Rule 1 of press release writing has always been "Make sure there's news in your release." Many companies churn out releases detailing department reorganizations, hirings/firings, and other process changes which, while very important to the people within the organization, might not be of any interest to the public in the judgment of the editors receiving the releases.
Rule 2 has always been "Have a hook." A snappy headline that promises a unique angle can turn a minor event into an editorial story, generating the kind of positive publicity no marketing department can match. Since editors may get hundreds of press releases every day, the hook is what gets a reporter assigned to your particular piece of news.
These statutes are great for the traditional print world, but the Web has forced a change in the rules by changing the role of the press release.
It's the dream of every PR department to get their release published verbatim, but it takes an incredibly lazy print editor to actually do this. On a company's website, however, press releases can be published directly. This removes the need to target specific releases to specific magazines, since the writing becomes passive and readers come to you.
The downsides: potentially less attention per release and an inability to to ensure targeted content to a specific reader set. The only people who will see your releases are people who actually visit the page on which they are posted, and those people can come from anywhere, not just from the demographic served by a particular magazine or trade publication.
So how do you write an effective press release within these parameters?
Well, unless you're still doing the proactive thing and sending out your press releases to targeted publications, you take the hit in visibility that comes with keeping your stuff on your own site. The advantage you gain is that anyone reading your press releases on your site is there for a reason; they're already interested in what your company is doing. With luck, they're interested enough to spread your release around through blogs and message boards, giving your message the kind of credible word-of-mouth exposure that makes marketers salivate.
Oh, by 'with luck,' I mean 'by maximizing your chances by applying smart technique to your press release writing.' Let's look at an example from the good folks at Eastman Kodak:
Kodak Helps Napa Valley Wineries Fight Wine Fraud
Colgin Cellars, HL Vineyards, Vineyard 29 and Staglin Family Vineyard protect brands and customers with KODAK anticounterfeiting technology
Rochester, NY, June 1 -- Eager to address the growing threat posed by producers of imitation wines, several of Napa Valley’s most prestigious wineries have moved to employ a new high tech anticounterfeiting technology from Kodak to protect their brands and customers. The KODAK Security Solution provides confidence and assurance to Colgin Cellars, HL Vineyards, Vineyard 29 and Staglin Family Vineyard by allowing easy authentication of their products.
According to industry experts, counterfeit wine could affect as much as 5 percent of wines sold in secondary markets.
“Wine fraud is a rising problem that threatens to seriously damage the premium wine industry,” said Steve Powell, General Manager & Director, Security Solutions, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group. “These industry leaders are taking proactive steps to address the problem now. Kodak’s proprietary anticounterfeiting technology gives users a covert, easy to implement, cost effective, and long lasting solution for defending their products and reputations.”
Ann Colgin, owner of Colgin Cellars, immediately recognized the value that Kodak’s solution could deliver in protecting her super premium vintages, which sell at auction for hundreds of dollars a bottle.
“While Colgin Cellars has not experienced any problems with counterfeit wine, the issue has concerned me for some time. As a vintner and an auctioneer, I felt it was necessary to take a stand and ensure my customers a guarantee of authenticity.” said Colgin. “Kodak worked closely with me to quickly develop and implement a solution that met my demanding production schedule. Within 45 days, Kodak evaluated solution options, conducted a pilot test, delivered a proposal, and implemented a solution that protects Colgin Cellars products.”
The time is right for protecting premium wines said Shari Staglin of Staglin Family Vineyard.
“Our wines are enjoyed by customers around the world. The recent recognition by the EEU of the Napa Valley name and brand makes it even more important we offer our customers the protection afforded by the KODAK solution to ensure the integrity of the Staglin Family Vineyard brand and label,” explained Staglin.
The KODAK anticounterfeiting technology uses invisible markers that can be added to printing inks, paper and other packaging elements, and are detectable only with proprietary handheld readers. The readers are leased to customers and delivered in tamperproof packaging. The system prevents counterfeiters from duplicating product packaging.
“This system enables us to quickly and easily determine if a suspect bottle is authentic or fake,” said Jennifer Lamb, Owner, HL Vineyards. “Our passion for winemaking and our vineyard is driving us to vigorously address the issue of wine fraud. The KODAK solution fits our needs because it’s simple yet robust. We’re excited to be one of the first in our industry to use it and we hope others will employ similar protections.”
For winemakers with unique bottling methods, the KODAK solution can be adapted to fit their product specifications. Chuck McMinn, Owner, Vineyard 29, appreciates the technology’s flexibility.
“At Vineyard 29, our label information is silk screened directly on the bottle,” explained McMinn. “Kodak was quick to adapt their technology to our specific needs. Our anticounterfeiting solution does not interfere with the process we use to bottle our wines—it only enhances the product by ensuring the authenticity of our wines to our customers.”
KODAK Security Solutions include a growing portfolio of security features that can be incorporated into a vast range of products, materials and documents to deliver unparalleled protection against counterfeiting and diversion. Kodak is already working with customers in a wide range of other industries affected by counterfeiting, including pharmaceuticals, apparel, cosmetics and identification documents. For more information about KODAK Security Solutions visithttp://www.kodak.com/go/security.
Kodak will exhibit its security solutions at VinExpo in Bordeaux, France, June 17-21 in booth 5H in “Marketers by VinExpo”.
About Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak is the world’s foremost imaging innovator. With sales of $10.7 billion in 2006, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on helping people better use meaningful images and information in their life and work. Consumers use Kodak’s system of digital and traditional products and services to take, print and share their pictures anytime, anywhere; Businesses effectively communicate with customers worldwide using KODAK solutions for prepress, conventional and digital printing and document imaging; and Creative Professionals rely on KODAK technology to uniquely tell their story through moving or still images.
More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at http://www.kodak.com
For more information about Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group, visit http://www.graphics.kodak.com. For downloading photos from Kodak’s image library, visit: http://www.kodak.com/go/gcg_images.
(Kodak is a trademark of Eastman Kodak Company.)
2007
Here's a cool story involving intrigue, international crime, and high-tech sleuthing. It could be a blockbuster movie, or at least a good beach book, but the release is drier than the chardonnays Kodak is protecting. Let's throw down a rewrite:
Kodak slams the door on Napa Valley wine fraud
Rochester, NY, June 1 -- Wine fraud has a new enemy. Anticounterfeiting technology from Kodak is fighting this growing crime in some of the Napa Valley's most prestigious wineries.
According to industry experts, counterfeit wine could affect as much as 5 percent of wines sold in secondary markets, but the Kodak Security Solution is now assuring authenticity at Colgin Cellars, HL Vineyards, Vineyard 29 and Staglin Family Vineyard, protecting customers and brand integrity by allowing easy authentication of the wines they produce.
Ann Colgin, owner of Colgin Cellars, immediately recognized the value that Kodak’s solution could deliver in protecting her super premium vintages, which sell at auction for hundreds of dollars a bottle.
“While Colgin Cellars has not experienced any problems with counterfeit wine, the issue has concerned me for some time. As a vintner and an auctioneer, I felt it was necessary to take a stand and ensure my customers a guarantee of authenticity.” said Colgin. “Kodak worked closely with me to quickly develop and implement a solution that met my demanding production schedule. Within 45 days, Kodak evaluated solution options, conducted a pilot test, delivered a proposal, and implemented a solution that protects Colgin Cellars products.”
The time is right for protecting premium wines said Shari Staglin of Staglin Family Vineyard.
“Our wines are enjoyed by customers around the world. The recent recognition by the EEU of the Napa Valley name and brand makes it even more important we offer our customers the protection afforded by the KODAK solution to ensure the integrity of the Staglin Family Vineyard brand and label,” explained Staglin.
Using invisible markers in inks, paper and packaging elements, and detectable only by proprietary handheld readers, the Kodak system stops would-be counterfeiters in their tracks.
“This system enables us to quickly and easily determine if a suspect bottle is authentic or fake,” said Jennifer Lamb, Owner, HL Vineyards. “Our passion for winemaking and our vineyard is driving us to vigorously address the issue of wine fraud. The KODAK solution fits our needs because it’s simple yet robust. We’re excited to be one of the first in our industry to use it and we hope others will employ similar protections.”
For winemakers with unique bottling methods, the KODAK solution can be adapted to fit their product specifications. Chuck McMinn, Owner, Vineyard 29, appreciates the technology’s flexibility.
“At Vineyard 29, our label information is silk screened directly on the bottle,” explained McMinn. “Kodak was quick to adapt their technology to our specific needs. Our anticounterfeiting solution does not interfere with the process we use to bottle our wines—it only enhances the product by ensuring the authenticity of our wines to our customers.”
KODAK Security Solutions include a growing portfolio of security features that can be incorporated into a vast range of products, materials and documents to deliver unparalleled protection against counterfeiting and diversion. Kodak is already working with customers in a wide range of other industries affected by counterfeiting, including pharmaceuticals, apparel, cosmetics and identification documents. For more information about KODAK Security Solutions visithttp://www.kodak.com/go/security.
Kodak will exhibit its security solutions at VinExpo in Bordeaux, France, June 17-21 in booth 5H in “Marketers by VinExpo”.
About Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak is the world’s foremost imaging innovator. With sales of $10.7 billion in 2006, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on helping people better use meaningful images and information in their life and work. Consumers use Kodak’s system of digital and traditional products and services to take, print and share their pictures anytime, anywhere; Businesses effectively communicate with customers worldwide using Kodak solutions for prepress, conventional and digital printing and document imaging; and Creative Professionals rely on KODAK technology to uniquely tell their story through moving or still images.
More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at http://www.kodak.com
As you can see, most of the rewrite affects the headline, the lead, and the first informational paragraphs. This is a crime drama, and Kodak is the cop. Let's give it some snap!
Also, some items have been moved to restore the 'inverted pyramid' of information flow. The dry customer list was a stumbling block between the snappy headline and first paragraph.
I think the rewrite gives editors something to really sink their teeth into. "Wine fraud? That's a crime? Hey Johnson- do a story on wine counterfeiting and call the Kodak folks about it!"
Plus, we've now made a release that could be picked up by wine blogs, providing an outlet to new customers that a sales team might not reach. And it's all positive publicity, no spin.
