E-mail Press Releases
Six DO's and DON'Ts
As the number of editors and reporters willing to accept releases
by e-mail grows, so does the importance of knowing the do's and
don'ts of electronic submissions. Here are six tips to help ensure
that your e-mailed release gets the attention it deserves:
DON'T send a release as an attachment. Paste
it directly into the body of an e-mail. With the rash of computer
viruses out there, most journalists automatically delete unsolicited
attachments without ever opening them. (You should too.)
DO send releases as plain text e-mail rather than
as HTML. And don't format the text. Not all e-mail
programs can read HTML and formatting varies from program to
program. Therefore, what your release looks like to you may be
entirely different than the way it appears to the person receiving
it.
In addition, one of the advantages of e-mail releases is that
journalists can quickly cut, paste and format plain text to make
it conform to their own style requirements. So even if their
e-mail program does interpret your formatting correctly, they'll
probably have to change it anyway. Save them that extra step.
DON'T forget
to include your website address. If your news sparks
interest, reporters are likely to visit your site to learn more
about your institution before writing about it. Make it easy
for them to find.
DO make the subject line intriguing.
If you want your e-mail to be opened, pique the recipient's interest
with something more descriptive than Press Release. Think of
the subject line as a five- or six-word headline.
DO double check the To: field before pressing send.
If you're mailing to multiple addresses, make certain you've
used the blind copy (bcc) function of your e-mail program. No
journalist wants his or her e-mail address free-floating through
cyberspace on a To: list visible to all recipients.
Besides, reporters and editors have egos just like the rest
of us. While they don't expect to be the only one receiving your
release, they'd rather not know for sure that they're only one
of fifty!
DO time the arrival of your release.
Resist the urge to send releases early in the morning when journalists'
mailboxes are already loaded with other e-mails competing for
their attention. Instead, e-mail your releases at off times when
they have the best chance of being read. Mid to late afternoon
is a good time to send them; they'll land in reporters' inboxes
after the daily deadline crunch is over.
Copyright © 2002 Katherine Khalife www.MuseumMarketingTips.com
All rights reserved.
For reprint permission, please e-mail info@museummarketingtips.com
Katherine Khalife is a writer and consultant specializing in
museum and Internet marketing, customer service and heritage
cultural tourism. See the Services
section for information about her workshops and other services
or e-mail her at kkhalife@museummarketingtips.com
