THE MONONEWS E-GUIDE Review of and Ultimate Resource Guide to the New Generation of Lifestyle Press Releases TO THE LIFESTYLE PRESS RELEASE���

INTRODUCTION The mononews e-Guide to the Lifestyle Press Release* provides a comprehensive summary, with clear and actionable steps, to produce the best possible lifestyle press release for today’s environment.

Ultimate resource for the new generation of lifestyle press release. History, evolution, current and future status.��� Recommendations for preparation, format, content and assessment; maximize your press release.

* The original 32-PAGE mononews E-Guide to the Lifestyle Press Release is available for download at http://www.mononews.ca/resources/#eguide/ 2  

PR IN 2013 PR professionals are not only looking to reach the media by targeting high-circulation publications, but also reach relevant influencers on Social Media.

1. SOCIAL PLATFORMS Expanding distribution of Press Releases to Social Networks: Twitter, Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs/Blog Sites.

2. CONTENT AMPLIFICATION Content is equally accessible and shared among interested parties from journalists to the end user/consumer.

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THE PRESS RELEASE IN 2013

*Source: The State of Journalism in 2011 Oriella PR Network Digital Journalism Study.

Research* indicates news releases remain the most credible source of news for reporters and journalists. The information they contain has been crafted and vetted for accuracy by the owner of the news.

The Press Release Remains a Valuable Tool

•  The Press Release remains the official and formal means of providing information and the principle means of fair disclosure.���

•  The Press Release is information directly from the management/leadership of the company/organization, so is highly credible.

WHAT IS A PRESS RELEASE?

1 Oxford Dictionary http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/press%2Brelease?q=Press+Release 2 Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_release

An official statement issued to newspapers giving information on a particular matter. 1������

A written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something ostensibly newsworthy.���

Typically mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to assignment editors at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, and/or television networks. 2

•  Crisis Management

•  Business and Financial News

•  Introduction (Product Launch or Re-Launch)

•  Special Contest or Promotion

•  New Opening, Relocation, Expansion

•  Appointment Notice, Management Change

•  Sponsorship, Collaboration, Special Project

•  Research Findings, Survey Results

•  Philanthropic Projects and Initiatives

WHY SEND OUT A PRESS RELEASE? Communicate news that is important/meaningful to end users.

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THE COMPONENTS OF A PRESS RELEASE THE HEADLINE

•  A press release starts with a headline that is both comprehensive and concise.

•  It expresses the key message of the news release. ��� It should include the brand/product and/or company name. ��� Attention-grabbing.��� Short, succinct and punchy.��� Conveys news (30,000-foot-view).

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THE COMPONENTS OF A PRESS RELEASE THE TEXT The body of the release contains the text describing the news.

•  The Intro (lead paragraph) provides the important information – the who, what, where, when, why.���

•  The second paragraph, additional key details and spokesperson quotes.���

•  The third, provides relevant background and history.

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THE COMPONENTS OF A PRESS RELEASE ���THE BOILERPLATE The Boilerplate is your company bio, a synopsis of your company/organization

•  Write the boilerplate as if it is the profile of your company/organization you would post on LinkedIn or Google+.

•  Use it with every release until a significant change necessitates a revision.

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THE COMPONENTS OF A PRESS RELEASE SUPPORT DOCUMENTS Provide helpful supporting documents and compelling ancillary material

•  Research summary���

•  Fact sheet���

•  High-resolution photos (jpeg, gif, tiff)���

•  Video

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THE COMPONENTS OF A PRESS RELEASE CONTACT INFORMATION

Make sure people can reach you!

•  Include Social Media contact points: Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook

•  Website URL

•  Email address •  Phone number(s)

•  Blog URL

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THE AUDIENCE – DIRECT & INDIRECT��� Press releases are written for the journalist’s ultimate audience – the intended consumer/user of the product, service or offering – a very important consideration when making the decision to issue a news release and when composing the text. •  DIRECT AUDIENCE: Journalists���

•  INDIRECT AUDIENCE: Consumer/Customers/End Users/The Public

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THE AUDIENCE – DIRECT & INDIRECT��� Target your release to the right journalists. Write for the reporters who cover the lifestyle topics and news read by your customers.

Find them by checking out who covers your industry/business for local/National media.��� Look for coverage on the competition and who has authored it.��� Search out and follow the Blogs and e-Zines that cover your industry.��� Work backwards. Where do your customers/consumers/users get their i n format ion? Who are the i r key influencers?

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���THE AUDIENCE – WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? ���

Convey the most meaningful and important information. ������Engage your consumers by focusing on what is most relevant to them. Show you understand their wants and needs.������Make it about them! Have a complete picture of your target customer: demographics and psychographics. Understand your target audience: what do they value? How they use/consume?��� Use language your audience understands. ��� 14  

MONONEWS RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the insight gained at mononews, the key recommendations for a true lifestyle press release are:

Think tweet: use the 140-character maximum guideline for the headline – 126 characters to encourage retweets.��� Use action verbs: create a mood, evoke an emotion, provoke a reaction.��� Write the Press Release as an Executive Summary – prioritize information and present in short paragraphs. ��� Customize – talk about what’s pertinent for your audience.

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FINAL CHECKLIST Before hitting the send button, here is a list of things to check, one last time:

Does it answer the questions: WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? WHY?��� Language is clear and free of jargon. ��� An objective third-party has read and understood the release.��� The Reverse Pyramid has been used, starting with the general information, moving to the increasingly specific / detailed.��� Relevant photos / videos are provided.��� Provide contact information.

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5 CONSIDERATIONS FOR A BETTER PRESS RELEASE��� 1.  Create a Social Media Savvy Release: Think key words when

creating the title and the text; provide a suggested tweet.���

2.  Surprise Your Audience: Try a different angle or provide educational information. ���

3.  Take Advantage of the Calendar: The “when” is as important as the “what”. Think about “occasion” or “season”.���

4.  Write to the End User: Make your reader understand why this is important/relevant/useful to him/her. People feel more engaged when directly addressed.���

5.  Be Aware of Trends: Using what’s trending in your industry, or even in pop culture right now to spike interest.

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THE VALUE OF A PRESS RELEASE

These answers were crowdsourced from participants who responded to the question on LinkedIn, MarketingProfs and Quora."

With the advent of Social Media the question is, why write and distribute a Press Release?

•  Assists in opening the door for other editorial opportunities.���

•  Provides editors and journalists with information that they might find useful.���

•  Is a credible source of information.���

•  And, an addit ional means of communication about Company/Brand/ product/service.

•  Key for SEO purposes.���

•  Helps promote new products or show how it meets the needs of a particular reader.���

•  Useful in building brand awareness.

THE VALUE OF A PRESS RELEASE

Considerations for lifestyle press release distribution:

•  Have a list of journalists who cover the specific topic or field of your press release.���

•  These are your preferred media contacts and are the journalists with whom you want to develop a relationship.���

•  News wire services will distribute your news to a wider audience for a fee; comparison shop.

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WHY A SPECIALIZED LIFESTYLE NEWS WIRE? mononews is Canada’s first and only dedicated lifestyle news wire

•  Addresses the undeserved lifestyle, arts and entertainment news market (competitors focus on business and financial news).���

•  Customize a target list of relevant journalists for each news release.���

•  Delivers press releases directly to journalists via e-mail, ensuring journalists receive the news, rather than having to go searching for it.

•  Addresses the prohibitive cost of sending out a press release via a news distribution service –mononews prices are eminently affordable.���

•  Fosters social media sharing.

http://mononews.ca

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���MONITORING THE RESULTS OF YOUR PRESS RELEASE ��� Assessing the results of your press release can be a challenge if you have limited resources:

•  Set goals or objectives (agreed on with your management team).���

•  Scan the print media for pick-up.���

•  Use online tools to monitor Social Media mentions.���

•  Track site traffic, or customer service inquiries.���

•  If broadcast media has interviewed you or covered your event, you’ll have to watch the network(s)/station(s) programming to catch it.

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ABOUT JOURNALISTS AND HOW THEY USE PRESS RELEASES

•  2/3 of journalists use press releases at least once a week.���

•  Journalists prefer to receive pitches and press releases by email.���

•  Overall, journalists are satisfied with the accessibility and response time of PR contacts.���

•  Biggest pet peeves are with the content of pitches and press releases.

Survey on the Preferences of Canadian Journalists by mononews, in collaboration with PR in Canada and The Canadian Journalists Association between April 26 and May 25th, 2012. Sent to 7,296 Canadian Journalists, a total of 292 reporters responded, (190 English and 102 French). 22  

������THE REASONS YOUR PRESS RELEASE WON’T GET PICKED UP ACCORDING TO JOURNALISTS��� ���

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1.  The information they received is not relevant to their field – Biggest “pet peeve” of one quarter of participating journalists.

2.  The information they receive is too self-serving (news issued because important to company) say one fifth of reporters. ���

3.  18% indicated “There is no obvious hook for my

readers.” 4.  11% answered the press release was not well written.���

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������CONTACT US! ���

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mononews

http://mononews.ca

1.888.997.1801

Email: press@mononews.ca

Twitter: @mononewseng

Facebook: Mononews English

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