Pamil Visions PR Issues Press Release White Paper

Everything thing you need to know about press releases.

My idea of a well written press release is one featuring a smart headline, about 500 words in length, and with complete (and accurate) contact information to help make my job easier. Most importantly of all the newsworthy angle must be front and center – I cannot tell you how many times I’ve received a release that is a thinly-veiled advertorial or promotional piece. Those releases, of course, never see the light of day on my end.

Mihaela Lica

Young people get their news online which means that your press release has to find them where they're at. Social media sites are a good place to look according to a white paper issued by Pamil Visions PR.

It seems that I’m not alone with this viewpoint because a recently issued white paper from Pamil Visions PR – Press Releases Designed For Effect – examines what works and what doesn’t work with today’s news releases. Pamil Visions PR also operates the popular Everything PR news portal, both of which were founded by Mihaela Lica who is a Romanian native currently residing in Germany.

I’ve crossed paths with “Mig” many times over the past several years and was happy to get a preview copy of the white paper which was written by Mig and Phil Butler, and edited by Laura Spencer.

Seismic Shift

As expected, the white paper examines conventional press (news) releases and how they were used by traditional journalists to report news. Much promoted through the 1990s and into the early part of this century, the traditional press release had once been dominant, but that began to change in the late 1990s with Google’s birth and the subsequent shift to where many people now get their news online.

Today, the traditional press release is “dead” not necessarily buried, replaced by the social media press release which currently holds sway. That newfangled piece is still big on the news basis but it brings in additional components, most noticeably a social media angle.

Online Penetration

Thanks to the likes of Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Twitter and Facebook, savvy press release writers understand that their news may get picked up and disseminated in ways that didn’t exist a few years ago with blogs and web sites getting into the game too.

No longer do companies have much control over the news once they publish their releases – today, news is oftentimes spread online, commented by customers who share their experiences based on their opinion of a service, product or market. Those changes are part of the “new rules” shared in the white paper, with the consumer playing a far more pivotal role than ever before.

Your Copy

There is much more found in this 13-page white paper than I’m willing to share here, with detailed instructions on how to reshape your release to adhere to contemporary modes of communication. Naturally, if you want those details you can purchase your copy of the white paper on the Pamil Vision or Everything PR site, certainly a worthwhile investment for the public relations professional or corporate communications manager.

Please Note: No compensation was received by Pamil Visions for this review.

Increase Your Visibility: Getting The Word Out!

This article isn’t so much for my fellow bloggers and freelance writers as it is for the many people who are trying to get their information in front of my eyes. On most weekdays I receive several requests to publish business or personal information on any one of my sites, averaging between 20-30 of these requests each week.

I’m not your average blogger nor am I your typical freelance writer. I maintain six active blogs, four of which are updated daily, with the remaining two updated once or twice a week; I’m also currently serving as the automotive columnist for a pair of print publications.

Most particularly as when the news has something to do with cars, I’m often the recipient of requests to review a product, make an announcement, tell a story or share something else with my readers.  Admittedly, I can’t respond to every request personally and I sometimes miss the announcement completely.

To that end, I want to share some tips with those of you whose responsibility it is to disseminate news, particularly when you’re trying to see if I will follow up with what you have.

Not all news is equal, but not all press releases and announcements are either.  This means that you have a better chance of getting a “read” and an eventual article placement if you follow my advice:

Contact me carefully — I no longer publish a phone number where people can contact me. My current clients have that number and I also give that information out to people who are part of my trusted circle of news providers. For everyone else, contacting me via my on site contact forms or direct email address is the best way to go.

I put a lot of weight on those contacts who provide all of the information I need from the get go including at least one related photograph. I just don’t have time to play email tag — be thorough and I’ll have a clearer understanding of what you want and can make my decision based on the information you supplied.

Please be patient — I don’t always respond to contact requests as quickly as I probably should. No excuses, but life does happen to get in the way. Juggling a number of responsibilities means that some tasks get pushed to the side. Plus, there are times I am on deadline and absolutely nothing will get me to stop what I’m doing to focus on your news.

More often then not, I’ll go through my inbox several times during the week to catch up on my messages. Yes, if I detect that something is spammy or isn’t relevant, I’ll simply delete it and move on.

Follow up with me — If someone has something that is very interesting or truly believes that what would benefit my readers, I have no problems with receiving a follow up note. Pushy people are usually ignored while polite folks get moved to the head of the line.

Just to let you know that I’m from the old school: I value personal relationships and I enjoy long term business dealings. I’ve been online steadily since 1995 and have managed my own sites since 2002. I like to think that what I do now will be something that I’ll be doing the rest of my life. I love my job!

I need your people — Got people? I hope so. From time to time I’ll rewrite a press release and add my thoughts to the conversation. However, I prefer the human contact (remember, I’m old school) and am much more likely to go with your story if I can speak to the name behind the story.

This means the person who designed the automobile, runs the division, created the concept or is heading up the ad campaign is of interest to me. I won’t take up a lot of their time (we’re all very busy these days) but if I can have ten to fifteen minutes, that will certainly help your cause. In some cases I’m satisfied with a brief quote sent to me via email.

The bonus round — Last of all, you can increase your chances of having your news published by writing a jam up press release in the first place (I toss away anything smacking of self promotion) and by offering to cite my article somewhere on your website or blog.

I’m not looking for a “pay to play” exchange but if I’m publishing something newsworthy about your organization, product or personnel you can bet that I’m providing a valuable path to your site, one that my readers will likely travel frequently over the weeks, months and, yes, the years ahead.

Photo Credit: Sanja Gjenero