ECW3953- Publishing & Distribution A7 Write a Press Release

Transcription

1 ECW3953- Publishing & Distribution A7 Write a Press Release Objective: To gain experience a press release for marketing and public relations exposure. Introduction: A press release is a public relations announcement issued to the news media and other targeted publications for the purpose of letting the public know of newsworthy events or developments. A well- written press release is an invaluable marketing asset and can result in FREE publicity in the form or reviews appearing in reputable newspapers, magazines, and Web sites. But it's not written for the press alone. Press releases do much more than spread news; they can be used on your Web site and social media to boost search visibility, enhance customer service, increase brand recognition, and support sales. ALL STUDENTS, this Press Release assignment makes a great piece for your final portfolio, highlighting your ability to write in multiple forms and styles. Students in the Portfolio Cycle System, this assignment will be a component of your Portfolio III portfolio, highlighting your ability to write in multiple forms and styles. Step One: Readings and Resources Read the following short articles to become familiar with what Press Releases are, how they are formatted, and why you would write one. What is a Press Release? release Press Release Format release/format.html 9 tips for a powerful press release 30 Reasons to Write a Press Release Page 1

2 Step Two: Write the Press Release Write a Press Release about the publication of your e- book. (You are not required to actually send this anywhere. Just write it as if you did.) Consider your topic or reason for the release. What is the main thing about this publication that readers will care about? Someone publishing another e- book is not really news, so consider what makes you, your book s subject/topic, your book is doing differently, or the timing of your publication, unique? If you can t think of a newsworthy angle for this assignment, don't worry. The important part of this assignment is you following the proper press release format, not your newsworthy angle. So if you can t think of one, just go with Emerging Author <your name> published a _<style/genre> e- book about <subject/topic> through Smashwords.com. There is a fairly standard format for creating press releases. It will help your credibility and chances of being published (and your grade) if you present your material this way. Each press release should include the following: "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE": These words should appear at the top left of the page, in upper case. If you don't want the story to be made public yet, write "HOLD FOR RELEASE UNTIL..." instead. Headline: Just like a headline in a newspaper, it must be a complete sentence. Make sure this describes the content of the story and highlights your newsworthy angle. If you can t think of one, just go with Emerging Author <your name> published a _<style/genre> e- book about <subject/topic> through Smashwords.com. City, State/Country - Month Day, Year: These details precede the Intro and orient the reader. (They also answer the "When & Where?" details right up front. ) Intro: Give the quick Who? What? Why? & How? details of your press release. So for this, state that you are talking about the publication of a new e- book and give the basic details (author, genre, style, where to buy it, ect.) Body: This is where the actual story goes, where you flesh out the Who? What? Why? & How? details of your press release. There should be more than one paragraph, each paragraph no more than a few sentences. If there is more than one page, write "- more- " at the bottom of the page. Company/organization info: Include any background information about the person (the author bio in this case), and/or company/organization (Smashwords in this case) featured in this press release. Explain what Smashwords.com is, what it does, and how it works. Also explain that users can obtain books in multiple e- books formats. Page 2

3 Contact Information: Include contact person (you) in case the reporter or editor has any follow up questions. Include contact details: company name, phone/fax, , physical/postal address. (For this assignment, you can use bogus contact info.) "ENDS" or "###": This indicates the end of the press release. "(xxx words)": If you like you could include the total number of words contained in the press release. Step Three: Targeting Include a page titled "Targeting" that lists where you would send this press release (if you had to send it out). Include this page between your cover page and your Press Release. 1. If you were actually sending this press release out to media outlets in the hopes they would write/talk about the publication of your e- book or do a review of your e- book, what type of media outlets you would you send this Press Release to? (The common types of media outlets are: Newpapers, Magazines, Web Sites, Review Blogs, Subject Specific Blogs, radio shows, Web Shows, Podcasts?) 2. Name some specific Magazines, Web Sites, Review Blogs, Subject Specific Blogs, radio shows, Web Shows, and/or Podcasts to whom you would send this Press Release to in the hopes they would write about the publication of your e- book or do a review of your e- book. (If you write about a single/specialized subject, or in an established genre, don't forget about media outlets that specialize in your subject matter, genre and/or niche!) Include this page between your cover page and your Press Release. Step Four: Cover Sheet Include a cover page with your name, the class, the title of the assignment, and the date. Step Five: Save, Export, and Upload your Work to TurnItIn Due Before Sunday at 11:59pm ET Paste your Press Release into a WORD document and upload it to TurnItIn. (Labeled as YourLastName_PressRelease.docx ) HAVE A PROBLEM? CALL TURN IT IN SUPPORT X 241 Please upload all assignments to Turn It In as Word Documents. Page 3

4 This assignment is worth 5 points. Page 4

5 Criterion Exceeded Passed Met Missed Below Quality of Content 20 points Exceeded expectations Insightful, fresh, stimulating perspectives Richly detailed Met expectations A few original ideas Adequately detailed Merely repeated ideas from supplied readings & resources A few original ideas Missing detail Revealed little objective or requirements Missing detail Did not complete Targeting of media outlets. 20 points are highly relevant and specialized for the topic. are relevant and specialized for the topic. are not specialized targets for the topic. are not named. Listed media outlets are inappropriate for the topic and/or media. No media outlets listed of where to submit Press Release Presentation & Readability 30 points Press Release format conventions followed professionally. Information flows logically and naturally. Presented with authority. Press Release format conventions followed, but with one minor error Information flow is mostly logical and natural. Formatting 2 or 3 errors in presentation Information flow is in a prose format. Multiple formatting errors in presentation Information is presented as a Q&A list of details. Sloppy presentation No regard for format Writing Mechanics & Grammar 30 points No errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, etc. Work shows mastery of One minor, careless error that does not interfere with flow Work shows Multiple minor, careless errors that do not interfere with flow Work shows Consistent minor error(s). Work shows basic Errors to the point of distraction Work shows little Page 5