Page 34 - Flathead Beacon // 5.14.14

34 | MAY 14, 2014
BUSINESS FLATHEADBEACON.COM

BUSINESS IS PERSONAL Mark Rifey

Efective Press Releases

For Small Business
GREENER WORLD
Experience a with
I
F YOU HAVEN’T WRITTEN FOR A time.
newspaper or magazine, or worked When you send a press release about

for a media agency, you may not real- your new sailboat trailer product line
ize that many of the stories you see start to a writer for a national magazine for
with ideas seeded with press releases.
electricians, the message they get is
Sending press releases to your lo- something like this: “My story is more
cal media, and selected national media important than anything you’re doing,
(such as the editor of a nationally read so I think it’s OK to waste your time by
newspaper, blog, magazine, podcast, telling you about something that has
nothing to do with your readers’ inter-
etc.) can make sense to draw attention
to your business and what it’s up to, but est, much less your publication’s chosen
only if you don’t make a few key mis- subject matter.”
takes.
Media people don’t need story ideas
What qualities do efective press re- that have nothing to do with what they
leases for small business have, and what write about/what their publication cov-
should you watch out for? As with any ers.
Selling Wholesale to Home Builders & Landscapers other marketing piece – what matters If there’s a tangent that does apply
for a seemingly of-topic press release,
Kennels • Golf Courses • Schools
is your understanding of and ability to
you’d better make your point
quickly. Let’s use the sailboat
Check out the website to see all the uses & applications:
“GETTING STUFF YOU DON’T press release as an example.
If your sailboat product
www.synthetic-turf.com
line press release reads like
WANT TO READ AND AREN’T something sailboat owners
Call John, NW dealer for more information 406-752-3150 want to read – DON’T send it
INTERESTED IN (IE: SPAM,
Cell 480-710-0864 • [email protected]
to the electrician publication.
JUNK MAIL) IS AN ANNOYING On the other hand, if there
is a unique technique or tech-
nology that you used during
WASTE OF TIME.”
your manufacturing process
handled grounding, wire pro-
tection, or wiring that spends
time underwater, then write

a press release speciic to
those topics. That’s something the elec- Top Tracks
reach the audience.
tricians who don’t sail are more likely to
That doesn’t mean your PR should
care about.
grind to a halt every time there’s a disas-
Media people don’t want to see press
ter of some kind, but you should make
releases about stuf their readers don’t these eforts with care.
care about.
explore your new music cravings!
I get press release emails quite of- WHAT MEDIA PEOPLE NEED
ten because of this column. I can think FROM YOUR PRESS RELEASE
of one in the last seven years that had ARTIST SONG
Media people need story ideas, but
anything to do with small business. That not just any old story idea.
one press release was not about an au- 1 Lorde
Team 4 They need story ideas of interest to
thor’s just released romance novel – and their readers, which means you need to
yes, I do get those PR emails.
2 Pharrell Williams
Happy 7 consider their audience and what’s on

3 Bastille
Pompeii 5 their mind.
THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU 4 Black Keys
Fever 8 This isn’t about how many people
SEND
you can get to see your press release. It’s
If you look over the press release im- 5 Coldplay
Magic 3 about how many of the RIGHT people
age, you’ll see that the PR agent’s client see it.
is an author and that author appears 6 Kongos
Come With Me Now 9 Doesn’t that sound exactly like the
to have some sort of relationship with 7 Fitz & The Tantrums The Walker 1 kind of content that you’d create when
Wyndham resorts.
direct marketing? Of course.
8 John Legend
All Of Me 13
If you’re the author or an employee, 9 Neon Trees
Sleeping With A Friend 14 Media people don’t need spam. Like
manager or stockholder of Wyndham, you, they get plenty.
would you want that PR email blast as- 10 Aloe Blacc
The Man 12
Getting stuf you don’t want to read
sociated with you?
and aren’t interested in (ie: spam, junk
I sure wouldn’t.
mail) is an annoying waste of time. Why
You do PR so people will discuss and LOCAL TOP 5
would you expect the reader of your
hopefully promote the subject matter in press release to feel diferently?
1. Jameson & The Sordid Seeds
Keep Me In The Light
your press release. Take care what you
send and send it to someone whose audi- 2. Marshall Catch
More Than Myself
WHAT MEDIA PEOPLE DON’T
ence genuinely cares about the topic.
3. David Boone & Dawns
Taillights
NEED FROM YOUR PRESS
Simple, right?
RELEASE
4. God Fearing Women
She Ain’t So Reggae They don’t need you to waste their

5. Luke Dowler
Heart Attack
Want to learn more about Mark or ask him to write about a business, operations or
www.1031theriver.com
marketing problem? See Mark’s site, rescuemarketing.com, or contact him via email
at [email protected].