So today was a combined Outset Swindon and Swindon 105.5 event for local businesses, held at the radio station’s offices in Swindon.
Shirley Ludford, the station manager, gave an excellent presentation covering how to use local radio effectively to promote your business to a local audience.
Shirley has an extensive background in broadcasting, which includes working at GWR (now Heart FM) and the BBC.
Attendees were owners of small businesses ranging from ladies’ skincare to glamping, corporate and team clothing, floristry and of course yours truly with digital marketing and local SEO.
What did we learn?
What radio and newspapers look for in a press release
How social media is used by the radio station (included a Tweet each via the radio station’s Twitter feed)
We practised interviewing each other and then recorded a short interview on the station’s equipment. Thankfully Shirley hit all the buttons for us, removing any risk of us accidentally taking a live radio programme off-air.
Stupidly I didn’t take a camera (not something you think of with radio). Next time perhaps. Moving on…
9 tips on how to write your press release
(This is my interpretation of Shirley’s words so … any errors? Blame me).
1) Limit yourself to one page for the press release.
Why? The staff don’t have time to plough through lots of info (unless they decide to write a feature). Be succinct!
2) Use a punchy heading
- Be interesting
- If it generates a “so what” response then rewrite it.
- Be succinct
3) Open with the key part of the story.
- Make sure there is a story.
- If it generates a “so what” response then rewrite it.
- Be succinct (still).
- Use precis skills from your days at school.
- Think “What words can I remove to make it shorter yet still get the meaning across?”
- Journalists, editors and radio folk are short of time. Give them the major bits up front. They don’t want to plough through paragraphs of info to get to the important bit. (They’ll probably give up before then).
- Have a passion for what you do. It will help you inspire people.
- Did I mention you need a story?
4) Have a quote
- Quotes
- Testimonials
- Endorsements
- Statements from a third party are handy to have. Always be looking for opportunities to collect these.
5) Facts
To back up your story (and to show you’re the right person to tell it), provide:
- numbers
- dates
- useful factual info
6) Use a photo
- Take a photograph yourself (or borrow a photographer). Apparently staffing levels of photographers at newspapers etc are falling so the newspaper will probably want to use your photo. Make sure it’s good enough.
- 600dpi is sufficient quality
- For most press releases, ordinary lineups of people won’t do – be creative.
- If anyone identifiable is in the photo, make sure you have their permission.
7) But there’s so much more I could write…!
You can have more than one page (such as background info) under the heading NOTES (which goes after the word “End”), but keep to just one page for the press release itself.
8) Where and who
- Make sure you know where the press release is going to go and keep their audience in mind.
- What’s the relevant section of the newspaper?
- Who is the relevant journalist who writes for this section?
9) Be a boy (or girl) scout
- Be prepared with good stories.
- Look for unusual ways to promote your business.
- Collect stories.
- Make sure when an opportunity comes up, you’re prepared for it.
So that’s it for now. 9 tips on how to give your press release a fighting chance to make it onto the air/into print/online. Hope you find it as helpful as I did.
Thank yous
To Shirley Ludford – thank you for a fascinating and very informative workshop at the radio station.
Jane Pearce and co at Outset Swindon for arranging the session.
Carol Aplin of Pink & Green Skincare for being my recording partner today. Many thanks for your kind & helpful questions and answers at our interview sessions.