How to Write an Online Press Release

How to Write and Send An Online Press Release

Anyone who is involved in book publicity has experienced the dubious pleasure of sitting in front of the computer, usually late for a dinner date or a hair appointment that took two weeks to get, trying to come up with compelling book copy that doesn’t include the words ‘luminous,’ ‘ground-breaking,’ or ‘elegant.’

Unfortunately, I can’t help you with that. The online press release is still going to have to include some gripping and persuasive copy to sell that book. In fact, the online press release relies even more heavily on good language, since it doesn’t include big colored fonts, cover art or creatively inserted and offset quotes from reputable sources.

What I can help you with is how to address the particular requirements of the online press release. Though the press release sent to online media by email serves essentially the same purpose as the print press release mailed or faxed to print media, it does require some special treatment to be successful. Here are a few tips to make writing, formatting and sending your email news release go a little more smoothly, and get a great response for your book!

Writing the Release

· Subject line
The two most important things in an email news release are the address of the sender and the subject line of the email. This is because these are the only two pieces of information most people see in their email in-box. Make your subject line short (so that you can see the whole thing on a small computer screen) and to-the-point so it doesn’t get instantly deleted as ‘spam.’ I favor a simple subject line that states why I’m writing, such as "Review Copy of Jeremiah Johnson’s "The Great American Novel," for example.

· Return Address
Your sender name is changeable in the options part of your email program and should state clearly who you are. Once it’s set, you should use it consistently. For example, if you are from a big publisher, use the publisher name for credibility, or if you are well known yourself, use your full name. The online media will get to know you, and if you do send them information that is a fit for their audience or community, they will start to anticipate your emails with pleasure.

· Length
Your news release for email will generally be better received if it is short. Media people often will not scroll down more than once on an email, and if you haven’t gotten your message across in two screens, then you lose.

Four paragraphs is usually adequate:

one: explain clearly why you are writing
two: establish the credibility of the author(s)
three: outline [briefly!] the content of the book concentrating on the good stuff
four: ask for what you want (i.e. a review in their fabulous publication).

· Your Signature Line

When you send an e-mail press release, use the signature line that you set up in the email program. Set it off by a line of dashes or stars, and include your relevant contact info there - including the website of your publisher or book site, and your snail mail address. You don’t need to include your email address, because it’s part of the email, and if you use the signature line, remember that you don’t see it while you compose… so don’t sign your release with more than your name.

**************************
PR Diva
Public Relations Services
address
tel: xxx xxx
fax: xxx xxx
**************************

Formatting Your Press Release

Though we are moving steadily toward more cross platform-cooperation, there are still many differences in email programs, operating systems and word processing software. With this in mind, you want to craft your press release with as little extraneous information as possible. Remember that the media may get hundreds of emails per day, and they want to get the information they need from yours as quickly as possible.

ASCII text is the least formatted text available on your computer and is the least likely to cause any problems for anyone else’s computer. It has no options for nice looking fonts, colors, italics, large sizes, etc., but at least you’ll know what it looks like when your recipient opens it.

You can compose your email in any word processing program you like, but transfer it into ASCII text using a text editor like Notepad. Some email programs have an integrated text editor. If composing in text only, don’t forget to avoid hard returns except for paragraph breaks. This allows the email program of your recipient to make line breaks where they naturally fall. If you compose in a word processing document and transfer to a text editor, make sure you remove all the hard returns for the same reason.

Don’t be tempted to tart up your press release with HTML either. Many new email programs allow you to use all kinds of HTML while composing. But remember, not everyone else’s program will see your document the way you do. And don’t forget, those who are more email proficient may turn off the HTML option all together.

Sending Your Press Release

When you are ready to send your press release, there are a few details that can make or break your presentation. The first is your recipient list. When you send an email to one person, it is received with one address in the "To" field. If you put your entire media list in the "To" field, the recipient will receive an email that includes a full page of the email addresses of everyone else you are sending it to.

To avoid this, you can use several features of your email program. Your program probably has something called a ‘group’ or a ‘distribution list' which allows you to put all the email addresses you’re using under one heading. This way, only the name of the group is in the "To" field. An alternative is to send the press release with yourself in the "To" field, and everyone else in the "BCC" (Blind Carbon Copy) field.

If you have sent out an email consisting of two pages of email addresses in the "To" field before your message, don’t fret too much (the first time, anyway).

Everyone does it once. I opened an email recently from a major airline with about two hundred email addresses visible. Funny, I never did read the email buried three or four screens in; I was too busy clucking over their cyber blunder.

Never, never attach your press release as a document of any kind. This is one of the fastest ways to get your email deleted straight from the inbox. Attachments take more time to open and are notorious carriers of computer viruses. Cut and paste. Don’t attach.

Test. Never skip the test. Write the press release, paste it into your e-mail, then send it to yourself. Only yourself. When you open it in your own email program you may be surprised at what you missed – maybe you wrote a signature and embedded your signature as well, maybe you forgot the signature all together, or you forgot to take out the line breaks and the email looks all jagged and is hard to read. It’s a very simple, very brief safety precaution, and it’s saved me a few times from making embarrassing errors.

Now you’re ready to hit that SEND button and start getting great online reviews for your book. Welcome to the land of online publicity. Jump in! The water’s warm, and the exposure is great!

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Gwendolynn Gawlick is the principal of PR Diva, a boutique Public Relations firm with a specialty in book promotion. Her clients include Random House, John Wiley & Sons, Goldberg McDuffie Communications, Raincoast Books and Penguin Books. For more information surf over to www.prdiva.com, or email gg@prdiva.com. See you online!