November 2002
Volume I, Issue 1

Trends

Getting the Most from Your News Releases

Is the news release dead? Absolutely not! For the vast majority of companies it remains the workhorse of the PR world. If you only have time to write one document, it should be a news release.

The primary test of a news release is: did it get picked up? That’s why the headline is so important - 90% of the time that’s all the editor will read.

Headline: Keep it short, less than 12 words, that’s all that will fit on one line in a headline list, email, or search engine entry. Your company’s name should be one of the first words, unless you’re doing a deal with a larger or more prestigious company. In that case, put their name first, since that is more likely to capture the editor’s eye.

First and second paragraph: The first paragraph should restate the headline in complete sentences and with supporting words and phrases (e.g. company description and location). Keep it under 30 words. Try to avoid saying “announced.” A new product can be launched, released or offered. Software can be licensed, purchased, installed or contracted for. Note: be careful using the word “partner.” A partnership is a specific legal arrangement.

If your company is prepared to give out the dollar value of the sale or contract, by all means include it in the headline or first paragraph. The dollar amount is the single most important fact for editors, but companies are very rarely willing to release this information.

Since you have supplied three of the “5 Ws” (who, what, where) in the first paragraph, you can supply the last two (why and when) in the second paragraph. If this is a software contract, give the installation date and tell what the product will do for the customer.

Quotes: In a basic product news release, quoting the CEO is not really necessary. If the contract is significant because it, say, marks the first time a pharmaceutical company has licensed your product, just state that as a fact. Most editors are unlikely to attribute a quote to an executive unless they’ve actually talked to her.

Having said that, it is a fact of life that many CEOs expect to be quoted and are disappointed when their name is not in the news release. If this is the case, fine. Include a quote, but put it in the fourth or fifth paragraph.

Let’s face it, the best you can hope for in most releases is a two-sentence brief in the “Contracts” page of your favorite trade magazine. Quotes rarely get used and can drag out the approval process. If your CEO has a really good quote, pitch it (the interview) separately.

Language: a news release is by definition meant for wide distribution. It needs to be written so that a nontechnical reader can understand it. Although classic journalism style tries to avoid abbreviations, it’s impossible in tech writing. Not sure about spelling? The latest AP Stylebook has an entire chapter on Internet terms and abbreviations. Note: HIPAA has now entered the healthcare lexicon and like other common abbreviations (IT, ANSI, HTTP) does not need to be spelled out.

Industry Insight

”When rapid innovation coincides with a healthy investment climate, IT buyers tend to take a chance on small companies in hopes of discovering a new technology that will give them a competitive edge. But, in a period of stalling innovation and poor climate for capital spending, risk-averse buyers are less apt to buy from start-ups and increasingly concentrate their spending among fewer companies. The top 10 software companies represent 109% of the profit and 54% of the revenue. And if the economy doesn’t turn soon, the spoils are likely to be even more concentrated.” “Innovation Interrupted,” Optimize Magazine, November 2002.

Resources

Book review: “Understanding Web Services: SML, WSDL, SOAP and UDDI,”
by Eric Newcomer. Addison Wesley, 2002

There has been a lot written about web services in the technology press in the past six months, so it was only a matter of time before a major publisher issued a book about the topic.

The author certainly has good credentials. Eric Newcomer is chief technical officer of Iona, an independent provider of e-business platforms for web services integration. He is a member of the World Wide Web Consortium and participates in the XML Protocols and Web Services Architecture Working Group. He has co-author of another software book and written many journal article.

The book is very comprehensive and could serve as a textbook for a college course. Fortunately, the author has included a number of diagrams, which help the layperson understand the complicated concepts discussed in the text.

The question for busy marketing professionals is do you need to read the whole book? Probably not. For example, chapter five is titled “Finding Web Services: UDDI Registry,” and contains a detailed discussion of how UDDI works including the “data model,” and the “t-model.” This is probably more than you need or want to know!

The first chapter, “Introducing Web Services,” is easily understandable by the non-techie and gives a very good overview. Many will find the book a useful reference. While the technology press has written a lot about web services, most of the coverage has been about the rival efforts of Microsoft, Sun, IBM and other major players. Few of the articles have provided detailed explanations of just how web services works. This book offers that.

You are welcome to forward this publication to other public relations professionals for noncommercial use.

Copyright 2002 Westside Public Relations.