
          WRITE A PRESS RELEASE

           Copyright 1994 Marcia Yudkin.  You may reproduce this
           entire electronic book and pass it on as shareware.  All
           other rights reserved.

               Once you come up with a compelling angle, write a press
           release, a brief document in a specific format that shows
           newspeople why you or your business merit attention now. 
           Here's a sample, followed by an explanation of how each part
           needs to be written.

           *****

           For:  Creative Ways, P.O. Box 1310, Boston, MA 02117.
           Contact:  Marcia Yudkin (617)266-1613.

                       CREATIVE PUBLICITY IDEAS PAY OFF, 

                       CONSULTANT CLAIMS IN NEW BOOKLET

              Boston, MA, October 26, 1993 - Entrepreneurs,
           professionals and any company that offers a service or
           product can spend a ton of money on advertising -- or they
           can spend time thinking up an approach that will entice the
           media to spread the word for them for free.  Radio, TV,
           magazines and newspapers hunger for items that will provide
           useful or entertaining information for their listeners,
           viewers or readers.  According to Boston-based writing
           consultant Marcia Yudkin, Ph.D., anyone can get fifteen
           minutes of fame -- along with new customers or clients -- by
           describing to the media something they've done that's
           innovative, funny or evokes human interest.

              Here are eight ways to win free media publicity, excerpted
           from Marcia Yudkin's new booklet, 66 WAYS TO MAKE YOU OR YOUR
           BUSINESS NEWSWORTHY:

           1.  Concoct an interesting characterization of yourself (Rick
           Davis of Temple, NH, created "The Institute of Totally
           Useless Skills")

           2.  Present your ordinary program or service to an unexpected
           clientele (prisoners, kids)

           3.  Piggyback on the news or current entertainment (In the
           summer of 1993, anything about dinosaurs appeared timely)

           4.  Agree or disagree with newspaper columnists by writing
           them (Many use or mention their mail in their column)

           5.  Conduct business in an unusual setting (Hold your awards
           dinner at the zoo;  conduct board meetings in the mail
           room)

           6.  Break a record (The Guinness Book of World Records sells
           1 million copies a year)

           7.  Do something anachronistic (make house calls;  answer
           your own phone;  bring back glass bottles)  

           8.  Take the lead in complying with new legislation (e.g.,
           the Americans with Disabilities Act)

           The complete list of 66 WAYS TO MAKE YOU OR YOUR
           BUSINESS NEWSWORTHY is available for $2.00 from Marcia
           Yudkin, Ph.D., P.O. Box 1310, Boston, MA 02117.

           ******

           Now here is an explanation of the various parts of the press
           release.

           "For":  Write the name and address of your company or
           organization here.  

           "Contact":  This is for the name and phone number of the
           person who is prepared to speak to the press on the subject
           of the press release.  Include phone numbers that will reach
           this person evenings and weekends, in case a reporter is
           working on a deadline.

           "For Immediate Release":  This means the media can run the
           information right away.  If you are providing information
           that shouldn't be announced before a certain date, write,
           "For Release January 4, 1995" (or whatever the magic date
           is).

           Headline:  I always center headlines in boldface, underlined. 
           Make the headline as alluring and specific as you can, since
           many media people will read no farther.  It's OK to go on to
           two or even three lines for the headline.

           Dateline:  As in the opening of a newspaper article, provide
           the city, state and date on which you're sending off the
           release.

           First paragraph:  Get right to the point in your first
           paragraph.  State the core of your message here.

           Later paragraphs:  In the sample above, I excerpted from the
           actual report I was publicizing.  Usually what you do here is
           to provide quotes -- from yourself, customers, clients or
           experts -- that round out your story.

           Last paragraph:  This is the place to offer prices,
           addresses, phone numbers, dates and other details people need
           to follow up on your message.

           End:  Add a series of "# # #"s or the journalistic code
           phrase "- 30 -" to indicate that the release is finished.

           ******

               This press release led to coverage, complete with
           ordering information, in Business Startups Magazine and
           National Home Business Report, among others.

              For more details and examples, consult SIX STEPS TO
           FREE PUBLICITY by Marcia Yudkin (Plume Books), available at
           your local bookstore or from (617)266-1613.

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