The main goal behind PR is to get lots of good press and stay away from bad press.
However, the saying is that there is no such thing as bad press.
Not just that, PR itself seems to have gotten seriously bad press itself lately. People see them as nothing but paparazzi filling our brains with images of Britney Spears, telling us about rehab schedules and affairs that we don’t really want to know about anyway.
In order to be good at PR, you need to know what the common misconceptions are and how you can get away from these.
A Press Release Doesn’t Work
Nonsense.
They work really well, in fact, they are the least time-consuming and the most cost-effective of all the types of PR.
Press release example
A well-written, nice and basic, short press release that captures a really strong angle is all that you need to grab your readers’ attention. If you have the right talent, they are relatively easy to make and have the biggest possible impact. Having the right talent is very important, of course.
Don’t get involved in this line of work if you don’t know when to use to and too, or if you mix up your there, their and they’re. You need to know how to be engaging, how to write something that someone else will not only read, but that will move them to action.
Everything That You Hear in the Media Is True
Oh dear… If you believe everything you see or hear in the media, you live a very sheltered life. Some people think that everything in the press has to be verified and checked for accuracy. That is a complete lie to begin with, there simply isn’t the time. Not just that, however.
Even if a story is a blatant lie, but it sells, then people will get to hear the story. At best, press releases get checked for grammatical correctness and punctuation, but it is very rare that the accuracy of the story is checked. So does this mean everything you read is a lie? Probably not.
Press release writing services
However, freedom of press means anything can be written down, so long as it’s not slander. You also need to consider why somebody is writing something. Think, for a minute, about the news. All you need to do is switch on the news and look at a story about the latest deaths in Syria. What do you think is being shown on Syrian television? Think as well about why you are being told about Syria. Are you being called to action? Does the government want you to support something, such as a military action in Syria?
Anything that is released in the press is done because we are expected to react to it in a certain way, it is not because we are simply owed the truth.
It’s all about Luck and Timing
Too many people still think that being able to achieve publicity is all down to luck and timing. This isn’t true, it is about being seriously good at what you do.
It is only those who have tried and failed at being good at writing who say that it is down to luck. They are too insecure to admit to their own failures and blame it on others instead. You need to know how to reach your target market, your prospect and your media contact and you need to know how to do this on time.
The reality of press release writing
A press release writing is a combination of extreme talent and knowing what is important and what is not. Don’t be fooled into believing that press releases are there to tell us the truth and remember that there is no such thing as bad publicity.
Check out our blog on press release writing services.
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