Can you teach someone how to write a press release? Or is it like so many aspects of copywriting for PR, a matter of instinct and innate flair?

There’s a new page on Buzzwords’ main website outlining the main points to consider when writing a press release. Much of it is common sense. Anyone tasked with the job of writing press releases will quickly find out what’s required.

Let’s face it: the elements are simple. First, there’s a headline followed by the body copy and then finished off with contact details (and possibly some supplementary information included at the very end of the release under the heading ‘Notes for Editors’).

It’s probably more important to understand what a press release is for, and how the news you want to announce can be best presented to editors. The mechanics of what goes where in a release should be a matter of course for anyone whose work involves sales and marketing!

Top of this list is understanding that news releases are about presenting information in a clear and logical way. They are not advertising pieces which set out to persuade people to buy. In other words, the facts should speak for themselves.

It is also vital to make sure that both editors and the ultimate readers of your release have ways of making contact. For editors, this is so they can ask for more information. For the reader of the published release, they will obviously need to know who to contact for information about how to secure the services or products described in the release.

Again, this is all common sense. Tips about eye-catching headlines, including quotes in the text and summarising your message in the opening paragraphs are obviously useful. Very soon, however, these will become second nature to regular writers of press releases.

(To find out more, visit the relevant page on Buzzwords’ website. You’ll find it by clicking on the ‘Copywriting for PR’ tab on the main navigation bar.)

Half-day one-to-one copywriting training modules are now being provided by Buzzwords from its offices in Knutsford, Cheshire (south Manchester).

Interested individuals start with a two-hour Assessment in Knutsford to identify what is expected of the subsequent training sessions.  A written report is provided which sets out future training recommendations.

This highly personalised approach uses a copywriting coaching model to make sure that the training is tailored to an individual’s specific needs, such as how to write news releases, articles, websites and so on.

Buzzwords’ one-to-one training will be useful for:

• Aspiring copywriters (who want a new career as a copywriter but maybe aren’t sure where to start)
• Owners of small or medium-size businesses (SMEs) who want to take the copywriting function in-house and save themselves money
• Employees in larger organisations who want to broaden their copywriting knowledge and improve their writing skills.

The initial Assessment and Report costs £POA + VAT.

Half-day training modules cost £POA + VAT

For more details, call Mike Beeson on 01565 654023 or visit Buzzwords’ website at: buzzwords.ltd.uk/copywriting_training_courses.htm (adding  the ‘www’ prefix).

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Social media is coming of age and companies like Buzzwords need to know and see what’s going on in the PR 2.0 world, from both a B2B and consumer marketing perspective.

This composite PR Package has the potential to deliver impressive returns by treating what is essentially the same content in different ways.

Newsletter copywriting often reflects the most obvious news stories in an organisation.  By developing the key parts of this raw material, case studies can be created which, in themselves, offer great versatility for marketing applications ranging from additional website content to mailshots to – annual reports.

Annual report copywriting is all about creating a serious document which should nevertheless reflect what drives any organisation, namely, its people.  Case studies can highlight not only the practical, technical or financial achievements of a company.  They should also include the people whose enthusiasm, commitment and know-how make company success possible in the first place.

The ‘trickle-down effect’ of news management via imaginative copywriting and PR is realised to the full by combining three major marketing disciplines into one PR Package. 

(See Buzzwords’ main website for details: buzzwords.ltd.uk/pr_packages.htm)

The complementary aspects of Online PR and Case Study Copywriting create their own synergy by covering all the bases when it comes to newsworthy events.

Online PR can exploit the fact that most stories will be published, providing they are written well and formatted correctly.  There is also the added SEO bonus that a well-optimised and eye-catching story could go ‘viral’ and generate a large number of backlinks to your website.

Case Study Copywriting, on the other hand, adopts a more measured and reflective response to disseminating news and information.  What Case Study Copywriting shares with Online PR is that you are managing and crafting your own news in a way that will influence your company’s reputation and help in meeting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

This PR Package – #4 in a range of 5 – should be seen as a strategic marketing option to be used alongside other Buzzwords’ packages for maximum long-term effectiveness.

(See Buzzwords’ main website for details: buzzwords.ltd.uk/pr_packages.htm)

The combination of sending out regular newsletters – online or printed – to customers, staff and suppliers, and making sure that even minor news events are hitting the online PR portals and newswires is a powerful formula for achieving ongoing communication with the groups and individuals who matter.

Newsletter copywriting can help to keep those stories flowing and your company’s activities in the public eye.  For online versions, buy in your database if you have to, but don’t forget to harvest e-mail addresses from your website at every opportunity!

Online PR can complement the flow of information with its immediacy and spontaneity as well as its longevity on the web.  And that’s before you take into account the SEO link building potential of Online PR.

As with other options in Buzzwords’ range of PR packages, there is often an overlap of information which can be exploited for seriously effective marketing results.   Online PR and newsletter copywriting are ideal partners to generate the ongoing communication that is essential for progressive organisations of all types and sizes.

(See Buzzwords’ main website for details: buzzwords.ltd.uk/pr_packages.htm)

This second option of Buzzwords’ 5-star PR packages is dubbed ’The Credibility Builder’.  That’s because the valuable raw material of corporate information used in case study copywriting can be applied in a highly effective way to annual report copywriting.

The content can also of course be edited to create extra website content, mailshots and sales aids – so it makes marketing and financial sense to use it for annual report copywriting too!  This is especially true when specific case studies are used to illustrate a particular success that was part of an organisation’s mainstream activities in that particular year.   

Depending on the nature of the case studies, their use in annual reports can either be as major full-page items that add personal or commercial credibility.  Or they can be used as a series of cameos, or shortened versions, to highlight widely applied or accepted skills or achievements.  Whichever approach is used, the testimonial value of third party endorsement is priceless.

What is also important is recognising the value of this goldmine of information under your nose which should neither be overlooked nor wasted.  That’s why you should adopt a case study ’strategy’ to identify both the information  and its potential as an inexpensive and often ignored marketing tool.

(See Buzzwords’ main website for details: buzzwords.ltd.uk/pr_packages.htm)

This first option in the Buzzwords’ PR Packages armoury opens up impressive SEO opportunities by combining Online PR and Article Marketing. Both have powerful link building potential as well as the ability to generate online publicity that stays around the web for many months.

 
There are of course additional bonuses such as providing valuable content for your website, and opportunities to establish yourself as an authority in your particular field.  Building credibility with your website visitors is as important as impressing the search engines.

Combining the two is an unstoppable option where Buzzwords will commit to working closely with clients for the long haul.  SEO is no quick fix, but solid results based on the proven principles of SEO link building will pay big long term dividends.

(See Buzzwords’ main website for details: buzzwords.ltd.uk/pr_packages.htm)

May 2oo9 saw the launch of Buzzwords’ 5-star ‘PR Packages’ – bespoke  options based on a range of copywriting-led PR services. 

These include Article Marketing, Online PR, Case Study Copywriting, Newsletter Copywriting and Annual Report Copywriting.

By combining two or three of these elements, a surprising level of synergy can be achieved.  Newsletters, for example, use the same information for ‘raw material’ as case studies and, ultimately, annual reports.

For ‘great communications’, companies can combine Newsletter Copywriting with Online PR.  And to build a company’s reputation and higher levels of new business, Online PR and Case Study Copywriting are a perfect pair!

Full details of these PR Packages can be seen on Buzzwords’ website at www.buzzwords.ltd.uk/pr_packages.htm

As a PR practitioner who also practises the black art of SEO copywriting, I’ve been surprised at how easy it is to infiltrate the online ranks (and ranking!) of larger PR companies.

It begs the question as to whether certain PR companies are serious about having an online presence.  I read a lot about how concerned PRs are about social media, but what about SEO and SEM – not to mention the wider implications for integrated marketing?

I suppose I should be happy that so many PR companies are hiding their light under a bushel – and that’s not to deprecate the quality of Buzzwords’ PR services, nor the complementary value of SEO copywriting expertise.

In these straitened times, I do wonder whether there are still PR companies out there who merely pay lip service to ‘being digital’ by having a website and some occasional Pay-Per-Click advertising? 

Of course, I’m generalising.  It’s clear that some PR companies have grasped the nettle – and run with it. To those who haven’t – and you probably won’t be reading blogs if that’s the case! – you’re missing a trick that could prove fatal.