Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hi Mark,

Here is my question.  I am a start up, don`t have a lot of cash, very little, but want to generate buzz and get magazines and local newspapers to do write ups about my firm, K.A.N.Y.C. Enterprises, which is looking to create a whole lifestyle that is Healthy, Eco Friendly, with Positive focus and spirituality (not religion, just deep spirituality built into everyday life).  What elements should my Press Kit and Release contain when I contact these sources?

Hi Katherine,

For the press kit, you`ve got two options:  Online press kit and print press kit.  To save money, I`d stick to the online kit and press room.  Many people are moving away from printed kits.

For the online press room, you should list the following:

- press releases
- hyperlinks to past press mentions
- "about us" information about your company
- links to management bios
- email address and phone number of press contacts
- success stories/case studies/quotes from or about current or past clients

Here`s a sample of our simple press room for Smashwords - http://www.smashwords.com  Note it doesn`t need to be fancy.  Avoid using PDFs in the press room.  PDFs are slow to load and difficult to work with (not easy for a reporter to cut and paste from them).  Stick with plain vanilla HTML, and if you decide you MUST offer PDFs, make them an option, not the default.

For what the press release should contain, that`s a big question.  I`ve tried to address many aspects of it previously on this thread, so I encourage you to review some of the previous answers here.  In a nutshell, it should communicate what you`re doing or have done and why the reader should care.  If you can`t complete the sentence, "This announcement is important because...." then you don`t have a newsworthy press release, or you need to revise your message to make it newsworthy.  It should have a news hook, something that conveys valuable information to the reader and that gives the reporter something to report.

It should contain basic info like who/what/when/where/why. 
You can see a couple samples on the Smashwords site.  Note that the SW releases are unusually long.  As a rule, most press releases should be kept to a page or two.  I break this rule all the time.  I`d also encourage you to visit the press rooms of well established companies in your business field for other press release samples.  Here are some samples of a Dovetail client, Virtual PBX.  They provide hosted phone systems for small businesses.  http://www.virtualpbx.com/company/Press.asp

Here are some more press release samples from another client of ours:
http://www.avg.com/ww.press-releases

As you browse the above examples, you`ll note there are various types of topics you can write about in your release, such as new products, new services, milestones and awards.

Also note that companies don`t always issue press releases to generate press coverage.  Many companies use press releases as a communications vehicle for their customers and prospective customers.

One final point:  99% of your best press coverage will not come as a result of simply issuing a press release - it`s how you promote that press release that makes all the difference.  I`ve written quite a bit about this topic in previous threads here.

Good luck with your business.

Best wishes,
Mark



-------------------------

Mark Coker
Founder and CEO
Dovetail Public Relations
http://www.dovetailpr.com
Smashwords, Inc.
http://www.smashwords.com

Thanks so much Mark. This has been extremely helpful!

All the best.

-------------------------

Dan Bui
http://buibase.com
http://meetup.com/buibase

Dan,

Sales people work on commission, PR people do not.  Sounds like you need sales people for your regions, and then a single PR person who provides national and local PR support to your regions across the country.

mark





-------------------------

Mark Coker
Founder and CEO
Dovetail Public Relations
http://www.dovetailpr.com
Smashwords, Inc.
http://www.smashwords.com

Thank You.  I will look at those sites, so I can have an idea of what to do.  Another question.  If I had a budget of $250 a month for P.R. and I hired an agency, what could they do with that budget to start with?

Kat,  most PR agencies worth their salt won`t do a program for $250 a month.  It simply doesn`t allow much time to do anything.  You might be able to find a contractor, yet I`d be wary because if they`re any good they probably wouldn`t want to take on something so small.  Many agencies won`t consider clients under $10,000 a month.  Even my agency, which is a smaller boutique agency (9 employees) rarely goes under $7,000/mo.  You`ve got to figure that most PR professionals bill out their services at anywhere from $50 an hour on the low end for a work-at-home contractor to over $300/hr for more senior practicioners.  The average PR person is probably over $100/hr.  I`d strongly recommend you consider learning to do your own PR, which is really the focus of my thread here anyway.   Bootstrapping entrepreneurs really need to consider PR a core marketing skill to develop on their own.  Once your business grows to the point where it makes sense to invest more in PR (either by hiring someone inhouse or hiring an outside consultant), you`ll be all the better prepared to take full advantage of it (and avoid being taken advantage of) if you`ve already developed some of the skills yourself.

Best,
Mark




-------------------------

Mark Coker
Founder and CEO
Dovetail Public Relations
http://www.dovetailpr.com
Smashwords, Inc.
http://www.smashwords.com

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Melanie Rembrandt
CEO, Rembrandt Communications®, LLC
Visit www.rembrandtwrites.com for valuable PR tips and SEO copywriting help!
Twitter: @RembrandtWrites

Makes sense.  Thing is I am really great at creating, but not the nitty gritty day to day posting on forums etc... that it not my strength.  My other option I guess is a graduate intern.  I create the material, they research and post and give them a stipend of at least $300 a month.