Thoughts after the course on "Super Sensitive Press Release Writing": Thoughtful actions make public relations news more touching.
[
](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LR_CIBUiivXSsccnrbLUTmDZEHPKh8jU4MDyULur5XPAouLALsJGRZOFrtjtdsnVWqDR99XnATVbSZiL4aIRmaQSNjvJPptj39lPSN2 yWHgpdW8ZD0nNlpVoJO2IDdqn3F0WaW51pUeP/s1600/%25E8%25B6%2585%25E6%259C%2589%25E6%2584 %259F%25E6%2596%25B0%25E8%2581%259E%25E7%25A8%25BF%25E6%2592%25B0%25E5%25AF%25AB.jpg)
This article is written by Gin Chin, has more than ten years of public relations experience. Thank you for sharing your experience.
On October 12th, I took a very packed practical course [Super Impressive Press Release Writing] at TeSA.
I personally have more than 10 years of experience in public relations, and have been away from public relations for 5 to 6 years. I feel that I have become seriously out of touch. The current technological environment and communication tools are completely different! At the moment, I really didn’t dare to mention to the teacher that I wrote all the company’s press releases. Although the short 2-hour course is also the highlight of the skills before and after writing a press release, the lecturer is originally a journalist and understands the reporter’s mentality, ecology and environment. He doesn’t hide his secrets and shares some of his eyebrows with everyone.
The course content, as well as the actual writing of live press releases, was really great! But that’s not the focus of this article. If you have the chance, you can take Teacher Zheng’s class.
Talking about my work experience, since my former employer did not have much public relations budget, it hired a public relations company to organize the annual press conference for new product launches, which was all organized by Sister GC… In addition to formal business press releases, she also used a normal heart to “talk to” reporters and make friends. The media world is also very interesting. Some of them can really chat with you and make friends (usually magazines, but don’t expect daily newspapers and TV news reporters). They are also very supportive and bring people to attend press conferences. Some are really busy and can’t chat with you! I still remember that it was the era when MSN was connected, and I could still see the “busy” status displayed on the other party.
Teacher Zheng pointedly pointed out that reporters receive nearly a hundred press releases every day, so when writing press releases, they must think about how to stand out? In addition to eye-catching titles, there is another point that should be thoughtful to help journalists save time in opening files; in addition, a “picture caption” should be added to each product or event photo. Otherwise, except for you who know who the senior management of your family is, who has the time in the United States to conduct matching checks or make additional calls to inquire? Unless it is major news, all media will reveal the information and cannot miss it.
I thought I was already very attentive, but after listening to Teacher Zheng’s class, I didn’t expect this trick… I need to be considerate and help journalist friends save time on opening files! The implication is that the key points should also be listed in the text, so that reporters can post directly (remember the key points summary), without the need for reporters to download a separate Word file, open the file, and then copy and paste it into the article they wrote…
Having said this, I remembered that a manufacturer came to visit me yesterday, which coincided with the “caring” mentioned by the lecturer. I just happened to share these two things together…
Recently I met an egg manufacturer that will be on the market next year. After getting to know and trying it, I thought it was very good. So, we began to discuss writing an unboxing essay. When the other party heard that I had curiously tried their red egg freshness experiment, I just casually mentioned: “Then I should test red eggs from other companies. It is more objective to test with the same standard specifications.” So before the manufacturer went abroad for a business trip, he quickly sent another sample yesterday, and brought a box of red eggs that were not his own, so that I could start work at any time!
I have written unboxing articles for many manufacturers before. Sometimes, driven by my own curiosity, I would like to know neutrally whether the features boasted by the manufacturer are really true. Sometimes, even if I have an idea, I put it off until the holidays or forget to purchase competing products or other auxiliary products. If you delay like this, it may take several more days to complete the manuscript!
Also, by the way, the manufacturers are also very kind and usually give me a few extra boxes of products, allowing me to work freely. Whether it is for personal use and can be taken at will (for example, adding a healthy egg when cooking instant noodles, it can be a simple delicacy), or for public relations to send to family members or relatives, friends and neighbors to try…the above are all opportunities for random promotion!
Let’s talk about the first company I worked for in a public relations job, the Gaofeng Department Store Chain Group. (Well, if you know this company, you probably know how old I am!) Looking back on when I first entered the field of public relations, without any professional background, I just relied on the word “diligence” to interact with reporters and let reporters know our company. At that time, I took the initiative to send out press releases every week focusing on “specials of the week” so that I could write materials for reporters and media.
What impressed me deeply was that the media ignored me at first, but when something happened in the end (for example, when fresh milk and toilet paper were to be increased), because I was the most cooperative store owner, the media would give me priority to arrange interviews and shoot on-site to increase exposure! (I have all these news clippings from the United, Free, and China Times at that time). Now I can only lament that the media industry at that time can be counted on the fingers. It is really too competitive now!
Further reading
- After-class experience of “Social Marketing Brand Technique”: Build a personal brand, start now
- October Lecturer Sharing Session: From sharing digital tools and event design to entrepreneurship experience
- Business thinking of professional lecturers: community sharing in October 2017
