Sometimes your client’s story (particularly consumer ones) may have certain hooks that might find favour in both the broadsheet newspaper of record and a glitzy tabloid.  It’s almost a cliché that journalists are suffering from less time and increased workloads and a complaint we have often heard about press releases (not ours!), while interviewing journalists for our blog, is that they are simply not suitable for many reasons.  This quick tip will help in making releases more suited in one regard.

Write a release in the language, style and tone of the publication you write to, and prioritise the elements of most interest to that publication..

Nisota’s New Car

This is a somewhat blunt (and mocked up) example to demonstrate the method.

Consider a new car being launched from Japanese manufacturer Nisota .   Nisota’s news release has the following features:

Swarovski crystals embedded in a Britney Spears designed interior
Hybrid engine and new braking system that converts break energy into battery charge
Components will be created in a new plant in Navan creating 200 new jobs

There are three types of print publications the client needs the new car to be covered in- tabloid, broadsheet and motor trade magazines.

One Announcement, Three Releases

Instead of one generic release written in one style, Nisota’s PR could consider drafting three releases for each publication.  The celebrity obsessed readership of the tabloids means that a release highlighting Britney Spear’s involvement in the cars design would form an excellent lead.  This release should then be written in the style of a tabloid, in fact almost like a tabloid article.  A suitably tabloid-esque heading such as “Britney Spearheads New Hi-tech Crystal Car” to ensure the attention of the journalist is caught.

For the broadsheet Spear’s involvement in the design would be secondary to the news of a car manufacture creating jobs in Navan (in reality that would be a release in itself but please indulge us).  This economy focused news would be the lead with a succinct and informative heading such as “Innovative Hybrid Car Creates 200 Jobs in Navan”.  The language of the release would be formal, the content informative and to the point in the same way as the language of the intended recipient.

Trade Publications will have a more technological focus and for them the big news is the braking system that charges the battery for the vehicle.  The other news would be an aside and the release should again facilitate the publication’s information needs by providing as much information on the technology again in the style and language of the publication being pitched to.

Facilitate and Succeed

Our case study is a little blunt but the philosophy is sound.  Your news may have multiple angles for multiple journalists.  Taking the time to communicate to them on their own terms will pay dividends in terms of coverage.