Marketing & PR advice

Perfect PR

Sub editors: they're popular people. Well, we say popular, actually, they rank somewhere in the popularity zone of tax inspectors, WAGs and Big Brother contestants. Give them a press release, and they'll rip it apart! Here's how to write the perfect press release

Here at Franchisor News, we've had our share of press releases that needed attention. Most of the time, we get what we ask for. And yet, a very tiny few slip through the net for a number of reasons. So here's a bit of advice for composing that perfect press release.
 
1. Repeat when necessary
You're trying to promote your business the best way that you can. You must promote it in an original and imaginative way, putting a fresh spin on your product each time. Do not be tempted to trot out the same old blurb again and again.

Your press release is more likely to be used if it contains an original approach or a fresh story with good quality images. Indeed, a press release works best when it tells a story, instead of regurgitating the same old marketing speak. A news story is something positive that's happened to
your company, such as a milestone event (an anniversary or the 50th franchisee). Keep your story fresh and you'll add to your numbers.

 2. Throw away that old cliché
"At the end of the day", a press release opens up a "whole can of worms" when it "comes to the crunch". Yes, sometimes clichés are hard to avoid. But after we've read the millionth "Joe Bloggs has gone from strength to strength", it's going to be crossed out in big black scribbles.

It's all about maintaining a healthy balance. On the one hand, you don't want to keep your piece too stiff and formal, but then you don't want to pepper your message with over-ripe, over-used sayings and clichés that ultimately lack meaning and credibility.
 
3. How can I be sure?
Here's a bit of sound advice: "Steer clear of the word ‘unique'." Unique's a great word. It makes  you stand out from the crowd. Problem is, few things are truly unique. Playing a violin in a tank of live goldfish is. A mobile phone that walks, talks, eats and sleeps is. But in life, how can we prove what's unique and what's not? The problem with claiming that your offering is unique is that you need concrete proof to back this up. If you don't have any real evidence that your offering is a one-off, come up with a different (and more accurate) description.

"Market leader" pops up a lot too. Again this can be difficult to prove. But if you are a leader, on what yardstick are you basing this on? Have you conducted market research? Researched the competition? Conducted a customer poll?
 
4. Unhealthy competition
Undermining your competition does you no favours. You can say what you want in private, but saying that a rival company doesn't do this or that in a press release means that no one involved comes out of this well. Any reader is going to see through a cheap dig. Rather than making you appear superior to your rival, the reverse is usually true.
 
5. Picture this 
It's not just the words that make a difference. The images needs to be striking and create an impact on a potential franchisee. Of course, you need to keep the picture relevant, but it needs to be bright and fresh at the same time, as well as a high resolution! The lesson: a memorable and relevant image will get results.