Final Recommendations

Quick reference

• 00:05 Well done, we've reached the end of the course now, but before you go there's
• 00:09 a couple of things that we'd like to discuss as final considerations.
• 00:12 Obviously, what you've learned in this course is going to enable you to deliver
• 00:17 immense value for your company and attract lots of free praise for them.
• 00:22 I also believe that, going forward wherever you take you career for
• 00:26 which ever company your going to work,
• 00:28 this will remain a valuable skill that you can offer.
• 00:34 The question would often come up, should I really write a press release?
• 00:38 So first of all if you're new to writing it and
• 00:41 you're not sure whether you should write one or not,
• 00:43 there's couple of questions that you can ask yourself that will make it easy.
• 00:47 Firstly, is my story really new?
• 00:50 Is my story unusual or unexpected in any way?
• 00:55 And then, is my news going to be of interest to anyone
• 00:58 that's outside my business?
• 01:00 Will anyone care about the news if they find it?
• 01:04 And I can honestly say that, if you answered yes to two or
• 01:08 more of these questions, then perhaps you shouldn't write a press release.
• 01:13 An article, tweet or a Facebook update might then be a little bit more suitable.
• 01:20 If you ask the question, should I only contact the Trade Press?
• 01:24 Let's look at this.
• 01:25 Throughout the course,
• 01:27 out states the importance of contacting industry related journalist and editors.
• 01:32 Because they gonna be more likely and more interested in your release.
• 01:37 So these are what we call the Trade Press.
• 01:41 However, depending on your news, there are other options that you
• 01:45 should consider as well, because we want to get a wide coverage if we can.
• 01:50 Thus, the pace of news affects the community where a company is based.
• 01:54 For example, if you are relocating you can also contact the Local Press and
• 01:59 then you could say, well how could the news be significant to
• 02:05 people at regional or a national level.
• 02:07 For example,
• 02:08 your company is expanding and it's opening a new office in a different city.
• 02:12 So in this case you should also be reaching out to the national press and
• 02:17 then, we could ask is the content of the release relevant to the public at large.
• 02:22 For example, if it's about the launch of a new painkiller.
• 02:26 In this case, your case can be covered by consumer press not
• 02:30 only by publications that is relevant to medical professionals.
• 02:35 Finally, you should also send a press release to any shareholders or
• 02:40 any other stakeholders such as suppliers and workers in your company.
• 02:44 Because that will keep them in the loop.
• 02:47 We can also look at our style and ask the question is it a match or
• 02:51 is it a mismatch?
• 02:51 So here, I want to really give you the heads up about,
• 02:55 one of the most common mistakes that many beginners can make.
• 02:59 And that is, they're using the same style for the body and
• 03:03 the quotes of the press release.
• 03:05 While the body of the release should be concise and factual in style.
• 03:10 The chosen quotes should follow an interpretative style.
• 03:14 So, quotes should not provide information but rather insight into the topic and
• 03:19 that's usually gonna be from somebody that is high up in the business,
• 03:24 perhaps, your CEO or somebody else is the executive.
• 03:29 Lastly, don't forget the aim of the press release.
• 03:32 It's important to bear in mind what is my specific aim.
• 03:36 The media representatives and the public alike,
• 03:39 they should be left feeling hungry for more news when they've been reading it.
• 03:44 So this can only be achieved, if you deliver a well thought out and
• 03:48 a superbly written press release which will drive traffic also to your website.
• 03:53 And trigger some further interviews for people who want to learn more.
• 03:57 I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors and thank you for
• 04:00 doing the course with us.

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