HHM Public Relations

Press releases are a central part of public relations, and the links above explore how and why they can help you develop your sales and reach. However they are not the only part of public relations – as the other sections in this site illustrate.

For information on all the different ways in which we could help you develop your company profile - including offers to undertake work free of charge - please click on HHM PR Agency.

Getting someone from your company onto TV or radio to talk about your product or issues from your industry can seem like a major step forward, but there are issues to be considered.

Firstly, the audience. Are you really broadcasting to people who will be influenced by your appearance? Of course, if you make it onto Today on Radio 4 to talk about the appalling shortage of text books because of some government error, you might think that is good news. And it is, up to a point. People who know you will all phone and say, "heard you on the radio." But will it bring you in new trade? Probably not much.

Secondly, how will you come over? A halting, uncertain performance can be far worse than no appearance at all - and it is vital to understand exactly how the media works before you take on an appearance.

For this reason broadcasts need to be treated with care. If you are contemplating being involved in a broadcast you can, without any cost or obligation, phone the Hamilton House PR Agency on 01536 399 000 to discuss this matter further.

If you would like to know more about what we do, please click on HHM Agency in the list above.

It is important, however, not to try to cover more than one situation at a time – if several things happen at once, you should space them out over time.

There is no point sending out press releases just for the sake of it, but if you can do one piece of PR each month that is the ideal. The problem is, bad PR just puts journalists off, and so damages the situation in terms of your next press release which might be much more interesting.

Newspaper editors and journalists receive hundreds of press releases every day, and most of them travel directly into the bin. In order to make your press releases and articles gain attention you need to ensure that you:

In its simplest form, what you have to do is create something that you would like to read about another company in that publication. If you would find the press release boring, then the editor or journalist is going to find it just as boring.

What you send out to companies has to be interesting, stimulating, and easy for the journalist to use. It can’t be just a statement of fact – there has got to be some relevance – something that positions the piece in relation to today’s world, the magazine and its readers.

Exactly the same applies if sending the press release to radio presenters, and radio and TV programme producers.

Despite our wonderful offer to help you do your PR you want to go it alone. But then, you don't get too many take ups for your press release. What could be the cause?

The style of writing is wrong for the publication. Some want detail, some want generality. Some want lots of words, some few.
You didn't write up a press release, but instead wrote a straight advert. It has to have a news element.
You didn't convince the editor or journalist that a sizeable chunk of the readership is going to be interested in this. Newspapers have minority sections, so writing for minorities is fine - but not too small a minority.
You are writing about yourself, not about the world of the reader.
You haven't told the media why the audience will be interested.
Your layout is all wrong. Use 1.5 or double spacing, TNR 12 point.
You included corporate logos and graphics that are of no interest to the publication.
Your style is over the top and utterly biased.
You forgot benefits and wrote about features. Sometimes features are ok - as in a detailed review of a computer - but those articles are written by reviewers, not by writers of press releases.
You forgot to include any people in the story.
Your release is too time sensitive. Monthly magazines can't run time sensitive stories.
You included all sorts of lovely testimonials - they don't get used much in press releases.
You've already had your time on this story and have had some media coverage. Time to start somewhere else.
You are trying too hard to be clever - in short you are going over the top. Remember these guys get eight million press releases a day, and many of them claim far more than they should.
You have made claims that the editor or journalist simply doesn't believe and can't be bothered to validate.
You have produced a piece more in keeping with letters to the editor than a press release.
You didn't have clear contact information.
You didn't give a good source of photos - such as a website.
You didn't give the editor a good reason to call you.
You sent it to the wrong magazine.