Catapult Public Relations

Localize an Existing Story.

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:51:39 +0000

Stay updated on national trends and how they might impact your local community. If there's a story angle that can be localized and you have something compelling and of value to say, consider a quick news release and email pitch to a local reporter. Journalists love trend-driven, time-sensitive and local story angles relating to national trends.

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News Release Writing 101

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:53:31 +0000

Avoid adjectives when writing a news release, such as "exciting", "tremendous", "amazing", "revolutionary", "leading", "end-to-end", "turn-key", or "mission critical". Journalists are bombarded by words like these everyday and are turned off by them. Remember that you are not writing ad copy for consumers, but the simple facts for the media.

Keep Your Headline and Lead Focused

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:53:03 +0000

The lead paragraph in a news release should support the headline and sub-head. Make it clear, concise and avoid jargon. Too often, due to the typical number of changes in the review process, the headlines and lead paragraph often end up disjointed and unrelated. This can cause frustration to journalists who are trying to "find the news" and prevent them from reading on.

Right for the Medium

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:56:58 +0000

Make sure all the writing for printed materials is written specifically for that medium. Cut and pasting a brochure for web material or vice versa will produce an unpolished feel.

Avoid Buzzwords, Hype and Superlatives

Journalists and analysts alike have limited patience with news releases and pitches that are filled with jargon and outlandish claims. Some journalists even use a filter to detect and weed out releases that have too many buzzwords. To keep your release from being zapped, here are some words to avoid: end-to-end, customer-centric, nimble, robust, Web-centric, leading edge, revolutionary, state of the art, future proof and mission critical. The best advice? Try and write like a journalist. Use plain English to describe your product or service and the benefits it provides. Editors appreciate this approach and are much more likely to use your release when it's written in a straightforward fashion.