Know that not every reporter cares about your news

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Not every reporter – even ones who cover your space closely – will care about your news. Perhaps you’re an insurtech company announcing a new funding round. This doesn’t mean an insurance technology reporter will care. Perhaps you’re announcing an important new hire. Does the reporter you want to work with cover personnel changes?

Our general take is this: Always know if there’s precedent for a publication / reporter / editor to cover what you’re announcing.

Here are three scenarios:

1. There is precedent for covering news like yours: “I have some news that I think would be perfect for XYZ section.”
2. There is no precedent, but you know the reporter: “I know this isn’t the kind of thing you typically cover, but I just wanted you to be up to speed with where we are here. It’s a really big deal for us.”
3. There is no precedent, and you’ve never connected with the reporter: Probably best to find another way to introduce yourself. We call it “Hi, not buy.” You can read more in our DIY PR post.^[10]

Leave them wanting more

Avoid the temptation to say everything in a single press release. If your new product has 10 amazing benefits, focus on three of them, and then list out the others at the bottom, without too much additional detail. And please, quote no more than two people – this isn’t little league where everyone gets a trophy.

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Your headline’s kind of a big deal

Let’s say Propllr was a pharmaceutical company introducing a new drug that cures cancer. Which headline is better:

“Propllr Introduces New Drug”

Or:

“X Billion Lives to Be Saved with Innovative New Drug from Propllr”

And think about adding a subheadline – especially for news that’s perhaps more subtle than curing cancer. Subheadlines can point to the “theme” of the news, suggesting the broader relevance of what you’re announcing. 

For example, instead of this…

Jane Doe Joins Company as SVP Human Resources

You could say this…

Jane Doe Joins Company as SVP Human Resources
Hyperscale HR pro a critical hire as Company growth explodes