Where should I look to find
story ideas for my press releases? It's a question that a local web designer asked
me recently during a client meeting. My advice to him would apply to any small-business
owner. Start by looking at yourself and your company because like everything else
in life, the best ideas are often found right under your nose. The same can be
said for story ideas for press releases.
After
that meeting I couldn't stop thinking about all the media opportunities many small-business
owners often miss. Most of the time, the problem occurs because business owners
think that journalists are only interested in big, splashing events and press
conferences. They waste so much time waiting for a "real reason" to surface before
contacting the media that they end up receiving no coverage at all.
Keep
in mind that what journalists really want is a good story to share with their
listeners or readers. Most business owners fail to realize that they already have
"real reasons" to write press releases. Evidence of their companies' uniqueness
and triumphs are waiting to be transformed into great stories. All they need to
do is take time to reflect and jot down those ideas that could result in favorable
media coverage for their businesses.
Consider
these ten reasons below, and if you need 15 more, then download the PDF
document at the end of this article.
Starting
a new business - the more unique and unusual the business the better
Introducing
a new product or service to the marketplace
Launching
a new web site
Winning
a high profiled client account or contract
Meeting
an unusual challenge or overcoming adversity - "Industry insiders said it couldn't
be done, but we did it!"
Participating
in a philanthropic event -- your business has been named to serve in a leadership
position in a community, professional or charitable organization
Sponsoring
a workshop, seminar, or conference
Announcing
polling or product survey results conducted by your company
Changing
the company name, location, web address or a product name
Publicizing
the changing of the guards in a family owned business - the son or daughter becomes
the new company president after father or mother retires
Now
that you have potentially 25 reasons for writing a press release, don't just file
them away and forget about them. Print out the list, and post it some place in
your office so that you're constantly reminded to review them and put the ideas
into action.
Here's
a great exercise to help you get started.
Check
the list of 25 story ideas and compare them against the articles found in the
local and business news sections of your morning paper. Do this for about a week
so that you become more comfortable looking for story ideas within the news. You'll
be surprised by how many stories are actually generated from ideas just like the
ones listed here. You might even find a dozen more ideas that are not even on
the list. If so expand your list to include the new ideas as well.
Next,
go back over the list of story ideas and think about each one within the context
of your own company. Jot down any notes for specific stories involving your own
business next to each entry. With a bit more research, you can most likely use
any of those ideas as the basis for a future press release.
The
bottom line is this. It really isn't that difficult to find reasons to write press
releases about your company. Just remember that almost any type of company news
is a good excuse for writing a press release - as long as the release is well
written, has news value and speaks to the intended audience. Give it a try. Once
you do, you could be on the path to creating a steady stream of memorable media
coverage for your company.
Notable
PR Resource:
Carolyn
Davenport-Moncel is president and founder of Mondave
Communications, a global marketing and communications firm based in Chicago
and Paris, and a subsidiary of MotionTemps,
LLC. Contact her at carolyn@motiontemps.com
or by phone in the United States at 877.815.0167 or 011.331.4997.9059 in France.
