LAUREL, Md. — Getting a local editor’s attention is one thing. Keeping it long enough for them to actually read your press release is another challenge entirely.

That was a message of a recent Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI) webinar, “Getting Noticed by the Media,” led by DLI Communications Director Harry Kimmel and President-Elect Ray Kroner, owner of Cincinnati’s Kroner Dry Cleaners.

In Part 1 of this series, we looked at what makes something newsworthy and how dry cleaners can create events and build media relationships to get coverage. Today, we’ll dig into the mechanics of putting together a press release that has a shot at seeing print or airtime.

Kimmel doesn’t sugarcoat the odds. The vast majority of press releases that land on an editor’s desk go straight into the trash, and the single biggest reason is that they read like advertisements.

“Anything that looks like a promotion or that you’re selling something is going right in the can,” Kimmel says. “That’s just always the way it’s been.” 

The fix, he says, is straightforward: “Good press releases read like good news stories. That was something one of my old mentors, my journalism professor, told me. The best press releases are feature articles, and I found that to be true in my career.”

The press release should open with a strong lead. The first sentence or two must tell the reader who, what, when and where. The most important information goes up front, including the business name. How and why can come later to build out the story.

“If that’s all they read, you’ll be able to pass that along,” Kimmel says.

Headlines matter more than most people think. Kimmel calls them “possibly the most important thing you’ll write” and says the best ones tell the story while leaving the reader wanting more. He recommends keeping them to 10 words or fewer, using active voice and including the company name.

He offered two examples to illustrate the difference. “Underprivileged Teens Have New Hope for Prom Dreams” is decent, but “XYZ Cleaners Takes Teens to the Prom” is far stronger. 

The same principle applies to “Bicycle Contest Promotes Literacy” versus “XYZ Cleaners Promotes Literacy with Bicycle Contest.” In each case, the stronger version names the business and uses an active verb.

Kimmel says that editors may swap out the company name for something generic like “local business,” but it’s worth putting it in every time on the chance they leave it.

Quotes are essential, and Kimmel says a release shouldn’t go out without one. But not just any quote will do. He urges cleaners to avoid platitudes and self-congratulatory language.

“‘I am honored to clean and distribute these used coats to those less fortunate in our community,’” is a common example of a weak quote, he says. A stronger alternative shifts the focus outward: “‘Our customers’ generosity will help keep our less fortunate citizens warm and safe this winter.’ The best quotes are about other people and what you can do for them.”

Photos are equally important. Kimmel says readers’ eyes go to images first, then to the caption, then to the headline — and only then to the story itself. People should populate every photo, and each should have a caption that tells as much of the story as possible.

“That might be the only thing (audiences) read,” Kimmel says of captions, adding one cardinal rule from his newsroom days: “Never write a caption without seeing what’s in the picture.”

Come back Tuesday for the conclusion of this series, where we’ll look at how to handle a media interview and learn how one cleaner has turned creative thinking into consistent local coverage. For Part 1, click HERE.