1. MAKE SURE IT'S NEWS
A news release should read like a news item, not a sales brochure or something that merely promotes a group. Don't hide it, especially if the information is negative. It hurts your credibility and the paper may find it out anyway.

BAD EXAMPLE: In the first paragraph about a new business, the release said: "So and So is giving away refreshments and key chains and offering free music and hot-air balloon rides." What's the news?

2. EMPHASIZE THE BENEFITS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF NEWS
Have a feel for what turns on the editor:

• Unusualness
• Change
• Trends
• Significance
• History
• Name Recognition
• First-time event

BAD EXAMPLE: "We're delighted that Michael has joined the agency. We've proved again that we have no equal in the country."

3. STICK TO THE POINT
Don't try to cover the world in a news release. Keep the names and accolades to a minimum. Don't bog down the release with superfluous information.

BAD EXAMPLE: This is how one release ended: "Her clients are invited to contact her for the same professional service they have long enjoyed.

4. MAKE SURE THE RELEASE IS ACCURATE
Don't let a new release go unless you're sure of the facts. Provide bad information and you'll shoot yourself in the foot.

BAD EXAMPLE: A release trumpets that October is wine month and describes sales growth by conveniently leaving out recession months when times were rough.

ANOTHER BAD EXAMPLE: "America's economic engine -- small business -- is about to get a turbocharge with the release of his new book."

5. DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Learn how the newspaper operates. Identify the correct person to receive the release. Find out about deadlines, addresses, requirements. Find out the paper's busiest times so you know when to call and when not to. Have your facts ready before you approach the paper.

BAD EXAMPLE: "My client has some real exciting things happening." When pressed for specifics, the PR person fumbled and mumbled.

6. USE THE RIGHT FORMAT
Date the release. That gives the editors a sense of timeliness and urgency. Double space it. Allow space for editors to make changes. Keep releases to a maximum of two pages. That should be enough to present information for a short article or generate curiosity to get your phone ringing.

7. MAKE SURE YOUR CONTACTS ARE INFORMED AND HELPFUL
The name at the top of the release should be the person you want contacted. That peson should by fully informed about every aspect of the program or service and be willing and able to drop everything to get the editors what they need for the article. Also, the names mentioned in the release should be those of people you want quoted. Make sure whoever is named in the release has a file of information at his or her fingertips and is authorized to answer it.

8. CUSTOMIZE THE RELEASE TO TARGET DIFFERENT MARKETS
It usually takes only a rewrite of the lead paragraph to make the difference. A relase arrived from New Orleans about a Richmond group, but we had to read the first 10 paragraphs before we learned about the local connection.

9. GIVE THE PAPER ENOUGH TIME TO REACT
On significant events and programs, send in a release a month before the event and follow it up with another two weeks notice. Don't expect coverage if you drop a release on an editor the day before or call on the day of the event. If you could not have predicted the event, try to give 24 hours notice or as much as possible.

10. TAKE THE EXTRA STEP AND FOLLOW UP THE RELEASE
Good PR is about serving editors' interest as much as yours. Call to make sure the release has been received. If not, ask if another should be sent. Ask if anything else is needed. Become a key source of information on your industry -- not just your own group. Alert editors to significant events.

And finally, the facts:
"The greater portion of the editor's job you can do, the greater your chances of getting an article into print."