Hungering for attention is common to business's large and small. You want to be noticed, even applauded for your latest acquisition, hire, merger, community outreach, fund raiser, etc. etc. etc.
Much easier said than done! Haven't you wondered how those local TV stations pick out the stories that they do cover? Why can't your company ever get media coverage for anything other than a fire in the lobby? Even when it comes to your own unique trade publications, the media has to buy your story or it won't generate any attention. Is there some magic set of buzzwords that the media will respond to?
The trick is simple, but oddly missed by nearly all would-be press release writers. In journalism school we called it W.I.F.M. which is the acronym for "what's in it for me?" The "me" in question is the viewer, the reader, the listener. In other words, why should the audience or the media care about your news?
In today's simultaneously overweight-but-weight-obsessed society let's use a more relevant acronym for successful press release writing, and that is F.A.T.: Focused, Attention-grabbing & Timely. With a little forethought, creativity and basic writing skill you too can make your news announcement F.A.T. and grab a little bit of that media attention.
Focused - your press release should be tightly focused on ONE thing. Do not cram several pieces or tidbits of info into the press release no matter how interesting you personally may find those things. Ask yourself "what is one the one thing I want to have noticed?" and then ruthlessly keep your writing and your communication about that one point. As examples:
1. Two great new hires that you've snagged from competitors? Two separate press releases with some time in between.
2. You've just landed a huge piece of business that will allow you to add staff? One press release about the new client and another about your planned expansion (or even better about your planned hiring).
3. Your last fundraiser exceeded your expectations so you've already started planning the next one? You guessed it, two separate announcements
This process of focusing will help you cull your story down into its most important and basic element. Maybe you think you have two announcements, but check with a few trusted colleagues and you may discover that only one piece of information really interests anyone but you. Focus also means serious consideration of who will be interested in this news of yours and who is really likely to cover it. Your news may be perfect for online or printed trade publications, but The Wall Street Journal isn’t really going to bite on an announcement with specific industry-only terminology. A broader but even more compelling announcement must be crafted to reach the national media and even local TV and newspapers. Focus on getting the biggest bang for your writing buck, trade publications can be the perfect and most effective vehicle in many cases, even if they are not as sexy as USA Today.
Attention Grabbing
The headline, the opening paragraph, and the leading sentence absolutely must be attention grabbing or your announcement is on the fast track to the delete button. Headlines should be short, less than two lines and very succinctly summarize the announcement. You must force yourself to tell this “story” in one sentence. As my own recent examples:
• Bubbles the Chimp will NOT inherit Jacko’s Millions
• Looking for Orlando’s Youngest TV Reporter
• Pink Slip Party Rides to the rescue of Job Seekers
You don’t have to be a journalism school grad to realize that complete sentences are not necessary in writing headlines and can very comfortably be avoided. What is necessary is an active, interesting statement. Often times the headline should be the last thing written. The press release itself, if written correctly will almost tell you what the headline might be.
This first paragraph comes directly under the headline, can be 2 – 3 sentences long and should be a strong summary of your “news”. Finally, your lead sentence really needs to read like “a lead”. This lead sentence is the first sentence in what will be the body or the “meat” of your announcement. For lead writing reference pull out a newspaper, magazine or news website and spend a few minutes reading different leads. While there is an art to writing a great lead, most people can write a perfectly competent lead with a little bit of focused brain power.
Timely
Creating a timely announcement really means positioning your news as relevant and current. This can best be done by stepping outside of your own little world and honestly asking why anyone would be interested in this piece of information. This becomes easier with practice, but as a starting point consider what is going on around you locally, regionally, nationally, and industry-wise that you can tie in to. As examples:
• Breaking ground on an addition to your warehouse? Your expansion is great news for a sagging local economy
• Starting your own new business? Becoming an Entrepreneur is the newest solution for would-be job seekers
• Landed a new account? Your employees are demonstrating outside-the-box thinking in tough economic times
• Wrapped up a successful fundraiser? The right cause still resonates even when people are cash strapped
So there you have it. Of course, there are a lot of extremely talented writers available, and the art of the successful press release comes a little more easily to them, yours truly included. But in a pinch, or even just to test your chops give this a shot. When it comes to media attention FAT is where it's at, baby!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Raising a Jock
Remember the original ‘Friday Night Lights’? High school football back in the day…those chilly fall football games when we were in high school? Popcorn, cheerleaders, the biggest guys lumbering around with shoulder pads, huge helmets, and happy-if-muddy grins. Win or lose, we’d always meet up after the game for burgers and our carefree high school life continued. Granted, high school sports in the Midwest were slightly more frostbitten than here in Florida, but still fundamentally the same.
Fast forward to 2009, high school football Florida style. Those carefree memories are a funny novelty to the high school jock of today. Playing football today is a very serious and often expensive business to thousands of young athletes.
According to online publication ESPN Rise: “Many people clearly believe Florida is the best high school football state.” Lake Mary, Florida grad, All-American linebacker at USC, and first-round draft pick Keith Rivers of the Cincinnati Bengals is a perfect example of a ‘local-kid-makes-good-on-his-dream’ story.
But sports success does not come easily or inexpensively for most youth in high school sports today even here in Florida. Doug Peters, Athletic Director at Lake Mary High School tells me that his high school alone averages 800 student athletes annually and only about 15 of them will go on to attend college on athletic scholarships after graduation each year.
Although his parents may not be aware of it yet, high school football players already know that they need real marketing to the tune of: professionally produced highlight videos, personal trainers and even a “scout” who contacts multiple schools on the player’s behalf in order to play college football. The commitment required for today’s high school athletes is so different because it involves even greater emotional, personal and financial investment on the part of the whole family.
Take 16 year old Trevor Alfredson (full disclosure: my youngest child) who has been playing football and loving it since he was six years old. “I’ve wanted to play Division 1 football for as long as I can remember” says Trevor. And as a high school sophomore varsity player, Trev’s season also involved hiring a firm to make a highlight video, discussions with two different recruiting service firms, training with former a NFL playerDana Sanders and attending something called “combines”.
For those uninitiated in the “jock” lingo of today: high school football combines officially test athletes on a number of physical skills like speed, agility, and strength while various college coaches look on. The pressure to get noticed is incredibly heavy for these boys, as early as age 14! The cost of sophomore year football alone, with an eye toward playing “division 1 football” can range upwards of $5500.
The pressure and problems of “making it” aren’t unique to football either. Lake Mary’s Lee Morgan is a junior who plays two kinds of soccer (Club Soccer and high school soccer) AND football so he’ll have the best shot at playing a college sport at a good school. A super-talented and first string football kicker, Lee has already emailed a number of college coaches (part of his personal marketing plan) and heard back from some of the Florida college coaches. For a fee Lee’s invited to summer soccer camps so the coaches can get an up-close-and personal look.
As fiercely competitive as college sports have become for high schoolers today, Lee tells us that “I’ve been playing soccer since I was 7, and now I want to keep all of my options open.” His educator father Walt, says that “part of today’s added pressure is because the cost of college has also risen, which can put more pressure on athletic scholarships.”
Florida’s Chip Humble works for CSA Prep Stars and he scouts players for multiple schools. Chip says that most parents need help understanding how recruiting really works. And with the exception of those very rare “blue chip players” like Keith Rivers, “lots of good athletes go unnoticed and unseen because they haven’t been properly marketed”.
The pros in the know say that the main reason many boys are not recruited is that no one knows about them. As Chip reminds the parents of his athletic roster: “just because your child was good in Little League or a standout at her own school it doesn’t mean they are a ‘blue chip’ All American athlete as far as college coaches are concerned.”
Raising a jock right now means a personal profile with website; following coaches on Twitter, verified game & combine stats and that pro-quality highlight video looked at by hundreds of college coaches. Dreams don't come cheap these days, even in high school!
Fast forward to 2009, high school football Florida style. Those carefree memories are a funny novelty to the high school jock of today. Playing football today is a very serious and often expensive business to thousands of young athletes.
According to online publication ESPN Rise: “Many people clearly believe Florida is the best high school football state.” Lake Mary, Florida grad, All-American linebacker at USC, and first-round draft pick Keith Rivers of the Cincinnati Bengals is a perfect example of a ‘local-kid-makes-good-on-his-dream’ story.
But sports success does not come easily or inexpensively for most youth in high school sports today even here in Florida. Doug Peters, Athletic Director at Lake Mary High School tells me that his high school alone averages 800 student athletes annually and only about 15 of them will go on to attend college on athletic scholarships after graduation each year.
Although his parents may not be aware of it yet, high school football players already know that they need real marketing to the tune of: professionally produced highlight videos, personal trainers and even a “scout” who contacts multiple schools on the player’s behalf in order to play college football. The commitment required for today’s high school athletes is so different because it involves even greater emotional, personal and financial investment on the part of the whole family.
Take 16 year old Trevor Alfredson (full disclosure: my youngest child) who has been playing football and loving it since he was six years old. “I’ve wanted to play Division 1 football for as long as I can remember” says Trevor. And as a high school sophomore varsity player, Trev’s season also involved hiring a firm to make a highlight video, discussions with two different recruiting service firms, training with former a NFL playerDana Sanders and attending something called “combines”.
For those uninitiated in the “jock” lingo of today: high school football combines officially test athletes on a number of physical skills like speed, agility, and strength while various college coaches look on. The pressure to get noticed is incredibly heavy for these boys, as early as age 14! The cost of sophomore year football alone, with an eye toward playing “division 1 football” can range upwards of $5500.
The pressure and problems of “making it” aren’t unique to football either. Lake Mary’s Lee Morgan is a junior who plays two kinds of soccer (Club Soccer and high school soccer) AND football so he’ll have the best shot at playing a college sport at a good school. A super-talented and first string football kicker, Lee has already emailed a number of college coaches (part of his personal marketing plan) and heard back from some of the Florida college coaches. For a fee Lee’s invited to summer soccer camps so the coaches can get an up-close-and personal look.
As fiercely competitive as college sports have become for high schoolers today, Lee tells us that “I’ve been playing soccer since I was 7, and now I want to keep all of my options open.” His educator father Walt, says that “part of today’s added pressure is because the cost of college has also risen, which can put more pressure on athletic scholarships.”
Florida’s Chip Humble works for CSA Prep Stars and he scouts players for multiple schools. Chip says that most parents need help understanding how recruiting really works. And with the exception of those very rare “blue chip players” like Keith Rivers, “lots of good athletes go unnoticed and unseen because they haven’t been properly marketed”.
The pros in the know say that the main reason many boys are not recruited is that no one knows about them. As Chip reminds the parents of his athletic roster: “just because your child was good in Little League or a standout at her own school it doesn’t mean they are a ‘blue chip’ All American athlete as far as college coaches are concerned.”
Raising a jock right now means a personal profile with website; following coaches on Twitter, verified game & combine stats and that pro-quality highlight video looked at by hundreds of college coaches. Dreams don't come cheap these days, even in high school!
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