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| The News Release How To's |
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by Rhonda Mims-Brown
The “How To’s” for Drivers, Teams, Trade and Event Promoters
A big part of presenting a professional image for a driver or team isn’t necessarily where you finish on the race track, but how you present yourself in the public limelight. For those drivers who currently have sponsorship associations and for those who seek it, being professional in all aspects is a key ingredient to not only your success, but also for those who choose to support your efforts. In addition, a big responsibility of promoting an event, running a team or an organization is a continual supply of information to the media.
One such effort is through good communications that can be achieved through press kits, fact sheets and news releases. Don’t sell yourself or your sponsors short by lacking in this area. For sure, winning is important, but if the news doesn’t reach the public, what good does it do for your sponsors and team? If you’re a promoter, don’t sell your customer’s short – provide a service that stands out and keeps them racing in your series. If you’re in the business, be savvy with your overall marketing plan where publicity can gain credible exposure if done properly.
This segment of PR and Marketing Tips will focus on writing a good press release. News mediums of all types, i.e., newspapers, magazines, television and radio all appreciate and value those who assist them in their need for interesting news. Some mediums are fully-staffed with good budgets to go out and pursue news while others aren’t. In both cases, the news release is often the initial source for a news story idea whether the medium pursues the story to write itself or if they choose to run it directly with little editing.
One of the main keys in writing a good press release is to make it as professional as possible. This means a little homework on your part on learning about journalism, proper grammar, spelling and obtaining the right contacts. Let's begin with some of the basics belolw:
What is a news or press release?
A news release, also referred to as a press release, is a short one to two page story written by a party who seeks to get their word out in public formats. There is a proper format in journalism in writing a news release that is important to utilize and will greatly improve the odds of getting the release published or possibly lead to a feature story by the medium it’s submitted to. Although many news releases are submitted by hired public relations professionals, if done properly, this can be handled by the driver their self, or by a close friend or family member.
The Do’s and Don’ts
● Do use good grammar and spelling, construct your sentences well
● Do use proper punctuation
● Do learn the proper format for news release writing
● Do be creative and develop interesting leads and headlines
● Do utilize the five W’s of journalism
● Do find the right distribution contacts for each medium
● Do include a good photo with photo credits and obtain permission to use
● Do spell proper names correctly. Don’t assume or guess at spelling, double check.
● Don’t confuse a “Newsletter” with a “News Release.” A news release is intended for the media, a news letter is for friends, family and business associates.
● Don’t hype up the story, stick with facts in an interesting way
● Don’t lie or exaggerate the facts
● Don’t boast
● Don’t knock the medium for not using your story. Just keep trying. There are many reasons why your releases may not be used and it shouldn’t be taken personal.
Proper Grammar-Use Your Education
Don’t just jot down on a piece of paper a poorly constructed story about what you did; use your education! There’s a proper format to follow that will stand out and get attention. Often, I’ll get so called “news releases” that are poorly written and end up in either the trash or put in an eternal pending file. As an example, I recently received some news from a 17 year old student that was about one page long. Although the nature of his news was interesting, the news was so poorly constructed and lacked the most basic of grammatical skills. The full page write up had no formal sentences, no capitalization, no punctuation, no paragraph breaks, lacked the basic info and was full of misspelled words. Just a quick glance was all I needed to file it in the hope that perhaps someday, I would be able to find the time to figure out what he’s trying to say. It’s been over a month and the story remains there.
Although the young driver gets a nod for trying, unfortunately his goal will never be realized and leaves an editor wondering if perhaps he should focus more on school than on his driving skills. What’s even worse is when I get news releases from adults who I know went to college and got a good education. This is even sadder because they have been through English and it shows a lack of effort and care on their part.
Don’t kid yourself; teachers, parents and business professionals out there who constantly preach the importance of good grammar, construction and spelling are right – it’s extremely important. My stressing of this isn’t intended to scare someone off from even trying – I’m easy as an editor, I realize much of the news I get comes from the unskilled. I still appreciate the efforts most of the time and when I have the time, I do as much as I can to work with the material I receive because I truly want to see people get the recognition. Bigger publications and business don’t see it that way. So, put out your best effort and have someone review what you’ve written.
Give the Media Something They Need and Don’t Limit Your Contact Selection List
Prior to the construction of a news release, think about the story you want to tell and develop some unique aspects. What kind of comments do you hear most often about yourself or what you accomplished? What’s unique about what you did or you as an individual? If you don’t know, ask a friend or family member.
Tie-in your story with something that’s different and it will help to capture the attention of an editor. Winning a race is cool but think more about what it took to win that race, the prep, the strategy, coming from the back to win, etc. Also, winning a race isn’t the only reason for submitting news. Every day, editors seek interesting and unique material; even if you’ve never made it to the winner’s circle, develop something that’s interesting about you or your team that others would like to know. There’s something special about each of us, think about it.
Timing is also a key factor. As the saying goes, “Old news is no news” so be as quick as possible in getting the news out, especially if it’s race news. The media seeks both before and after event stories and the first ones in, usually get picked up and after an over saturation of a subject, the media moves on. For web, the lead time isn’t as much of an issue – a few days in advance is usually good enough, but for print, magazines take as long as a month or two and a daily or weekly news paper sometimes need a week or more depending on the nature or urgency. Television news, which is the hardest to conquer, needs about 10 days lead time to develop stories that aren’t in relation to their daily important news.
Another tip to increase your chances is to gear your story around the time of a holiday or in line with current events making the news headlines. For example, “Young Racer’s Dream Comes True with a New Kart on Christmas Day.” Here’s another example: “Timmy Speed’s Mom Plays Major Role in Son’s Racing Success” would be tied in to a Mother's day story.
Remember, the karting and racing media isn’t the only source of news in the world that would be interested in your story. Often, you’ll find it easier to make the headlines of your local paper than it is to make the headlines in the general racing media. Scoping out the right medium and getting proper contacts is key.
Perhaps you'd prefer to hire a professional to get the job done. There are some excellent professionals doing freelance PR work for teams and specialize in karting. Among those are Marc Miller with MM Promotions at mmpromotions@earthlink.net, Russ Bond with Russ Bond Agency at r.bond@russbondagency.com or you can visit his web site at http://www.russbondagency.com/ and another great source is
Autosports Media in Ontario, Canada at (416) 678-4939 or via e-mail at
autosportsmedia@earthlink.net
Each of these recommendations are professionals in the business and have built up good reputations with the media and often get results. There are also several recommendations of companies in New Zealand and Australia.
How to Write a News Release
The Five W’s
Journalism is different from writing a long story or novel that drags things out in a suspenseful manner. The objective in journalism is to capture the audience’s attention as soon as possible and to get all the key information within the first paragraph or two. This way, a reader can quickly determine if it’s of interest to them. The “Five W’s” is a journalism 101 term that stands for who, what, where, when and why. After this is established, the story can build from there in an order of the most important aspects that are based on their importance to an editor from their journalism experience.
Event News Releases
Things considered important for an editor to know in a before or after event news release from a race promoter include the following. Please note, I’ve tried to list these in relation to their importance to an editor in an order from most to least important. Name of the organization sanctioning the event, when and where it’s held, size and stature of event (national, regional or club), number of or quality of participants, out come – who won, race highlights, top drivers or other celebrities on hand, track description, television coverage, and previous accomplishments of key drivers and their ages. It’s also very helpful to throw in a brief start-to- finish race day schedule, classes, spectator fees, track specifics, race director background and more. Much of the information some people may think is insignificant are basics that need to go in every story. Remember, not everyone knows everything about karting, especially the general media.
Remember to quickly state the “five W’s” in the first paragraph and then develop the details from there. That seems like a lot of info, doesn’t it? Try doing this and then limiting the news to two pages in length. Sometimes, it’s just impossible and much of this need would be determined by who the news is intended for. It’s difficult to teach what I learned in three years of journalism study and in a working environment; however, I hope this at least helps you to get the jest. It’s also helpful, if you’re not sure about adding in certain info, to also include a separate fact sheet identifying the answers to these questions. This way, just incase the editor wants to know, they have it at their finger tips and their time isn’t bogged down, trying to find it out.
Driver or Team News Releases
If a driver or team were submitting a news release, here are some of the things that should be included in their news release. Drivers and team name, age of drivers, length in and nature of business, hometown or business location, grade or occupation, class and event the competition took place in, overall accomplishments, chassis and engine package, tuner or team owner, where they raced, size of track, how they finished, how many drivers they raced against, info about family or other people associated with them and details relating to the primary purpose of the news release. For example, a brief recap of what it took to accomplish what was done. If the news release is submitted to the general media, add in (early on) a brief explanation about karting to quickly set the record straight that karts aren’t toys, they are real racing vehicles.
Product News Releases
This type of news release is among the hardest to get picked up. Why? Because you are attempting to sell something that will serve as a direct benefit to your income. Also because most mediums rely on advertising to keep their news section in business. The hurdles are steep to overcome this stigma and it requires a special talent to make the news section with things of this nature. Remember, news is very different from advertising. Try re-structuring your focus and avoid telling all about how wonderful you think your product is. Stay in-tune and provide an interest from a technical nature for educational purposes and write so it will show how your products differ from other similar offerings.
Some news releases I receive in this area reek of advertising and are not used because it would take too much time re-working it for someone’s personal profit potential. Submitting news bragging about how your product just kicked everyone else at the last race is a tacky way of attempting news and often hits the trash can. Again, it takes tact and skill and the best approach is from a factual and informative nature versus a direct sales approach. The demand for technical articles is great within the racing community. Taking the time to supply editors with news more suited to a technical nature will win out most of the time and help to gain credibility and exposure.
In addition, building a relationship of trust from an editor regarding your knowledge of and credibility in specific technical areas can win you the hearts of many editors. Tech info that provides an education can go a very long way, isn’t perceived as a direct sale and the extra time it takes will save on your overall advertising dollar.
One last caution from advertisers seeking out free publicity; it’s not a good idea to ever try to put pressure or pull some weight on a news editor to publish your news release because you are an advertiser with the medium. For credible news sources, the two are and should be kept independent of each other. Advertisers are important but respect and trust to a news department is essential. Think of it this way, the news section of a medium is often the primary nature of what brings readers to the source for news. Readers are smart, if they interpret distrust in the news they read or feel it’s not factual or is intended as a direct advertisement, the reader goes elsewhere and the advertiser loses this audience. Integrity goes a long way for news divisions. At EKN, we like to provide news as well as assist businesses get the word out; however, we reserve the right to choose what we publish in order to maintain professionalism. News that is submitted that leans more toward direct sales will not likely make it; however, if it’s worded with a value to the readers, it could be used but tagged as a news release so the readers will know the source of the supplier.
Journalism Tips to Keep in Mind
Listed below are some tips to help your news releases stand out in professionalism.
● Use sources if a statement is questionable. For example, don’t say Joe Fast was over a second faster in practice than Joe Slow. This would leave an editor to question if it’s true or not and needs some sort of source, i.e., add in facts such as, “according to official timing and scoring records or include it as a quote and attribute to someone who said it in quote form. The person stating it can take the blame if Joe Slow doesn’t agree with Joe Fast instead of the editor for being accused of incorrect facts. Be sure also to credit a source for who actually said it.
● Use full names only once, from there you use only the last name and refrain from using Mr. Smith or Ms. Smith. In a case where there are two of the same last names in a story, for example, Joe and Ron White, you would utilize both their full names and then either continue using the full name or switch to a first name basis after the initial introduction. Some publications are less formal and it often depends on the nature and formality of the story. By following the full-name, then last name only format, you’re following Associated Press (AP) standard and this is suited for the majority of news media. If they wish to change, they will do so.
● Many news releases that come in are written in a form directly talking to the reader using words such as “We are happy to announce” or “Our event will make history” as unquoted statements. Remember you are writing a news story and a news source wouldn’t state things in this manner. Instead, the writer should say XYZ officials feel the event will make history, or XYZ has announced. The closer your news release is to perfection, the more likely it is to get picked up by editors outside of karting.
Helpful Resources for Writing
The AP Stylebook:
This is a staple on every journalist’s desk. The style recommended by the Associated Press is industry standard for the majority of publications and if you follow this style, you’ll stand out as a professional and it increases your chances for publication. It’s relatively inexpensive and can be ordered on line, at college book stories and in many larger general book stores. Here’s a link for direct online ordering: http://www.apbookstore.com/
Dr. Randall Hansen's Guide to Writing Successful Press Releases
http://www.stetson.edu/~rhansen/prguide.html
Web Design Wisdom
http://www.webdesignwisdom.com/marketing/pr.shtml
The Format Standards to Include in Every Release
The format standards you should include in every news release is identifying the release date, the dateline (what city the news is based from), contact info for the person who can answer questions about the release, the lead, the body of the story and a brief synopsis of the company or subject of the story.
Although many mediums use different software programs, the majority can read MS Word documents. Many professionals will attached the news release to an email message and also paste it into the text message portion of their e-mail. Be sure to never paste photos into your news release text and keep them as a separate attachment and preferably with the news release e-mail so it stays together and doesn’t get lost.
Listed below is the format standard used by many professionals in graphic form.
 | | The proper layout for a news release |
Common Mistakes to Watch Out For
Striving for perfection and professionalism in a news release should be considered as important as double checking your wheel nuts and securing your header for a race. Here’s a list of common mistakes to watch out for.
● Its and It’s: Know the difference between its and it’s - What throws many people into this common error is that numerous programs with spell and grammar check always highlight either of the words and offer the alternative as a change substitution. Know and trust your own spelling and don’t always conclude the correct suggestion is the right one.
● Watch out for similar words: Here are a few other words that won’t pop up in spell check and could be grammatically wrong – loose versus lose, past versus passed, then versus than, lead versus led, there versus their or they’re, accept versus except. The list goes on and on so use care.
● Using quotes: Always use quotation marks before and after stating a specific comment someone has made. Add a comma prior to the start of a quote and also on the inside of the closing quotation mark. Punctuation always goes inside the quotation mark. Mistakes like this show the difference between amateurs and professionals and we know you want to be as professional as possible, right?
● Proper Tense: There may be some argument with proper tense (passage of time) here because some media is more lax than others, but I was taught to be careful of proper tense. For example, if it’s already happened, you should use, “he said” instead of “he says.”
● Capitalization: Just because it’s near and dear to you doesn’t give it the right to have a capital letter. Only proper names get that right and they don’t include karting, championship, champion shifter, national, final or heat unless it's part of a proper name or title. There’s many more; just think on it and remember it has to be a proper name or title. Also, don’t capitalize things you want to emphasize or stand out unless it’s a proper name, such as SPEED Channel and designed to be that way as part of their proper name.
● Spelling Names: Double check the proper spelling of names. An editor needs to trust their sources often in the name department and there’s no better way to get on their bad side if you continually supply them with misspelled names or incorrect facts. If publishing your news releases becomes an after the print correction hassle, any future news releases will often go in the trash.
Helpful Resources for Grammar and Spelling
If you are unsure about spelling or grammar, here are some helpful links to that will help you quickly determine the right way. Create a “Word Help” folder in your web favorites and add these pages – you’ll use them over and over:
AskOxford: http://www.askoxford.com This is a great source for many needs and questions
Thesaurus.com- http://thesaurus.reference.com/help/about.html - This is a quick dictionary and thesaurus look up to check spelling even if you’re not close in the order of letters and can’t find it in the dictionary or your spell check. The thesaurus is a big help as well to avoid using the same words over and over again.
Adding Photographs
 | | John Kindhart |
Sending a photograph or two will also increase your chances to make print. Warning, don’t post photographs in the text of your news release and don’t send a whole photo gallery in poster size shots; limit your selection to one or two shots and select shots that are related to the primary jest of the story. Send professional looking shots, not home grown or those taken at your local Olan Mills studio.
It's wise to invest in a few shots from a professional photographer and check with the photographer to make sure they are copyright free and can be used for this purpose. I recommend both one action and a head shot. There have been several news releases I’ve received that would have made our top national spot, but I had no photograph to use with the story and a photo is required in order to make our top spot. In addition, it helps the editor visually see the difference between a rental cart and a race kart. Within this section are examples of good shots for action and of a driver's head shot.
If you are mailing you news releases, include a 5 X 7 or 8 X 10 color photo. The standard used to be in black and white only but nowadays, color is acceptable. If you are sending your news release via email, attach a photo in a smaller size in a low resolution. Poster size large files are frowned upon because it clogs up the mailbox of an editor and takes a long time to bring in. For Web use, sizing landscape photos to 600 pixels in width or portrait orientations at 400 is typically sufficient. Indicate at the bottom of a news release that hi-resolution photos are available upon request. The editor will let you know their needs if they are interested in the release. Send all photos as a jpg file attachment with email submissions.
 | | Awesome shot of Chris Glover in ICA taken by Mark LaCour. This shot focuses on the subject and provides a bit of background action |
Karting Photography Sources
Action Enterprises, Inc. – Bruce Walls
Primarily shoots in East region at WKA events
Web Site: http://www.printroom.com/pro/actionracephotos
E-mail: bwalls@fast.net
Jayne Kamin-Oncea
Primary travel in So-Cal area regionals, club events and some nationals within the region
E-Mail – fastjayne@msn.com
MLP Imaging – Mark LaCour
Primary travel to major national events, tailors to industry and clients
Web Site: http://www.photoreflect.com
E-Mail: mark@mlpimaging.com
On-the-Edge-Photos – Todd Bloomer
Primary travel in So-Cal area.
Web Site – http://www.ontheedgephotos.com
E-Mail – todd@ontheedgephotos.com
Racepixs – Bill Kistler
Primary travel to many national events
Web Site – http://www.racepixs.com
E-mail – bkistler@racepixs.com
ShiftSport Imagery – Jeff Deskins
Primary travel to major national shifter kart events, tailors to industry and clients
Web Site – http://www.shiftsport.com
E-mail – jdeskins@shiftsport.com
state of ART - Ken Johnson
Primary travel to southern regionals, sometimes to national events, tailors to industry clients and focuses on web design
Web Site: http://www.soa-design.com
E-Mail: soa.design@verizon.net
There are also many more professional and amateur photographers shooting in regional and local competition areas. Ask your local club for recommendations.
Developing Your Contacts/Send List
Keep in mind that a news release is called a news release for a reason. The intent should be for news publications and news oriented web sites only, not for all your friends, family and customers to see. When I see incoming material titled, “News Release” but see a distribution list to all of my competition, God and all of his friends, it’s a turn off. An editor may think why they should even bother to run the news because the sender has already hit on everyone they know? If you want to communicate with your friends, family and dealers about what you are doing, this should be a separate endeavor all together and it shouldn’t be called a “News or Press Release.” Personal communications are called a Newsletter. It’s best to start with the media and if it gets published, you can direct your friends, family and dealers to the wonderful “News Story” written about your company – this is way more credible.
Seek out a good contact list to submit your news to. Think about who might be interested in your story. Karting is an interesting sport and the audience can be wide spread so don’t limit your contact list to just karting or racing publications. Local newspapers, especially if you live in a small town, are always interested in unique stories about those in the community. Carry that even further and venture out to other specialty publications.
For example, target your occupation. Perhaps you make a livelihood as a machinist or a web designer or a computer specialist for a large company. In-house trade publications always seek interesting stories about employees or people in the trade. There’s a need for unique stories about what people do during their off time. Another example, think about what do you drive in everyday life? The company who manufacturers my car has a quarterly magazine that it sends out to all its dealers and car owners. Develop a specially written story just for them. Envision the headline, CLK-55 Owner is a Weekend Racing Warrior There’s also many publications focused on kids such as Highlights, Sports Illustrated for Kids and many more in print and web formats. There are neighborhood newsletters, school papers and so much more. All of this type of publicity adds up and shows potential sponsors you are professional and can help them gain exposure and ultimately, new customers for an ROI on their investment with you.
Whether it’s a specialty publication, a newspaper, television station or radio, how do you find out whom to send your release to? Developing an accurate and personalized contact list is important in increasing your chances for publicity. There are numerous resources out there on the Internet and in print at your local library. Many of these source books are for purchase because they are updated several times a year and the good ones are expensive. It’s probably best to make a trip to the library and borrow theirs. Ask a librarian to assist you in finding the right source. This info can also be located within the actual publication. Also, if you have a telephone number, don’t be afraid to call and ask who the contact is and it’s wise to continually update as personnel changes often in the industry. Lastly, try to personalize your contact info as much as possible. Generic “Dear All” headings are a turn off to editors – they want unique info for their news and material specifically geared exclusively for them is impressive.
The contact person you are looking for is either the managing editor or the news editor. In larger mediums, look for the news editor. You can go one step further and send it directly to the editor specifically for sports or lifestyle. It’s an editor’s job to review incoming material and assign it on to a journalist for a feature stories or in smaller papers, if it’s well-written, they’ll simply edit it and send it on to the copy room for prep for publication.
Contact Resources
ABYZ News Links: http://www.abyznewslinks.com/unite.htm
Gebbie Press: http://www.gebbieinc.com/
Where I see many promoters, kart shops and drivers missing the boat is that they often overlook the local media for attention. Sending in a good story that’s picked up can lead to many more spectators at an event, increased curiosity about the sport, increased sales to your sponsors and increased interest from the general public who may be interested in helping you to advance or could lead to a sale for your sponsor.
The PSA – Another Form of News Release for Radio
In addition, there are numerous opportunities for promoters in the form of a simple “PSA.” A PSA stands for public service announcement. It’s written a bit differently than a news release and often picked up and used by radio and TV stations, particularly if it offers their listeners a value and particularly if the club has a non-profit status. I’ve used PSA’s on several occasions when promoting a special event and 90 percent of the time, they get picked up by a radio station and I’ve always been blown away at the results in the spectator increases it produces. Be sure you prepare for this increase of spectators by increasing supply of pit passes and food in the concession stand or the outcome could be disastrous. Here’s a sample of how to write one. Note they are done is all upper case with double line spacing for the copy (slang for actual text), although it's not double spaced in the example below.
PSA FOR RELEASE SEPT. 6, 2003
NORTH TEXAS KARTERS – NON PROFIT CLUB
CONTACT JOE PRESIDENT AT (800) 555-1212
“FOR THOSE THRILL SEEKING RACE FANS, LOCAL RACING CLUB,
NORTH TEXAS KARTERS, IS HOSTING THE ROTAX GRAND NATIONALS
THIS WEEKEND IN DENTON. THIS EVENT WILL BRING SOME OF THE BEST KART RACING TALENT FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO CONTEST AT SPEEDS UP TO 80 MPH. THESE KARTS ARE AMAZING TO WATCH AND VERY MUCH UNLIKE THE RENTAL VARIETY. ACTION BEGINS AT 8 A.M. ON SATURDAY AND CONTINUES THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND. NTK IS LOCATED JUST NORTH OF DENTON OFF OF I-35 AT MILAM ROAD. CALL THE NTK HOTLINE FOR MORE INFORMATION AT (800) 555-1212 OR VISIT THEIR WEB SITE AT http://WWW.NTKARTERS.COM
Don’t Give Up – Sometimes You Make the News, Sometimes You Don’t
As mentioned as a tip earlier in this story, it’s not a good idea to bash an editor for not using your news release or a writer if you didn’t like the story. Always follow up with a thank you if it’s picked up and it’s recommended by many professionals that you don’t call the editor to see why they didn’t use it. Remember, it’s not an obligation for them to publish and it’s important to keep a good rapport. With EKN, I’m a bit more lax but I personally don’t appreciate being criticized, put on the spot or having my judgment challenged.
There have been times I’ve submitted news releases and for every 10 contacts I send one to, I’ll get at least one response to an article. Also, there have been times just when I think it didn’t develop into anything, I’ll get a call requesting an interview. Sometimes, the release gets picked up directly, other times it leads to a feature story written by a staff member of the medium.
If you do get a feature story, make every effort to accommodate the journalist and be prepared with additional material about karting, fact sheets on yourself or team so they can get the facts correct and a list of contacts they can call to obtain additional quotes to use in their story. Sometimes, I’ve had features that were beautifully written and other times, the journalist just missed the story due to inexperience.
There are numerous reasons that a particular news release wasn’t picked up and some of which are included below. Keep all of these in mind and keep trying.
● Timing: Sometimes, the timing is wrong. There’s been an over-saturation of news on this subject and it’s history, move on.
●Quality of News: Perhaps the release you send needs a great deal of work to make it presentable and the editor doesn’t have the time to work it into a presentable story.
●Demands on Editor: Sometimes a news desk can get extremely busy with hot stories of a more current nature. If your news isn’t close to perfection and will require additional work that an editor just doesn’t have at the time, it will be put to the side and your potential to make print is diminished.
● Smells too much line an advertisement:Perhaps it sounds like a sales pitch for direct profit potential. If it sounds like an advertisement, more than likely, it will be dropped. Remember, develop good stories that are a benefit and interest to the masses. Just because it’s important to you, doesn’t mean it will be interesting to all as a story.
● Lacking in Facts: The more complete your story is, the better your chances. If you’ve submitted bits and pieces in an un-constructed format and expect an editor to develop a feature story based on this info, it gets shuffled to the far side of the editor’s desk and eventually falls off.
● Suits the Medium’s Focus: Perhaps the news you submitted just doesn’t suit the focus for a particular medium. For example, if a medium’s primary focus is on Fords, they aren’t interested in a story on Chevrolet and visa versa. The focus just isn’t right for them so don’t take it personally.
● Don’t Be an Editor’s Headache: Don’t be a headache lurking to explode in an editor’s head. People who continually ask if it’s going to be used or continually send in corrections to their story start to annoy an editor.
As a final note of advice, don’t take it personally if your news isn’t picked up and keep trying. It’s important to realize that not all news sources are alike. While some have budgets for writers and prefer to develop their own stories, others don’t. There’s a big difference between Good House Keeping and Cosmopolitan magazine or the Washington Post and the National Inquirer. Remember, professional mediums don’t have an obligation to use your news nor do they consider their business as a public bulletin board located inside a laundry mat where anything goes. Lastly, remember that good public relations skills go a long way. If you’re ever at an event where the media is present, go up and introduce yourself. Journalists are people too and a friendly and courteous simple introduction can go a long way.
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