Sending out your press release

The subject line in the email gives you an added opportunity to capture an editor’s attention.

• Don’t waste it! Make it creative and captivating. Boring subject line: Johnson Assoc Breaks Ground on New Project; Attention-getting subject line: Project to Spark Downtown Economic Revival.

• If the subject line appears not to be relevant, it can be a quick way to lose an editor’s attention and ensure that your email never gets opened.

Begin your email with a brief pitch.

• Start out with a sentence or two explaining why this topic will be of interest to the publication’s readers.

• Then copy and paste the release into the body of the email.

If you have adequately tailored your list to your target market, then it should be short enough to easily manage the email distribution in-house. If you have a major announcement that you feel will be of interest to the national media, you can use an online press release newswire service like PR Newswire or Business Wire. See the My PR Tools Resource Guide for more information on these services.

For more information on distributing your press release and tips for following up with editors and reporters, see Chapter Five, Pitching to the Media.