Primer for Putting Together a Media Release

 

You’re Invited to a Publicity Party

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson,

Author of This is the Place, Harkening and Tracings

This is an excerpt from a much longer chapter on media kits from

THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER:

HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T

Published as an e-book and paperback

Many authors don’t crash the FREE publicity party because, although they’re writers, they fear the process of assembling a media release (inaccurately called a press release).

They may worry about looking less than professional to the media. Kind of like we worried about what to wear to the prom when we were in high school. I promise you this party is lots easier to dress for. Here are the basics for sending your release off in style.

Use a header of only five lines on your existing business stationery.

§ The first says M E D I A R E L E A S E. Put it in caps, large type, boldface, 18 point Ariel typeface with a space between each letter. Justify it on the left of your page.

§ Leave a space and enter CONTACT: in 14 point, Ariel caps. Left justify it. If you’re the one who knows the most about what you are publicizing, this will be your name, phone, fax and e-mail address, each on its own line. Revert back to upper and lower case for the details. Include this information even if it is in your letterhead. I have read advice to authors that they use a fake name and pretend they have a publicist. Don’t do it. Editors are on to it. If you’re not a consummate actor/fibber, you’ll only make yourself look foolish.

Release information goes one space beneath that. Type in For Immediate Release in 12 point bold Times New Roman, also left justified. Change this only if there is a very good reason for doing so, in which case it would read: For Release After…with your chosen date. Space is an issue for editors. Don’t limit them unless you must.

Your headline is centered in 16 point Ariel bold. This catches an editor or producer’s attention. Study headlines in the newspaper. Avoid anything cute or elaborate at first. More advanced party-goers will learn how to make their headlines catchy. Choose the most newsworthy (read that original, unique or honor-driven) element of your story to feature.

The lead should be simple and brief. It is the first sentence in the body of your release. State who, how, where and what. Check to be sure that the when includes the day of the week and the date. A sample would be, "Joseph Martin was honored by Authors of America at a gala ball Tuesday, March 8, at Rockville’s City Hall."

The body of the release follows, single spaced. Leave a space between paragraphs. Do not indent. Mention the single most newsworthy aspect of your story in the paragraph after the lead: "Martin was a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1976." Or even, "Martin has been a Rockville resident for more than a decade." Add details to the next paragraph: You might credit those who are involved with planning carefully include the town in which they live after their names. This will give editors an idea for local angles, if needed.

Your permanent promotional paragraph comes next. Put it together once and it may only need an occasional update. It is your sales pitch: My short version says, "Howard-Johnson is This is the Place, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, and Tracings, all award-winning books." If you have space, you should also include a blurb about your book and/or any local organizations you belong to or important offices you’ve held. This kind of information can convince an editor that you are newsworthy. Use it in every release you send out.

Media kit or photos are mentioned next in parentheses, 10 point bold, Times New Roman, centered: (A media kit and photos are available on request.)

Fax your releases; that is the cheapest way. Include a fax cover sheet to direct it to the proper editor. This will usually be the features or book editor. For radio and TV, it will be addressed to the producer of each show. Check by phone to make sure the name is current and spelled correctly. If you send photos with your release, use envelopes to match your letterhead and print each address using the envelope feeder on your printer.

Warning: When your release is complete, you won’t want to be overdressed.
One page or less is best.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s award-winning novel, This is the Place, was honored by her publisher for exceptional sales in its first year of publication. She was a fashion columnist for the Pasadena Star News, a teen columnist for the Salt Lake Tribune, is a retail columnist for Home Décor Buyer and writes movie and theater reviews for the Glendale News-Press. The e-book version of THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T was named USA Book News' Best Professional Book 2004 and topped its e-book sites sales in only a few days. The Book Publicists of Southern California gave it their prestigious Irwin Award. Learn more at: http://carolynhoward-johnson.com