The Press
Release Handbook for ACB Affiliates and Chapters
Prepared By Members of the
Public Relations Committee:
Sharon Lovering
Gaylen Floy
Edited By
American
Council of the Blind
(202) 467-5081
(800) 424-8666
http://www.acb.org
Copyright 2008
American Council of the Blind
All rights reserved
Table of
Contents
Chapter One: The Magic of
the Press Release .......................
Chapter Two: Writing Press Releases
the Media Will
Love!
...................................................................................
Chapter Three: Getting Your
Press Release Distributed .....
Chapter Four: Recognizing
Press Release Opportunities ...
References................................................................................
The Magic of
the Press Release
What Is A Press
Release?
To begin with, we must note that we consider the
terms “press release” and “news release” as interchangeable. A little research revealed that the most
commonly used term is “press release.”
Therefore, that is the term used throughout this handbook.
A press release is an announcement that informs the
media about upcoming special events, personnel matters (e.g., hiring,
promotions, retirements, etc.), medical breakthroughs, major technological
advancements, an important organizational function, a variety of causes (like
the American Heart Association), or is meant to build someone's or some
organization's image. They can be
mailed, faxed, e-mailed or hand-delivered to the various media outlets in your
area and beyond.
The purpose of a press release is to get
information about your event or cause into the newspaper, on the radio and TV,
and into the public's eye. Much like a
public service announcement, a press release gives the newspaper/radio/TV
station information for it to process and distribute to the public. Reporters often rewrite and condense
information from press releases to fit into the newspaper's or radio station's
calendar or upcoming events section.
Often the media will call the contact person(s) included in the press
release for additional information.
However, sometimes it's just not appropriate to use a press release.
When A
Press Release Isn't Appropriate
You should never use a press release in
place of an advertisement for your product, service, or organization. A press release must be newsworthy in the
eyes of the media source to which you are sending it. The newspaper editor or news director of the
television station should not read your press release and simply perceive it as
a glorified ad dressed up to look like a press release. Here is an example of an announcement that
would be considered an advertisement by the media:
common: they are all sisters; they
are all blind, and they are
all accomplished custom jewelry
makers. They custom
design jewelry such as rings,
necklaces, and earrings from
precious stones and other
materials. Their elegant artistic
designs can be seen and purchased
from their website:
www.blindjewelrydesigns.com.
Your press release must be considered
newsworthy and of interest to a large number of the readers, listeners, or
viewers. Again, look at these three
basic types of press releases: 1) announcements of coming events or major
personnel matters (e.g. a concert being performed by your organization that is
open to the public, or personnel matters like hiring several new people, key
promotions, retirement of an important person in your organization, etc.); 2)
information regarding a cause (e.g. a major fundraiser to raise money for
surgery to restore a blind child's eyesight), or 3) information that is meant
to build or effect someone's or some organization's image (e.g. the Ajax
Association of the Blind is holding a press conference Monday to respond to the
charges of discrimination against its deaf-blind members). If your press release does not fall into one
or more of these types, and if it is not genuinely newsworthy, then it probably
is not a legitimate press release, and you should seek other avenues for
coverage and distribution.
Here are some more specific examples
(listed by type):
Type One: Announcements of
Coming Events or Major Personnel Matters
The Arizona Council of the Blind will hold its annual
convention May 2-3 at the
Hilton Hotel.
Dining in the Dark declared a huge success by
Barbara
Ross of the
Dr. John Jones will retire from the
end of May. Taking his place will be his son, Dr. John
Jones
Jr.
Type Two: Information
Regarding a Cause
The Metro Lions are holding a “Walk-a-Thon Pledge
Event”
Sunday afternoon to help raise money for Janet
Williams, a
10-year-old girl who needs costly surgery to restore
her
eyesight.
Volunteers are needed to assist with the 4th Annual
Blind
Fishing Tournament to be held at
15 beginning at
the SeeMore
Institute.
Several members of
Gamma sorority assisted members of the American
Council
of the Blind during ACB's
annual legislative seminar Feb. 13,
2008.
Type Three: Information
Meant to Build or Affect Someone's or Some Organization's Image
The Christian United Blind of Mountain Top is
changing its
name to the United Blind of
Mountain Top, dropping the
word “Christian,” to indicate
the organization is open to
people of all faiths and
beliefs.
With the vast expansion of the Small Business
Incubator
Center, Robert Bell, owner of
announced he is changing the name to
the Dinner Bell and
he will extend his
restaurant's hours and selections to
include Happy Hour from
to
will better fit the new image we
want to project to our
patrons.”
Mayor Jim Smith has proclaimed January 4 as Braille
Literacy Day. Local blindness organizations will have braille
books and other items on display
from
the
In summary, is your item an announcement
of a coming event, or a personnel matter?
Does it try to further ACB's or your chapter's image or cause? If so, then a press release would be
appropriate.
However, if it is an expression of an
opinion concerning an item in the newspaper, then a letter to the editor of
that paper would be the correct thing to do.
If it were expressing dismay at the content of a particular television
show (for example, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”), then a letter to the
station's headquarters (in this case, ABC in
But what if it concerns an ad you saw on
TV or heard on the radio? This is where
things become a little trickier. If it
were you, personally, expressing an opinion on the ad, then no, a press release
would not be appropriate. However, if it
were your state or special-interest affiliate expressing its concerns and
trying to educate the public as to the inappropriateness of the ad because it
insinuated something negative about blind people, then yes, a press release
would be appropriate.
If you ever have a question about the
appropriateness of a press release versus a letter to the editor, or whether a
press release is warranted at all, you can always contact the ACB national
office or the chair of the PR committee for his/her recommendations and
assistance.
The Impact and
Power of the Press Release for ACB
Remember, we are a grass-roots
organization, and our power comes from our members, our affiliates, and our
chapters. As of this writing, there are
over 70 active ACB affiliates (state affiliates and special-interest affiliates
combined), and within those affiliates, there are over 300 chapters. Let's look quickly at the math. If 70 affiliates averaged just two press
releases a year, this would be 140 press releases going out to mostly local
media each year. This is nearly 12 press
releases each month, and that doesn't even take into account the press releases
going out to the national and local media by our national office. Think of the impact that ACB would have if
those kinds of numbers were a reality!
ACB would be recognized across the entire country as the largest, most
powerful voice representing this nation's blind. Whenever a blindness-related issue came up,
and the media needed more information, ACB and its affiliates and chapters
would be the first source the media would think of as the most knowledgeable
source of information! Certainly your
organization has two or more events each year worthy of a press release. A fairly exhaustive list of press release
opportunities appears in chapter four.
Writing Press Releases the Media Will Love!
Characteristics of a Good Press Release
A good press release should focus on a single
message. A poor press release will often
attempt to cover two, three, or more topics, rather than staying focused on a
single issue. While, in general, short
press releases are preferred over long ones, the key is that the press release
needs to be long enough to convey the
message. Thus, some press releases can
be written
sufficiently in two or three paragraphs,
while others may take two or three pages.
There is no set length for a good press release.
No
matter how short or long your press release is, it must immediately capture the
reader's attention and entice him/her to continue reading for more information. The headline and the first paragraph must
grab the reader's attention and spark his/her interest. It is much like the often referred to AIDA
formula in advertising: attention, interest, desire, and action. Your press release must gain the reader's
attention, arouse his/her interest enough to stimulate his/her desire for more
information, and then cause the reader, e.g. newspaper editor, to act by
calling for even more information, an interview, and/or publish the essence of
the press release in the paper or give it some air time in the case of radio or
TV stations.
Your
press release should use easily understood words and simple, short sentences
and paragraphs. A common mistake is to
use too many adjectives or descriptive words.
It is
crucial that your press release have significant news value. The message focused on by your press release
must be of interest to the reader's audience.
The newspaper editor, for instance, is only interested in publishing the
information conveyed by your press release if it will be interesting to his/her
readership or at least, to some fairly large portion of them.
Your
press release should always follow what is referred to as the inverted pyramid
format. This means that you should place
the most important, attention-grabbing information first. You must have a strong lead, i.e. headline
and first paragraph. You must include
who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Subsequent paragraphs should expand upon the main point of the press
release. Whenever possible and
appropriate, you should use quotes from key people of influence (such as the
president of your affiliate, the president or executive director of ACB, etc.)
or people affected by the main issue of the press release. It is good to incorporate opinions and ideas,
even if controversial, and explain rationale for actions or reactions. You should avoid trite or overused
expressions, such as “the blind leading the blind,” or “jumped out of the fire
and into the frying pan,” etc.
You
should always strive to use clear, easy-to-read and concise language. Ideally, your sentences should not exceed 15
words, averaging six letters each, and your paragraphs should not exceed four
lines, totaling 30 words per paragraph.
Again, this is an ideal. The
truth is that almost no press releases follow this rule, but it is something to
shoot for when writing your press release!
Always,
always, always check and double-check for correct sentence structure, spelling,
and clear meaning of what you are trying to say. It is a good idea to write your press
release, set it aside for a day or two, if you can afford the time, and then go
back and read it again. You will be
amazed at what you spot that needs editing and changing that you completely
missed when you first worked on the release.
When you think it is perfect, give it to someone else who you know to be
a good, competent writer and who has knowledge of what goes into a strong press
release. Again, you will be surprised at
what a second person will spot that you missed.
Press
releases can be distributed either in hard copy format or by e-mail or
both. All hard copies should be typewritten
(printed out on a good quality printer), and double-spaced. You should, of course, print only on one side
of the sheet, not front and back. If
more than one page, the word “continued” should be placed at the bottom right
of each sheet, unless it is the last page.
The end of the press release should be indicated with three number signs
(###), centered at the bottom of the last page.
Always
remember to include a name and telephone number for a contact person who is
very familiar with the central message of your press release in case the reader
wants more information. Whenever
possible, it is best to supply a toll-free telephone number for the contact
person. You should indicate a release
time. Often, the words "For
Immediate Release" appear at the top of the press release. However, if the release date is not
immediate, you need to supply the reader with the desired release date.
The Effective Press Release Formula
All
press releases follow the same general format, but there is no one precise
formula or format that every single press release follows. Here is the general formula, followed by some
examples that demonstrate slightly varying formats.
At the
top, aligned left in bold print, should be the words "For Immediate
Release." The exception to this is
that if the information should be released at a later date, say, in a week or a
few days, and you are just giving the editor and/or news director an exclusive
or "scoop" on the information being divulged by your press
release. Place a blank line underneath
the words “For Immediate Release,” then include the contact information on the
next lines. This information is extremely vital. You need to include the name of the contact
person, the name of your affiliate, chapter, or the ACB, your phone and fax
numbers, including preferably a toll-free number (or ACB's numbers), an e-mail
address, and your web site's URL.
Next,
you should follow what is referred to as the inverted pyramid format when
writing your press release. The inverted
pyramid starts with and builds from a broad base. Place the most essential information at the
top, in the very beginning, i.e. the short, attention-grabbing headline
followed by the interest -arousing first paragraph.
The
initial paragraph normally begins with the city, state, and date (e.g.
Your
subsequent paragraphs will include additional information such as quotes from
key people, the impact the issue will have on your members and/or the
editor's/news director's target audience, especially any benefits to be gained
from the issue. For instance, a press
release about the importance of making web sites accessible should include how
such accessibility can be helpful to everyone who uses them, not just blind
people.
The
final paragraph(s) of your press release should be a summary of the salient
points you made in your earlier sections, stating it a little differently.
Wrap
up your press release with a paragraph describing your affiliate or chapter,
followed, again, with the full contact information, such as: “For more
information, call, write or visit: telephone number, fax, e-mail or web site.” Then, you should go down three or four lines
and place three number signs (# # #) indicating the end of your press
release. If your press release is longer
than a single page, you should place "-- continued --" at the bottom
right of each page, except for the last page.
Then indicate the end of your press release with # # #. Here is the general formula, but remember,
this may vary slightly from press release to press release, depending upon the
situation, the nature of the information, etc.
***
For Immediate Release
Contact person
Name of affiliate or chapter
Address
Telephone numbers
E-mail address
Web site URL
Headline
CITY, State, Date -- Summary of what the release is
about, two to three lines long.
Photo Here (optional)
Lead paragraph - Answer who, what, where, when, how
and why
Subsequent paragraphs: text -The main body where your
message should fully develop with most important facts first.
Affiliate or chapter summary
- Information about your organization, e.g. services and information to help establish
your knowledge and credibility.
Contact:
Contact person
Affiliate or chapter name
Telephone numbers
E-mail address
Web site URL
###
***
Sample press releases that got results
Below is an example of a press release that was used
by a local ACB chapter that resulted in coverage by most all of the local
media, TV, newspaper, several radio stations, and even several local
"calendar of events" listings.
For Immediate
Release
For more information, contact:
South
Telephone: (270) 782-9325, 1-800-996-7356
E-mail: ron.milliman@wku.edu
Web site: http://www.sckcb.org
Free Showing of
the Audio-Described Movie ‘Ray’
BOWLING GREEN,
Ronald E. Milliman, Professor of Marketing, and the
South Central Kentucky Council of the Blind (SCKCB) are inviting all WKU
students, faculty, staff, and the general public to attend a FREE showing of
the audio-described movie “Ray” in celebration of Disability Month and to
inform people about blindness. Audio
description is an additional narration that describes all significant visual
information, such as body language, facial expressions, scenery, action, costumes -- anything that is important to conveying the plot
of the story, event or image.
The celebrated film about the blind rhythm-and-blues
singer Ray Charles traces his career from his early days as a poor musician in
the segregated South to his rise to fame as one of the most influential
musicians of his time. Jamie Foxx plays
the title role in this biopic about Ray Charles (1930-2004). Ray Charles' singing voice is heard on the
musical numbers, which include: "What'd I Say," "Unchain My
Heart," "Hit the Road, Jack," and "Georgia on My
Mind." The movie concentrates on Charles' life from the late 1940s to the
mid-1960s, showing his experiences with discrimination, his marriage to Della
Bea, his womanizing, his drug usage, recovery from his drug addiction, and his
experiences in the music business.
Nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and winner for
Best Actor (Jamie Foxx), “Ray” has been a hit both with critics and at the box
office.
For more information about blindness, the South
Central Kentucky Council of the Blind or the American Council of the Blind, contact
# # #
Here is another example. This press release follows a slightly different
format, but basically, the same general formula:
For Immediate Release
For
more information, contact:
American
Council of the Blind (ACB)
1-800-424-8666
Blind Voters
from Nearly Every State to Meet with Their Legislators in
Over 125 people from all over the
The Legislative Seminar will be preceded by an ACB
Affiliate Presidents' meeting February 9-10.
The American Council of the Blind is the largest
consumer-based organization of blind and visually impaired Americans advocating
for the rights of blind Americans. Comprised of more than 70 affiliates across
the entire
For more information about the American Council of
the Blind, and the issues it supports, visit www.acb.org or contact
###
For Immediate
Release
For more information, contact:
American Council of the Blind
1-800-424-8666
ACB Finds
Success with Structured Negotiations
1)
A landmark agreement with
2)
Radio Shack signed an agreement addressing the accessibility of the
company’s web site and retail stores.
The agreement requires installation of at least one tactile
point-of-sale (POS) device at every Radio Shack store in the
3)
7-Eleven signed an agreement requiring installation of POS devices with
tactile keypads in over 6,000 7-Eleven stores across the country.
4) Banks continue to install Talking ATMs pursuant to
agreements reached as a result of structured negotiations. The banking industry
is also at the forefront of on-line accessibility in the private sector. ACB continues to monitor settlement
agreements providing for alternate formats, like braille,
since accessible financial information is a guaranteed right under federal and
state law. Such achievements using
structured negotiations have the potential of impacting millions of blind
people. According to the American
Foundation for the Blind, roughly 75,000 Americans become blind each year, and
there are an estimated total of 1.3 million blind people currently in the
The American Council of the Blind is the largest
consumer-based organization of blind and visually impaired Americans advocating
for the rights of blind Americans. Comprised of more than 70 affiliates across
the entire
For more information about the American Council of
the Blind, and the issues it supports, visit www.acb.org or contact
###
Here
is a press release got considerable coverage by the media.
For Immediate Release
Later, when asked to elaborate upon what he meant,
Hachey stated that when Romney was governor of
American Council of the Blind
(202) 467-5081
(800) 424-8666
Fax: (202) 467-5085
http://www.acb.org
###
Using Boilerplate Copy
You can use some of the same "boilerplate"
copy in nearly all of your press releases.
For instance, all of the ACB press releases we write and send out at the
national level contain some of the same wording when describing ACB, as you can
see from the examples shown in this chapter previously. Here is an example of boilerplate copy that
we use:
The American Council of the Blind is the largest
consumer-based organization of blind and visually impaired Americans advocating
for the rights of blind Americans. Comprised of more than 70 affiliates across
the entire
For more information about the American Council of
the Blind, and the issues it supports, visit www.acb.org or contact
The same, or very similar, copy is used at the
bottom of all of our press releases.
Here is another example of boilerplate copy that is used by the South
Central Kentucky Council of the Blind, but it could be very easily edited and
adapted to fit your affiliate’s or chapter’s needs and situation:
The South Central Kentucky Council of the Blind
(SCKCB) is a locally based organization of the blind that promotes public
education about blindness, and is a major resource for blind and low-vision
people for obtaining assistance with coping with their blindness or low-vision
challenges, parents of blind or low-vision children, and people of all ages who
are losing or anticipate losing their eyesight.
The SCKCB is affiliated with the American Council of the Blind, based in
For more information about blindness or the South
Central
(270) 782-9325
1-800-996-7356
E-mail: ron.milliman@wku.edu
Web site: http://www.sckcb.org
Such boilerplate copy will save you time and make your writing of a press release much quicker and easier.
If you have questions concerning what is appropriate
for a press release, or if you need assistance in writing a press release, you
can contact our
Getting Your
Press Release Distributed
Up until this point, we have focused on the need for
and creation of a press or news release.
This chapter focuses on the distribution of a release and any other
pertinent information to the media. It’s
estimated that 70 percent of news comes from sources outside of the traditional
media sources. The majority comes to media channels in the form of press
releases. These press releases are then picked up, reported on, and delivered
to the public as news.
Distribution of a press release can vary depending on
the subject of your release. Is the news
national, regional or local? What is the
most appropriate channel of distribution: e-mail, mail, fax, or telephone? Effective press release distribution does not
require an in-depth knowledge of press release distribution channels,
techniques or experience in handling the syndication process, but it does
require organization, consistency, open and regular communication and the
ability to plan in the long term.
A press release may be written by a single individual
or by a small group. For effective
ongoing distribution of news about your affiliate or chapter, having a team of
individuals, led by a state-level organizer, can make a significant difference
as opposed to a single PR person. For
instance, you could have a key person responsible for creating press releases
in each of your chapters. You could also
have a key person responsible for writing and distributing press releases in
your affiliate. Together, they would
form your affiliate’s press release team.
One of the most critical elements in the effective
distribution of a press release is networking and building relationships with various
media outlets. A team approach can
significantly ease the burden; this is especially important when attempting to
publicize wide-reaching events such as a state convention.
Building a Media
Distribution List
One of the first steps for successful placement of
press releases is building a targeted media list or database. This is a critical tool, and if it is updated
regularly, it can be invaluable to your affiliate for years to come. The best
way to build your list or database is to carefully track media publications and
shows (both radio and television), and to identify reporters and media outlets
who would be interested in your story.
Some points to remember in creating the initial list
is to keep in mind the different available media outlets and also the specific
format they tend to follow. This list
should be as broad as possible and contain as much information as would be
pertinent for future press release opportunities. That means that this is not just a list of
names, e-mails and contact numbers, but also should include notations of their
specific area of interest, e.g. technology, disability-related, or even just
general community interest material. We
have provided a possible list of media outlets to help jog your thought process
when considering potential sources to distribute your press release to at the
end of this chapter. It includes
suggestions for a variety of media outlets to include on your media list or
database. In addition, having the
information organized by the type of media, by region and/or interest area may
be useful for more targeted distribution efforts.
Your
database should include not only outlets such as print newspapers and
magazines, or television channels and radio stations, but also the particular contacts
within those outlets and journalists and reporters who have an interest in
issues that parallel your organization’s interests. You can call the media outlets to get the
phone, e-mail and fax number of the journalists you would like to add to your list,
or do a little online research to find the information. We have also included a sample of information
that might be included in your media list or database at the end of this
chapter.
The goal is that over time you will create a network
of contacts and relationships for distribution of your press releases that are
interested in what you have to say. Keep
in mind, outlets like “The Los Angeles Times” receive
over 3,000 press releases a week. So a
personal relationship with the media, especially your key media contacts, can
make the difference between a press release languishing or attracting attention
and being printed or aired. Even though
some so-called experts advise against calling your key media contacts before
sending out your press release, our experience has shown the opposite to be
true. Especially in smaller cities and
towns, a personal phone call to the editor of the prime newspaper in your area
or news director of the local TV and radio stations will usually produce much
better results than if you just send them your press release without any prior
communications on your part.
For example, recently, when the federal court
decision came down favoring the ACB’s position
against the U.S. Treasury concerning the need to make our paper currency
accessible, our personal contacts with the networks, the news wire services,
and contacts directly with newspapers, TV, and radio stations across the
country achieved nearly a 90 percent coverage from the
sources we contacted. This resulted in
numerous personal interviews by the media with our
Although there are now many ways that information can
be distributed -- television, radio, print news, online -- there are still only
a few ways to contact those media outlets.
Rather than discuss the methods of distribution, this portion of the
chapter will address the various alternative methods of dissemination of your
press release to the media outlet.
Online
According to PRWeb, “More than 27 Million People Use Yahoo News and
Google News” for one source of their daily information. Approximately 92 percent of journalists do
their article research on the web.
Making sure that your press release is available on your website gives
you an additional opportunity for publicity.
It makes it easier for media members to find the information you want
them to see if you have a specific link for press releases on your web site. The press page should include both links to
recent and less recent press releases.
In today’s electronic world, many media outlets
prefer that you contact them via e-mail for press releases. There are numerous web sites that promise to
provide e-mail addresses and faxes for editors and publishers and many more
that provide services to forward your press release to a variety of media
outlets. As a cautionary note, although
some of these providers may be legitimate, many of these services are sending
unsolicited e-mail, which might be perceived as spam by the recipient. Be careful that you send a press release only
to those with whom you have an existing relationship or whom you have confirmed
is the appropriate contact. While sending a press release via e-mail seems
simple and easy, here are a few very important rules you should remember:
1) Make sure your e-mail is being sent to the
correct
person. Get the e-mail addresses for your key
contacts and contributing editors from the media outlet’s website or by calling
on the phone and asking to whom your press releases should be directed. If the number of contacts is overwhelming,
find the e-mail of an editorial assistant; it's the assistant’s job to track
the journalists’ beats.
2) Do not send any e-mail that is addressed to multiple
individuals. Many editors and news
directors will
automatically delete such a posting. Every journalist is
equally important, and it is how you
handle communications
and your relationship with them that
will determine your
success.
3) All e-mails should be sent as a plain text
file.
4) Include a signature file with full contact
information.
5) Do not send any attachments, unless the
recipient requests
your press
release in a particular format and expects it as an
attachment. In today’s world of Internet viruses, an
attachment is
unlikely to be opened, and your entire
message will
probably be deleted unread. If you need
the
recipient to
access an exceptionally large file, you
should point him/her to a URL or
link on your web site
where it can be downloaded.
6) You should always use meaningful subject
headers.
Avoid generic titles like “Press Release” or “From
ACB Media Office,” and avoid any titles that utilize
symbols such as the exclamation
point, dollar sign or
“at” symbol, that can be
mistaken as spam.
7) Do not use generic or free e-mail accounts
such as
Gmail, Hotmail,
Yahoo Mail, or AOL’s Webmail. It looks
very unprofessional.
For initial
contact with any media outlet, the telephone
is still the
reliable standby. It is the most
effective means to inquire as to whom is the best person to address press
release information and to initiate what can be a long and productive
relationship between your organization and local important media contacts. However, there are a few rules to keep in
mind when contacting media outlets via telephone:
1) If you are forced to leave a voice mail
message, begin your message with your name and phone number. You should not require your contact person to
listen to your entire message to find your contact information.
2) When returning a phone call, identify yourself as completely as possible, e.g., “This is
3) Voice mail is a very poor format for
providing press
release information and should not be used for that
purpose. Voice mail should
only be used as a support
method, but not as your main means for communicating
important press release information.
If your message is
very long, it is best to send it via e-mail as opposed to a
long and potentially confusing voicemail.
Faxing is probably the simplest method for
transmitting
your
press release. Many, if not most,
newspapers, television and radio stations have a fax number for press releases
and your written release can usually be sent without difficulty. As stated earlier, it is very important to
include in your press release how your announcement will impact the medium’s
target audience, i.e. readers, listeners, or viewers.
News wires distribute press releases directly to
editors and other media outlets; many also publish the releases on their web sites. It is important to note that many of the wire
services can be expensive, running approximately $300 to $600 per release. They have the advantage of immediately
reaching a broad range of media outlets across the country. However, for most local and regional events,
this can be an unnecessary expense and can prevent you from taking advantage of
local relationships.
However, if you are interested in using some of the
free
news
service providers, you need to keep in mind the cautions against the risks
associated with using such free services that were mentioned earlier. If that is still your choice, you should only
make use of only one or two such sites.
If you use more than three, you are simply wasting your time and
efforts. You need to attempt to choose
specific services based on which ones will get your press release included on Internet
news engines such as Google and Yahoo News.
Timing and
Tracking
Press releases are the key
to effectively marketing your chapter or affiliate. Issuing a new press release every three to
four weeks keeps you in front of the media, and it has a cumulative effect of
increasing the effectiveness of your press releases. The release of material on a regular basis
not only familiarizes media outlets and reporters with your organization, it
projects the impression of an active and vibrant organization that is
newsworthy.
Finally, if your press release is published, be sure
to maintain copies for your records or get permission to maintain a copy on
your web site. By tracking the
effectiveness of your press release program, it allows you to focus your
distribution efforts in the future by emphasizing those media outlets that get
you results, i.e., maximum exposure for your affiliate or chapter.
Press releases are an excellent tool for gaining
exposure for your organization and helping you promote public awareness of
important blindness-related issues. This
is a very powerful, cost effective means of promotion and publicity for your
affiliate and chapter. It has a profound
influence on the public, and in turn, through the community's power, the
government is also impacted. A well-organized
rally or event that is attended by 100 or more of your affiliate's members is
great, but if you can turn it into a media event and gain widespread media
coverage, starting with your press release, you will reach many, many times
that number with your message. Now, let’s
look at some of the possible media outlets for your press release.
Below is an extensive list of possible
media outlets intended to assist you when exploring the options in your
geographic area.
The number and type of media outlets available to you depends upon
whether you are targeting the entire nation, your entire state, or a specific
region of the country or your state, or a city or small town. It is one challenge to target, for instance,
the entire state of
Note: In addition to contacting the local television
stations regarding news coverage of your event, making direct contact with some
of the local on-air programs to encourage their coverage offers a different
perspective and an be a wonderful ongoing relationship.
Television stations
Local public access cable channel (and programs)
Radio stations
College and university radio stations
Public access radio stations (and programs)
4. Magazines: Many states and even cities have
magazines targeting issues and
interests pertaining to
its population. There are all kinds of travel-related
publications, some sports-related, and
some focus on
eating establishments. For instance, in
is a magazine called Kentucky Afield, which is devoted
entirely to outdoor activities,
especially hunting and
fishing in the state of
fishing tournament for blind fishers,
this would be an
excellent outlet.
6.
and universities have a number
of ways that information
about your event or organization
may be distributed and
can be a unique and effective
resource. As a note, the
increased bureaucracy and complexity
inherent in a
university system requires patience to
find who the
appropriate university contact(s) may
be.
College events calendars
College-owned radio stations and television networks
Community/residential bulletin boards
Departments with an interest in your issue
Fraternities and sororities with an interest in your
issue (e.g., Delta Gamma)
Sample Information
to Include in a Media Database
1) Medium (e.g. newspaper, TV, radio, etc.)
2) Source (e.g. Louisville Courier Journal,
WAVE-TV, WGN, etc.)
3) Contact person’s name
4) Contact person’s title
5) Contact person’s phone number
6) Contact person’s FAX number
7) Contact person’s e-mail address
8) Contact person’s preferred method of
contact (e.g., e-mail, phone, fax, or some combination, etc.)
9) Alternate contact person’s name
10) Alternate contact person’s phone number
11) Alternate contact person's FAX number
12) Alternate contact person’s e-mail address
13) Alternate contact person’s preferred method
of contact (e.g., e-mail, phone, fax, or some combination, etc.)
Recognizing
Press Release Opportunities
In a recent survey of ACB affiliates, we asked what
some of the reasons were that the affiliates and chapters weren’t obtaining
more media coverage, such as that obtained through press releases. The most common answer: they had no idea what
constituted a press release opportunity.
Therefore, this chapter is devoted to this vitally important issue.
To achieve maximum media exposure for your
organization, you must become aware of every possible media and press release
opportunity. Just as successful
politicians are media opportunists, you too must become media opportunity
conscious and take full advantage of every opportunity to gain media exposure
for your affiliate or chapter.
Described below are 17 examples of press release
opportunities that your organization might be able to capitalize on. Obviously, this list is not meant to be an
all-inclusive list. It is meant to inspire
your thought processes and creative thinking.
Is there a raging
controversy that impacts your organization's members?
For some reason, it seems to be human nature to be
captivated by controversial issues. Is
your organization directly involved in some kind of local controversy? Is there some controversy going on in your
community that has the potential of influencing your organization? For instance, has one of your members been
hit by a vehicle when crossing a dangerous intersection where an audible
traffic signal should be placed? Are
taxi drivers refusing to transport blind people in your community if they are
traveling with a guide dog? Is your city
considering replacing all of its city vehicles, including city buses, with
hybrid or electric vehicles, which would pose a serious hazard to blind people
in your area? These are only a very few
examples of potential controversial issues that could provide an excellent
media and press release opportunity for your organization.
Has your
organization (or its members) accomplished some major achievement that would be
of interest to the public?
Perhaps, your affiliate or chapter was recognized as
the most outstanding non-profit organization in your community this year. If so, that is certainly a press release
opportunity. Recognition or awards are
often given by city mayors, city councils, or by colleges or universities. If your organization was the recipient of any
such awards, it is definitely a press release opportunity and potential media
event. For instance, most universities
have programs that work with various organizations in its community as a part
of its emphasis on engagement, engaging students with the community, getting
them involved with local business and organizations, including non-profits. Many of these programs have awards and
various ways of recognizing the firms and organizations with which they
associate.
In like manner, such an award or recognition might
have been earned by one of your affiliate or chapter members, rather than the
organization. That also can be turned
into a press release opportunity not only to highlight the achievement of that
member, but to gain recognition for your organization as well. For instance, if Debbie Grubb, president of
the Florida Council of the Blind, were awarded the "Most Outstanding
Leader of Non-Profits in the State of Florida" for this year by the
American Association of Non-Profit Organizations, it would be an excellent
press release opportunity not only to give additional recognition to Debbie
Grubb, but it also would offer a perfect opportunity to gain major recognition
for the Florida Council and its several chapters.
Is your organization
sponsoring some important event?
If your affiliate or chapter sponsors any kind of
event, especially if it is open to the public, it is an excellent press release
opportunity and media event. For
instance, if your group is sponsoring or performing a music concert, you
certainly need to get it publicized as widely as possible. One part of that promotional effort is to
write and distribute press releases. The same applies if your organization is
sponsoring any kind of an event, like a fishing tournament, a golf tournament,
a tennis tournament, a "Dining in the Dark" evening in conjunction
with a local restaurant, the showing of an audio-described movie, etc. Some of these kinds of events might be
fundraisers for your organization; others might just be activities for
achieving public education and awareness of your organization. Regardless of the reason for the event, these
are all excellent press release opportunities and outstanding media events.
Does your affiliate
or chapter offer a scholarship?
If your affiliate or chapter offers one or more
scholarships, this poses a wonderful opportunity for a press release to get the
word out to your target audience and to the community. It does not have to be a large scholarship. A small ($250) scholarship will gain your
local media’s attention. Of course, the
larger the scholarship and the more scholarships you offer, the more likely it
will resonate with your newspaper editors and news directors. An added benefit is that it is an excellent
way of recruiting new members too.
Is your organization
offering some new service?
If your affiliate or chapter is offering some new
service, or if it is re-packaging an existing service, it can be a perfect
opportunity for you to make the grand announcement using a press release. Are you offering some new program targeting
senior citizens or a program aimed at blind kids or parents of blind
children? Are you offering computer
training to blind and low-vision people in your area? Are you sponsoring a new descriptive audio
service to describe live plays in your community? These can all be press release
opportunities. While we are using the
word "new" here, the service doesn't really have to be entirely
new. As you know, it is a common
marketing practice to re-package or re-formulate existing products and services
and then, roll them out as "new" or "new and
improved." You can do the same
thing. It doesn't require a major overhaul
of the entire service, a small change can constitute
something as new or new and improved, allowing you to make such a claim.
Has your organization
conducted some poll or survey that has important findings of interest to the public?
While the question here pretty much addresses the
point, an example might help refine the issue.
Recently, the South Central Kentucky Council of the Blind conducted an
exhaustive survey of all the restaurants in the greater
Your organization might do a survey dealing with
public transportation, or the public's knowledge about blindness, or any number of topics that directly, or even indirectly, impact
your organization. However, it needs to
be something that will also be of interest to the community. If it generates some controversy, that is all
the better. Editors and news directors
love to publicize controversial issues because it gets their readers, listeners
and viewers stirred up and increases the likelihood that
the people will continue to read the newspaper or listen to the radio or watch
the TV for the latest information about the controversy.
Is your organization
involved in any legislation that would be of interest to the public?
As a non-profit, 501(c)(3)
entity, you cannot participate in political lobbying. However, you can certainly support
legislation that affects blind people and the individuals in your
organization. You can implement your PR
effort by contacting your lawmakers, and you can also take advantage of the
power of the press by writing press releases addressing issues of legislative
concern or announcing the passage of legislation that has a positive impact on
blind and low-vision people. For instance,
if your state were to pass a bill requiring all businesses in your state to
have fully accessible web sites by a specified date, that would not only be of
great interest to blind people, but it would also be of interest to all of the
businesses in your area, including the advertisers in your local newspapers,
radio and TV stations.
Is your organization
launching a new web site or a new service associated with your web site?
Recently, the South Central Kentucky Council of the
Blind added a new resource section to its web site. This gave the SCKCB the perfect opportunity
to send out a press release to all of the local media. Its headline read "New Resource
Available to Assist People with Poor Eyesight." Since lots of people can identify with having
poor eyesight, that headline was crafted to capture maximum attention from the
editors and news directors because it targeted lots of their readers,
listeners, and viewers. As mentioned earlier,
the SCKCB also conducted a survey of local restaurants that generated press
release opportunities, and one of the press releases included the point that
all of the findings from the survey could be found on the SCKCB website. For that matter, your web site, or any part
of it, doesn't have to be new to give your affiliate or chapter a press release
opportunity. Just the fact that you have
such a resource available that contains lots of valuable information for the
public and for blind and low-vision people is reason enough to draft a press
release to let the public know about it.
Is your organization
kicking off a new fundraiser or capital campaign?
If your affiliate or chapter is holding a
"Dining in the Dark" fundraiser, or a music concert fundraiser, or a
walk-a-thon or some other fundraising or capital campaign, it is an excellent
press release and media opportunity.
While it is a fundraiser for your organization, you need to stress the
benefits to the participating public.
For instance, one chapter showed the movie “Ray” as a part of Disability
Awareness Month, which served the purpose of public education. It also served as a fundraiser, and provided
an excellent press release opportunity. Another
chapter conducted a baked goods sale as a fundraiser in front of its local
Wal-Mart store, and put out a press release promoting the sale. The chapter
emphasized the big variety of yummy baked goods that would be available at
reasonable prices. Wal-Mart contributed
matching funds, which doubled the amount of the fundraiser.
Is your organization
putting on a convention, conference, or workshop?
Most of our affiliates hold a convention each year,
and this provides an opportunity to get out a press release across your entire
state announcing the convention. Or your
affiliate or chapter might be sponsoring or hosting a conference, training seminar
or workshop. These are all excellent
press release opportunities, and these are the types of events that should be
used to get press releases out to all of the major media across your entire
state. It takes a little effort to
develop a list of all newspapers, radio and TV stations in your state, but once
it is done, it can be used over and over.
Is your affiliate
starting a new chapter?
If your affiliate is starting a new chapter, this
gives you an excellent opportunity for a press release. The press release would probably target the
specific geographic area in which the new chapter is going to be located since
it would be of little interest to the editors and news directors in other
areas. However, this gives you not only
the opportunity to publicize the new chapter, but also to tell the public a
little about your affiliate and its affiliation with the ACB. Again, emphasis should be placed on the
benefits of belonging to the ACB, your affiliate, and especially the new
chapter.
Is your organization
opening an office or moving?
If your affiliate or chapter establishes a new office
to facilitate its business, then that is worthy of a press release to let the
public know you exist and where the new office is. Or if you are moving your office from one
location to another, that, too, is a press release opportunity. It will give you another chance to tell the
public you exist, where you will be located, and what kinds of services you
provide blind and low-vision people, people who are losing their eyesight, or
parents of blind children.
Are you holding
a competition or contest?
As you can surmise, these press release and media
opportunities are not mutually exclusive.
They may overlap. For an example,
an event, discussed earlier in this chapter, might also be a contest or
competitive activity. If your affiliate
or chapter is having a golf tournament or tennis tournament where it is the
beneficiary, then you certainly want to let the public know about it with a
press release. You might even hold a
fishing tournament with a blind person paired up with a sighted contestant to
form a team that would compete against other similarly paired teams. Not only could that be an excellent
fundraiser, but it is also worthy of a press release and a full-scale media
event with TV coverage. One group
conducted a competitive scavenger hunt and another conducted a treasure hunt;
both got press coverage as a result of a well-written press release.
Do you have news
that could affect people's health or make life easier for them?
Two of the most attended meetings of the South
Central Kentucky Council of the Blind's monthly meetings were when it invited a
well-known ophthalmologist in to discuss various types of eye diseases and the
different research efforts currently engaged in to find a cure for them, and
when it invited a supplier of all types of adaptive health-oriented equipment
to discuss and demonstrate what he sold, such as talking thermometers, talking
blood pressure monitors, talking glucose monitors, etc. These provided excellent opportunities to get
out a press release to invite the public, to get out the word about the SCKCB,
and to recruit new members.
Are you holding
an event in conjunction with a holiday or special occasion (e.g., White Cane
Safety Day)?
Over the course of the year, there are several
special occasions that pose press release opportunities for your affiliate or
chapter. A complete calendar of such
occasions is presented later in this chapter.
White Cane Safety Day offers an excellent opportunity to publicize your
organization. Do you hold a Christmas
party or spring or summer picnic? Do you
have some activity in commemoration of Louis Braille's birthday? Do you have some activity in conjunction with
Disability Month? These are all
opportunities for your organization to plan an activity that will get out the
word about your group and pose excellent press release and media opportunities
to promote these functions.
Is your organization
taking legal action against some company or another organization?
As hard as we try to avoid taking legal action to
enforce our legal rights as blind people, sometimes it simply cannot be
avoided. For instance, your
organization, or one of its members, might be forced to file formal legal
action to enforce the guide dog access laws.
Perhaps there is a store or restaurant in your area that does not allow
blind people with guide dogs to enter their place of business. There may be a state agency that has a
totally inaccessible web site, and after repeated requests and warnings, your
organization seeks a legal remedy to the problem. These are all press release opportunities,
and media coverage of these kinds of situations helps your organization’s
credibility as an organization that takes action on behalf of its members and
on behalf of blind people, but it also puts other similar businesses on notice
that they’d better take a look at their operating policies and procedures. Also, it increases the likelihood that the
coverage will include your organization's side of the issue. Such press releases are very effective, but
the wording of these kinds of releases is extremely important and should be
carefully scrutinized before they are sent out to the media.
Is your organization
recognizing someone in your community for his/her outstanding service to blind
people or people with disabilities?
If your organization has some kind of recognition or
award whereby it acknowledges the outstanding contributions of a business,
another organization, and an individual in your community, this is a really
great chance for you to get out the word with a press release. In fact, this is such a wonderful opportunity
that if your affiliate or chapter doesn't currently have such a means of
recognition, it probably should adopt such an award to give each year or
whenever some firm, organization, or individual in your area is worthy of
it. These are the kinds of situations
that the media love to cover and a press release promoting such an event is
almost guaranteed to get in print and/or on air. Your organization might recognize a business
in your state or community that has an especially outstanding record of
employing blind people. You might have
an individual who has dedicated a substantial part of his/her life to helping
blind people and/or your organization.
These kinds of situations are certainly worthy of acknowledgement, an
award or plaque, and a press release to publicize it.
Some
Concluding Comments
It is obvious from the preceding
scenarios that each of our affiliates and chapters has numerous press release
and media opportunities available to them to take advantage of each year. It is possible, with a little forethought, to
create media events to help educate the public about blindness, blindness-related
issues, and activities in which our members participate or your affiliate or
chapter sponsor. When you put it all in
the context of the ending of chapter one, with over 70 of our affiliates and
most all of our over 300 chapters taking advantage of such opportunities, we
could be putting out hundreds of press releases every year. ACB would be the very first resource any
media outlet in the country would think of when something blind- or low-vision-related
came up.
To assist you even more when thinking
about press release opportunities that might be available to your affiliate or
chapter, we are going to present an entire calendar of potential activities and
events throughout the entire year that relate to press release possibilities.
Events Calendar
Your Affiliate or Chapter Can Tie Into for Great Press Release Opportunities
How do you make news releases a routine part of your
affiliate's or chapter's public education and publicity activities? How do you know what topics are most likely
to capture the attention of the media?
The media uses an extensive events calendar, not just
to plan advance stories but also for tie-ins with marketing and
advertising. In this section, we have
brainstormed, rifled through and stripped down that calendar for ways to piggyback
your events with issues already on the media radar screen. Below is a calendar of events that you can
use for press release opportunities for your ACB affiliate or chapter.
While this calendar tends to focus on more national
level events, you can quite easily customize this calendar by also including
important events in your region.
Consistently feeding good information to the media puts your name in
their rolodex. For example, some states are working on Disability History Week
legislation, and in
Media Events
Calendar
January:
Martin Luther King’s birthday
Super Bowl Sunday
State legislative sessions begin
National Eye Health Care Month
February:
ACB Legislative Seminar (could be especially good,
particularly if you are making key
contacts with
your state’s senators or representatives)
Black History Month
Valentine’s Day
Presidents’ Day
March:
National Women’s History Month
Save Your Vision Week
April:
Tax returns due (Taxes paid by blind people tied to
unemployment of people with disabilities
and blind
people specifically; or a possible
tie-in with
accessible currency)
National Library Week (Possible tie-in with the NLS
Digital
Talking Book Program)
Opening day of baseball
May:
National Day of Prayer
National Teacher’s Day
Mother’s Day
Memorial Day
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month (Great
opportunity to focus on blind athletes,
blind
bowlers, beep baseball, fishing,
golf, etc.)
June:
Pre-convention publicity releases
Father’s Day
Eye Safety Awareness Week
Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week
July:
ACB national convention publicity releases
Scholarship winners
August:
Education initiatives and literacy (Possible back-to-school
tie-in)
Cataract Awareness Month
National Dog Day (Possible guide dog public education
and awareness, including related
laws)
September:
Labor Day -- possible tie-in to disability/blind
unemployment -- recognizing a local firm
that has
an excellent employment record,
etc.
Standards for People with
Disabilities)
National Hispanic Heritage Month -- possible tie-in
to
any affiliate or chapter
diversity programs or
materials available in Spanish, etc.
October:
Disability Employment Month -- possible tie-in to
disability/blind unemployment or recognizing
a
local firm that has an excellent
employment
record, etc.
White Cane Safety Day
National Disability Month
November:
Election Day (Great opportunity for public education
and
awareness on accessible voting)
Veterans Day -- opportunity to recognize issues
related
to our blinded veterans
Thanksgiving -- the day after Thanksgiving is the
biggest shopping day of the year (great
opportunity to tie in accessible shopping, point-of-sale agreements made by
ACB, online shopping, etc.)
Good Nutrition Month
December:
International Disability Day
Human Rights Day
Christmas
Important note: While Jewish holidays actually occur on the same day
every year on the Jewish calendar, the Jewish calendar has a different number
of days than the more commonly used calendar, especially by non-Jews, because
the Jewish calendar is tied to the moon’s cycles instead of the sun’s. The Jewish calendar loses about 11 days relative to
the solar calendar every year, but makes up for it by adding a month every two
or three years. As a result, the holidays don’t always fall on the same day,
but they always fall within the same month or two. The Chinese calendar (which
is also lunar) works the same way, which is why Chinese New Year occurs on
different days but is always in late January or early February. The Muslim
calendar is lunar but does not add months, which is why Ramadan circles the
calendar. (Judaism 101: A Gentile's Guide to the Jewish Holidays)
Therefore, we have not included any of the events
that might be special new release opportunities pertaining to these other
religions/cultures, not out of disrespect, but because such events vary
somewhat from year to year when using the more common sun-cycle-based calendar
used in this country.
Conclusion
This concludes the Press Release Handbook for ACB
Affiliates and Chapters. We sincerely
hope you learned something from this treatise and will be inspired to establish
a regular system for writing and distributing press releases for your affiliate
or chapter. If you need any assistance
in determining whether an activity or event of your organization might be worthy
of a press release, or if you need assistance in drafting a press release,
contact our Washington office or the chair of the public relations committee,
and we will help you as much as we can.
We are generating numerous press releases at the national level each
year, but it is up to you to do your part and get out the word about ACB and
your affiliate or chapter in your area.
If we all do our parts, we will be successfully blanketing the country
and media, telling everyone about ACB, and what we, collectively, are
accomplishing. The impact will be
massive!
Here
are the references we cited and some additional useful resources for writing
effective press releases.
Building
a Press Release: Rules for Writing a Release:
http://www.canadaone.com/promote/newsrelease2.html
Effective
Press Releases by Jennifer Mattern:
http://www.squidoo.com/newsreleases
Judaism
101: A Gentile's Guide to the Jewish Holidays:
http://www.jewfaq.org/holidayg.htm
List
of Free Press Release Sites:
http://nakedpr.com/2007/07/29/big-list-of-free-press-release
distribution-sites/
List
of Things Not To Do Regarding Press Releases:
http://www.netpress.org/careandfeeding.html#Anchor-Don't-
52787
Media
Advocacy Toolkit: Writing News Releases
http://www.aoa.gov/press/Media_Advocacy/PDFs/WritingNewsReleases&MediaAdvisories.pdf
News
Releases — the Major Communications Tool:
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/Linux-Media-Guide/html/news_releases.html
News
Releases: Writing News Releases & PSAs
http://mediarelations.ifas.ufl.edu/writingnewsreleasesandPSAs.htm
On
Writing News Releases | PR Leap Blog:
http://blog.prleap.com/archives/on-writing-news-releases/
Press
Releases -- How to Write a Press Release:
http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp
Public
Relations List: http://www.volition.com/pr.html
Reaching
the Media: Writing News Releases (Law Day,
Division for Public Education):
http://www.abanet.org/publiced/lawday/media/releases.html
The
Associated Press, "The Associated Press Stylebook and
Libel Manual, Sixth Trade Edition."
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1996.
The
Missouri Group, "Chapter 9: News Releases," from "News
Reporting and Writing, Third Edition."
Martin's Press, 1988.
The
http://disabilityhistoryweek.org/
W.K.
Kellogg Foundation: Writing a Press Release that Works -
Communication Toolkit:
http://wkkf.org/Default.aspx?tabid=90&CID=385&ItemID=500
0062&NID=5010062&LanguageID=0
WorkZ : More Tips On Writing News
Releases:
http://www.workz.com/content/view_content.html?section_id=465&content_id=5963
Writing
a press release format: the why and how
http://advertising.solveyourproblem.com/free-
publicity/writing_press_release_format_why_how.shtml
Writing
News Releases:
http://tldp.org/LDP/Linux-Media-Guide/html/writing_releases.html
Writing
News Releases & PSAs
http://mediarelations.ifas.ufl.edu/writingnewsreleasesandPS
As.htm