Press Releases

Press release template

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HEADLINE (ALWAYS BOLD AND IN ALL CAPS)
SAMPLE: [NAME OF COMPANY] ANNOUNCES NEW WIRELESS APPLICATION FOR EBAY USERS [STATE WHAT IT DOES]

Subhead (In Italics, First Letter of Each Word in Capital Letters)
Sample: [NAME OF COMPANY] Application Enables eBay Users to Bid on Items Via Wireless Devices

City, State, Month, Date, Year – Lead Paragraph Here. The lead paragraph should tell the reader in four or five lines the basic details of why this is news.

Paragraph 2: Should provide additional details about the announcement and why it is newsworthy.

Paragraph 3: Possible quote from your company’s spokesperson relating to the work done, the application developed, problems that were solved, etc.

Paragraph 4: Summary paragraph, additional details or less important product specs to go here.

Paragraph 5: Your Company Boilerplate
###
Media Contact:
Your Name
Your Company
Email Address
Phone Number

Approved language about the eBay Developers Program

• The eBay Developers Program enables third-party developers to create innovative solutions.
• The eBay Developers Program provides an open and easy-to-use development platform.
• Developers have access to eBay's platform to develop a wide variety of innovative solutions to meet the diverse needs of buyers and sellers on eBay.
• Through the eBay Developers Program, members are developing tools that will help make it faster and easier for users to trade within the eBay marketplace.
• For more information about the eBay Developers Program, please visit http://developer.ebay.com.
• eBay does not allow the use of the word "auction" or "auctions" to describe its site. The proper words that can be used are "marketplace" or "listings."

How to distribute your announcement over a news wire

Journalists will not respond to announcements that are not newsworthy. Be sure, prior to distributing the release, that your announcement is newsworthy, timely, and relevant to issues facing your customers today. While you can fax or email your release to a reporter to request their coverage of your story, there are also several services that you may use to distribute your release to journalists and the investment community. Cost and reach varies, and typically you will work with an account manager to determine which wire circuit provides the most effective distribution for your announcement. Some of the main wire services* are:

• BusinessWire
  1-800-227-9845
  BusinessWire offers a variety of options for a release ranging from local or specialty circuit distribution to global distribution.
• PR NewsWire
  1-888-776-0942
  Very similar to BusinessWire, PR Newswire offers a variety of options for releases.
• MarketWire
  1-800-774-9473
  MarketWire is used with less frequency, but does boast cheaper prices.

* eBay provides this information purely for reference and does not guarantee the pricing or services of any of the wire services.

Top 10 tips for connecting with the media

1. Make sure your announcement relates to an industry issue. It is essential that you link your news with an industry issue and clearly link your new product or service to a business benefit. A new software application must address a problem that customers of that application are hoping to solve. This puts your product in a business context and therefore gives it a far greater chance of being picked up by the media.
2. Writing a compelling announcement. Writing good releases takes time. You should follow the style guide that most journalists prefer -- the Associated Press style (the AP Style Guide is available at many bookstores or you can visit APStylebook.com), and your release should convey the news and business benefits clearly. If you’re not quite sure of the best story angle to work on, try calling a journalist or analyst with whom you have a good relationship and ask how he or she might like to run it. This way you’ll know whether it is a worth-while exercise.
3. Also, as with the core pitch (see #4), the first sentence and paragraph are key to capturing the audience’s attention. Many journalists will only read the first paragraph of your release, so it is important to communicate the most important message(s) within the first few sentences.
4. Develop a core pitch. Now you need to develop a core pitch letter and speaking points that outline your key message points. Multiple emails to a reporter are not always effective. Most reporters are extremely busy and receive hundreds of emails a day. Frequently, calling a journalist and making a succinct verbal pitch will be more effective. If you are sending email, work hard on the subject line and the first sentence – that could make or break your chances of even being considered.
5. Tailor the pitch to each publication. Keep in mind that there are many different styles and types of publications. Some will be more tech-centric and others will be more interested in the business applications of what you are pitching. For key publications, be sure to have a prepared spokesperson available. Many publications will want to speak with customers, industry analysts or other third parties, so be sure to have customer and analysts references and customer spokespeople prepared and available.
6. Tailor your distribution. First, build a targeted media list of the publications that may have an interest in what you’re pitching, and then determine which journalists you should be talking to at those publications. Never send out a group email and do not send unsolicited attachments. Know the reporter and the publication before picking up the phone or sending email. If you are educated on the articles that a particular journalist has written as well as their beat, you will have greater success in placing a story. Keep close track of your history in pitching each writer so it can help you better understand what he or she is looking for in a story.
7. When to follow up. Always know how and when a reporter wants to be contacted. Some reporters want phone calls, others prefer email. In the case of breaking news, some reporters even recommend that you call them on their mobile phone if they can’t be reached at their desk. Contacting reporters inappropriately or at the wrong time – such as on deadline – can lead to damaged relationships. Journalists receive hundreds of email releases a week. Try to only follow up via phone if you feel you can add to what you have already sent them via email.
8. Ask for recommendations. Journalists typically cover specific beats, such as software, Web services, telecommunications or wireless. If a journalist indicates that your story is not appropriate for his/her beat, ask if there is another journalist at the publication for whom it may be more relevant. Again, details such as beat or coverage specialty should be logged in the notes section of your media database.
9. Creativity is key. If you believe you have an interesting and unique story, try being creative in how you pitch it. For example, you must provide solid examples of how it is different that what is already available in this space. Think of new and interesting ways to get the product in the journalists’ hands – schedule a demo or send them a product to test out.
10. Photos, screen shots, case studies and more. If you do set up an interview, be sure to offer reporters the additional elements they would need to round out their story – photos, customer references, analyst references and additional sources, if necessary. You should have all of these elements on hand, so be prepared. This can ensure that they have all the elements to write a compelling story.
11. Confidence. At the end of the day you are trying to "sell" something, so be sure that you believe in what you have to offer and have a positive attitude when pitching – this applies equally to a phone or an email pitch. Deliver your pitch with confidence!

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