Top 7 Reasons Why Engineers Bungle News Releases
1. Writing in “engineering speak” and at too high a technical level when the personnel at publications and websites who actually critique and select news for publication do not always have technical degrees. This does not imply that journalists are not competent, it points out that engineers should be sensitive to their audience and respectful of their requirements for clarity and brevity. Always include a human editorial contact as a service to editors should they need more information. Remember the key to creating a successful product release is to prepare your materials from the perspective that you are trying to serve the media by contributing content. Yes, the result will be “free” publicity. But, don’t take the approach that you want something for nothing. Adopt the mindset of a giver, not a taker, and you will get much better results.
2. Including too much information. Designing a product requires limits and a clear sense of space requirements. A press release is similar. You must restrict your presentation to about 200 words. Further, keep in focus that a product release is about a product: what it is, what it does, how it does it, where you get it, and what it costs. It is not appropriate to put quotations from the president or another person in a product release. Product application stories, however, are different because the benefits from the use of your product are often qualified by a statement from the actual customer.
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© Copyright 2010- Steven M. Stroum
