If you want to torpedo your own efforts to attract editorial interest with a press release, there's lots better things you can do than simply address it to the wrong person.
Package your message properly
You can, for example, write your release badly. Now, we've already made the point that, if you're company is announcing that it has just cracked the problem of time travel, then the chances are that your presentational techniques probably aren't going to be tested to the limit. But, of course, there's always the chance that you may not be making an announcement of such momentous proportions. You may be announcing something which - though interesting enough in its way - is, perhaps, unlikely to trigger world revolution. You may even be making an announcement which carries quite subtle - though significant - implications. In this case, presentation becomes not just important, but key. It's imperative that you present your release in a way that will appeal to the editorial mind. You've got a headline and 2/3 lines to work with. If you haven't secured interest by then, it's bdong! sorry - next contestant please.
Make your first few words - headline, and intro sentence - work. Say clearly what's new. Why it's of interest. Who benefits? Why? This may sound too basic a point to be worth making, and it should be. But you'd be surprised at how often the basic news point of a PR is obscured by a such a fog of corporate hyperbole and convoluted grammar that it might as well not be there at all. Sometimes, in fact, it isn't there at all!
We're not joking
A word here on headlines: Yes, they have to catch the editorial eye. But the best way to do this is by saying what you mean. In plain words. Clever puns, and brilliant double entendres might seem a jolly jape at time of writing, but use them with care. It's not a matter of risking political incorrectness, or anything subtle, but one of pure pragmatism. If your message isn't instantly clear, then - more often than not - your PR is doomed. Be clever with your headlines, by all means. But never, ever, sacrifice clarity on the altar of wit.
So you've got the journalist's attention. So far, so good. But before you breathe a satisfied sigh, and settle back with the G&T, you've still got work to do; you've got to spell the rest of your story out. Again, clarity is the order of the day. Make your points in order of priority (as you see it), and don't allow things to degenerate into corporate puff. You can flash the corporate ego if you want, but restrict it to the boilerplate (about Pigs'R'Us etc., max 100 words). Keep the body of your text factual, explanatory and clear. And don't outstay your welcome - 2/3 double-spaced A4 pages should be quite enough for any PR.
Tone of voice
A press release is not advertising copy. A journalist want facts; not a tissue of unsubstantiated superlatives. By all means say what's new, different, better, bigger, cheaper etc., about whatever it is that's the subject of your PR - indeed, that's the point of it. But support any claim you make, with data if possible. Keep your language sober and unexcited.
Topping and tailing
Send out PRs on company press paper, if you have it. If not, letterhead will do. It's important to include the date of release, and contact details for incoming editorial calls (think positive!). A telephone number (and possibly email/web addresses) is enough. You can add an address/fax number if you must, but the chances of a journalist wanting or needing to write/fax you are, well, remote. All this is known as the boilerplate, for reasons which are obvious enough, and it's legitimate to add a short description of your company. Don't overdo this bit, though, or you're just wasting ink. Any journalist interested enough will call, and you can send them a company backgrounder (something you prepared earlier; try and keep it to a single sheet).
Photographs
As a rule, editors love photos. And, while some PRs don't lend themselves to a photo (e.g. a financial statement), most do. So you should try and send a photo whenever you can. It's more than just an attention-getting device (though it's that, too), it's something which can be used to brighten a page. It costs money, true, but not all that much, and it's worth it.
But don't send any old photo. For a start, except in rare circumstances, you're wasting your time sending stuff in b/w. Always make it colour. And remember, form is nearly always more important than content. As we've said, a photo (and, therefore the accompanying PR) is often printed as an aid to page layout - to make the page look more attractive - not because it adds value to the reader's understanding of the piece. Editors are looking for colour; action; interest. If you want your photos to boost your PR's printability, make sure they are lively. For example, if it's a product, give it an interesting background. If it's people (a "grip'n'grin"), add perspective or local interest. Or something. But whatever you do, avoid the people-smiling-idiotically-into-camera-while-standing-to-attention syndrome.
As to format, a (6" x 4", or similar) colour print is best. Editors can see what they're getting, and it's easily scanned. A digital version might be useful, but more as something you can supply on request.
In the next issue: Distribution - Hard-copy versus email? Standing lists? Now what?
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A word here on headlines: Yes, they have to catch the editorial eye. But the best way to do this is by saying what you mean. In plain words. Clever puns, and brilliant double entendres might seem a jolly jape at time of writing, but use them with care. It's not a matter of risking political incorrectness, or anything subtle, but one of pure pragmatism. If your message isn't instantly clear, then - more often than not - your PR is doomed. Be clever with your headlines, by all means. But never, ever, sacrifice clarity on the altar of wit.
A press release is not advertising copy. A journalist want facts; not a tissue of unsubstantiated superlatives. By all means say what's new, different, better, bigger, cheaper etc., about whatever it is that's the subject of your PR - indeed, that's the point of it. But support any claim you make, with data if possible. Keep your language sober and unexcited.
Send out PRs on company press paper, if you have it. If not, letterhead will do. It's important to include the date of release, and contact details for incoming editorial calls (think positive!). A telephone number (and possibly email/web addresses) is enough. You can add an address/fax number if you must, but the chances of a journalist wanting or needing to write/fax you are, well, remote. All this is known as the boilerplate, for reasons which are obvious enough, and it's legitimate to add a short description of your company. Don't overdo this bit, though, or you're just wasting ink. Any journalist interested enough will call, and you can send them a company backgrounder (something you prepared earlier; try and keep it to a single sheet).
As a rule, editors love photos. And, while some PRs don't lend themselves to a photo (e.g. a financial statement), most do. So you should try and send a photo whenever you can. It's more than just an attention-getting device (though it's that, too), it's something which can be used to brighten a page. It costs money, true, but not all that much, and it's worth it. 
