Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on | 0 Comments
Oh press release mistakes, I could write a book about them.....in fact maybe I will, but I digress....New businesses often run into problems with their press releases due to lack of experience and pr training, and also due to their need to "wow" the press. This often leads to "press release overcompensation" as I like to call it. Just like when you're being overcomplimented by a suitor or friend or relative and you begin to question its authenticity, the same can be said about press releases that are filled with buzz words or too many adjectives.
First of all, let's travel back to the definition of a press release. Answers.com calls them "An announcement of an event, performance, or other newsworthy item that is issued to the press". Entrepreneur.com calls them "A public relations announcement issued to the news media and other targeted publications for the purpose of letting the public know of company developments". FreeDictionary.com calls them "An announcement of an event, performance, or other newsworthy item that is issued to the press". None of these definitions says anything about "writing an editorial worth article" or "write some great Daily Candy style copy" or "write the story for me". They want the facts, and just the facts please.
One way to be sure you stick to the facts and nothing but them is to steer clear of using too many buzzwords in your release. Why not try to be original? Too many press releases are littered with some overused words that have lost their sparkle and power, and you don't want yours to be another one. Just tell the news what they need to hear, make it easy and to the point, follow proper press release style and format, and be easy to contact. Let the press write the story and decide what adjectives to use!
Not sure of which words to avoid? We turn to PRFilter for that scoop and PR/Marketing/Social Media expert Adam Sherk for that, and have linked HERE for you so you can print out their list and use it as a guide for when you write your next release!
