

3. Eschew a “no comment” response: Provide immediate, transparent, real-time information in a crisis—“In a crisis, you have to establish immediate and authoritative trust,” she says. “The press and your customers must have confidence and trust that you are providing immediate, relevant information.”

Media Relations Rules #2 and #3

This really seems to be a busy day for PR/media relations goof ups. Rule and tips number two and three come courtesy of the Utah Democratic Party.

Rule #2

Always double check your facts, in fact, for something that could go national, triple check your facts. The Utah Democratic Party thought it would be a good idea to attack Gov. Palin for her affiliation with a supposed anti-Mormon religion. The rub here: the religion is not, in fact, anti-Mormon, and she hasn’t gone to the church in about five years. Come on! We’ve got to do better than this, these are amateur, semi-pro mistakes!

[Link to KSL story and link to official news release from the Utah Democratic Party]

This gaffe leads me to media relations rule #3.

Rule #3

Always have the person you are quoting in a release or statement or media brief, whatever, review his or her quotes. This seems like a hassle sometimes, but trust me, it will pay off in the end in a variety of ways.

The Chairman of the Utah Democratic Party told the Salt Lake Tribune that he hadn’t seen the news release that was sent out by the Party. Really?! Maybe the Utah Dems need to go find a new director of communications.

I really hope this isn’t the future of the PR industry, if it is, we’re all in trouble!

Media Relations Rule #1

Okay, it seems odd that this needs to be written, there have been plenty of public goof ups, but apparently some of us haven’t been paying attention to the media — including members of the media:

Rule #1

Make sure the mic or camera is off before saying something slanderous, embarassing, critical, offensive, or that could otherwise get you into hot water. Yes, we all have opinions, but sometimes those opinions are best kept to ourselves.

[Read more here, here, here, here and here]

Politicians Get It

Whether you feel the media are biased or not in their political leanings, one thing we can all admit is that politicians “get it” when it comes to using PR to their advantage. The New York Times had a great story today about McCain recently got a lot more legs out of a commercial by having the media replay it over, and over, and over… “well into the hundreds.”

Sure, there is some debate as to the accuracy of some of the information contained in the ad, there was even a story covering this angle, thus keeping it in the news a little longer. Sure there is the age-old question about all press being good press, but either way McCain was able to steal a little thunder back in the media this week after a week that was devoted to covering Obama’s trip abroad.

Personally, I’m all about seeing my clients get press in almost any way as it tends to open a dialogue, increase SEO rankings or, at the very least, get people thinking. For example, here’s a story I got personally involved in, and due to the kindness of the blogger, we even scored a link to TheBettyFactor.com (see the subhead: “Mancation Themes,” and the link attached to my name. And no, the picture is not of me. It’s my friend Jeff and his bushy arm-bar ’stache.).

So here’s to you McCain. Ride this wave as long as you can.

Blogs vs Traditional Journalism: Are Lines Being Blurred?

According to some bloggers,and traditional media/journalists the Associated Press (AP) is trying to change it’s style.

If the new AP boss in Washington has his way, gone are the days were journalistic writing stays objective and covers both sides of an issue, and new are the days where emotive language and first person writing become the norm.

My first response after reading this news was that true journalistic integrity will be ruined if personal feelings, which many already speculate are clouding good media judgement, interfere with an accurate portrayal of the news. However, after reading a separate article from Ragan’s Daily Headlines it became clear that a lot of bloggers were up in arms about the announcement, which made me wonder why. (more…)

Deseret News Cuts 34 Positions as Ad Revenues Fall 32%

The Deseret News (the daily newspaper started more than 150 years ago by Brigham Young), has eliminated 34 editorial positions in a cost-cutting move following a 32 percent in advertising revenues since January 2008.

According to Paul Beebe’s story in today’s Salt Lake Tribune (the cross-town and cultural rival of the DNews), the Deseret News had had 200 journalists on its staff, which was pared down through layoffs, buyouts and attrition.

As part of the cutbacks, the DNews will no longer publish a separate edition in Utah County, arguably the most conservative county in the state that bears the nickname of “Happy Valley.” The paper will, however, continue to staff a pared back bureau in Utah County (currently based in Orem near the top of the so-called “diagonal,” the stretch of 1200 North that drops into Provo from the plot of land housing University Mall).

The DNews has, however, closed is bureau in Washington, D.C. It will also do away with its standalone business section, which will be moved into its “first” or A section of the paper.

(more…)

Are you a flack or a flak?

I’ve often wondered the origin of this nickname for PR pros, well look no further, you can read the answer here.

So are you a ‘flack’ or a ‘flak’? (post your answers in the comments section)

[Photo courtesy: Journal of Combat Missions]

Blogging about Blogging

Starting and then maintaining a blog can be challenging if you haven’t thought through a couple of important questions:

1. What should I blog about, and

2. How often should I blog

Jon Greer, author of BNET’s Catching Flack blog has some great points and additional links for business owners looking to start their own blog.

Read Jon’s original blog post on BNET

LDS Church Fights Misperceptions with Web 2.0 Campaign

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints launched a Web 2.0 / PR 2.0 campaign last week to combat misunderstandings that still exist in the United States and among certain media outlets that erroneously tie the LDS faith to individuals and organizations practicing polygamy today. Chief among these is the so-called FLDS Church.

Members of the FLDS Church practice polygamy; members of the LDS Church do not. In fact, although polygamy was practiced among select groups of the LDS faith prior to 1890, members of the LDS (or Mormon) Church who choose to practice polygamy today will lose their church membership.

Hence, with the recent media and legal brouhaha surrounding the fact that Child Protective Services in Texas seized and eventually returned more than 400 children from an FLDS ranch in El Dorado, Texas, it’s almost expected that certain journalists and media outlets will “get it wrong” and report that those affected in El Dorado are members of the LDS Church — WHICH IS INCORRECT.

So last week, the LDS Church went on the offensive to correct such misperceptions and lazy reporting.

Central to this effort was the launch of seven Internet videos featuring seven “average” Latter-day Saints out of the more then 260,000 Mormons who live in Texas. (A separate post from earlier today on UtahTechWatch.com delves into more detail on this subject. Additionally, here’s the original news release from the LDS Church announcing its campaign.)

(more…)