Are you making these mistakes in your media release?
This article is about the biggest mistakes people make when writing a media release. Since being able to write effective media releases is an important part of any writer or author’s marketing and publicity campaign, you need to know what to do – and what NOT to do.
There are some people who try to make it seem like writing a media release is somehow a “big secret” – or they’ll try to tell you that you need to hire a professional to put together a good publicity campaign. And that’s just not true.
On the other hand, just like any other type of professional writing, there is a structure and strategy to writing media releases – and if you don’t know them, you can wind up making some big mistakes. And again, that’s the point of this article!
So let me ask you something:
- Does the thought of writing a media release (also known as a “press release” or “news release”) to promote yourself or your writing business make your mouth dry, your stomach turn over and your hands shake?
- Are you worried about how to do it, what to say or who to send it to?
- Do you wish the floor would just open up and swallow you whole rather than try to promote yourself and your writing business?
Well, then stay tuned, because that’s why I’m writing this next series of articles for you. By the time you’ve finished reading, you’ll understand exactly what to do, how to do it and why – in short, you’ll come across as the consummate professional – and increase your chances of getting publicized.
Let’s get started by talking about the biggest mistakes that people make when writing a media release – because if you’re making them too, I can pretty much guarantee your media release is going to be thrown in the trash can and won’t even be read!
Biggest Mistake #1: When you’re writing a Media Release, don’t call it a “press release” or the media will know you’re a novice, and chances are, they’ll drop it in the trash can without even reading it. You can call it a “Media Release” or a “News Release” if you want. Press Release was the term used by the media before the internet got involved. Now that “electronic” media is used these days, you need to know – and use – the proper lingo.
Biggest Mistake #2: Use mixed case. NEVER SUBMIT A MEDIA RELEASE IN ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS. As you can see, it’s much more difficult to read that way, and as we know from writing on the Web, writing anything in uppercase letters is the electronic equivalent of screaming at your reader.
Also, make sure you always follow the rules of grammar and style. Errors in grammar and style affect your credibility. Excessive errors will cause your media release to be rejected. If you’re not sure what style a particular media source uses, you’ll want to get familiar with it before submitting your media release.
With a little online research you can find out everything you need to know before you send your next media release. You can also find stylebooks at your local library, bookstore or Amazon. For example, the Associated Press Style Book is updated every year. http://www.apstylebook.com/ and it’s used in most journalism and adult writing courses.
Biggest Mistake #3: Don’t add html language or links in your media release. Most of the time, online distribution services don’t allow links (except in the resource box, of course.) Which means if you include them, your media release is going right into the trash can, not the distribution list. Also, if the service does allow links, only put links that are relevant and give the reader valuable information. (See the link I gave you in in Mistake #2?) Remember – your media release is NOT a sales letter.
Biggest Mistake #4: Not putting enough information in your news release. If you can say everything you need to say in only a few sentences, then chances are you don’t have a newsworthy story. (*Note: You may hear that your news release should “never” be more than one page long.) I have found that a media release should be as long as it takes in order for you to tell your story. So if that means one and a-half or two pages, then that’s how long it should be. Do your best to keep it short and sweet, but don’t take out important information just to make it fit on one page.
Include a summary paragraph for online submissions. Some online news services request that you include a one-or-two line summary of your press release. This is because some distribution points only receive your headline, summary and a link to your media release. Which means, when you’re submitting to online services, not including the summary paragraph may reduce the effectiveness of your media release. (On the other hand, a summary paragraph usually isn’t necessary with print, television or radio media.)
Biggest Mistake #5: Not formatting your media release in the right way. Like everything else, there are “industry standards” when it comes to writing – and even submitting – your media release.
If you’re not sure what the industry standards for a media release are, then stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, because I’m going to go through them all for you.
Professional Ghostwriter vs. Freelance Writers
Are you a doctor who wants to write a book, but you’ve decided you need a ghostwriter to help you organize your manuscript and get the writing done?
Maybe you’ve started your book, but don’t have the time to devote to it that’s needed… Or you’re not confident of your writing skills…Or you don’t really know the process involved in created a full-length manuscript. Or you find yourself constantly second-guessing yourself and rewriting what you’ve already written… (These are all real and valid reasons why other doctors have hired professional ghostwriters to help them get their books written.)
Are you starting to look around to get a feel for who’s who and what’s what – and you’re beginning to realize that finding the right ghostwriter for your project is more complicated than you thought?
Perhaps you’ve got questions about the difference between a professional ghostwriter and a freelance ghostwriter or writer?
If that’s the case, then I hope you’ll find this article both interesting and informative, because I’m going to give you my definitions of the terms, and talk about the differences, and also walk you through the process of finding the right ghostwriter for your book.
In this corner, we have the professional ghostwriters… And in that corner, we have freelance writers… Which one is right for you?
It doesn’t need to come to a knockdown, dragged-out fight to figure it out, or even to decide when you need a freelance writer and when you want the services of a professional ghostwriter.
My definition of “freelance writers”
A freelance writer is a writer for hire… And like other professions, there are many different rungs on the ladder of success and professionalism. So when you’re talking about a freelance writer, you may be talking about someone who is just starting out, all the way up to someone who is a professional, published writer with vast experience and expertise.
Freelance writers may write articles, blog posts, special reports, white papers and other marketing or sales materials. They may or may not have had any professional writing training. And they’re often what you might call a commodity product – because many freelance writers today – especially those who are just starting out and trying to find clients – are often caught in a bidding war for projects. You can go to freelance writing for hire sites such as ‘elance’, ‘guru.com’, ‘rent-a-coder’, and ‘o-desk’ to see what I mean. Basically, these sites are set up for providers (that’s the writer) to bid on projects listed by clients (that’s you).
In other words, if you go to one of those sites, create an account and write out a project description – sometimes within minutes you’ll have a gaggle of freelance writers bidding on your project – often for pennies on the dollar.
More often than not these days, you’ll find the freelancers who respond and bid on your project are from developing countries, and English may or may not be their first language. They also maybe be just starting out and have very little or no experience writing. (They’ve bought into the idea that anyone can be a writer, and that writing is a lucrative field to go into and an easy ‘online business’ to start.) And by the way, I’m not knocking this – as a business owner, I have some fabulous outsourcers who work with me on Website design, transcription, promotion and VA work and I couldn’t imagine running my business without them – they’re valued members of my team, who allow me to focus on the writing side of my business and working with my clients. After all, everyone has to start somewhere, and there is definitely a market for this type of freelance writer’s work. But writing articles or blog posts, or even special reports is very different from writing an entire book…
Now, let’s talk about Professional ghostwriters…
My Definition of a ‘Professional Ghostwriter’
A professional ghostwriter is someone who has moved beyond the bottom rung of the ‘freelance’ stage. although they still work for themselves, may be the owner of their own business or work as part of a team of different writers and as such, do not become your employee. (This is important for tax and IRS purposes).
Probably one of the biggest differences between many freelance writers and professional ghostwriters is that professional ghostwriters have set fees, and provide professional services designed to help their clients achieve their goals and protect their rights – including nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements. The work they do is EXCLUSIVE to you – you receive all copyrights to the work, and you have the security of knowing it won’t be repurposed, sold again or rewritten for other clients at a later date.
In addition to being excellent writers, professional ghostwriters also have real writing experience under their belts, either being published authors themselves, or having written manuscripts for clients that were then published. And most of the time, when we’re talking about professional ghostwriters, they write books. (Although you can find professional ghostwriters who specialize in other areas such as copywriting and writing marketing or promotional materials, such as speeches or video scripts for their clients’ companies.)
Another difference between a professional ghostwriter and a freelance writer
A good professional ghostwriter may only accept a limited number of clients a year, in order to be able to focus on the project at hand, and give it the full attention it deserves. And because their services are highly prized, you may need to plan ahead in order to hire the one you want, because chances are, they’re booked ahead. (For myself, my policy is to only work on one ghostwriting project at a time, and depending on my clients’ needs, type of book and the project scope, I only accept two or three ghostwriting projects a year.)
Freelance writers on the other hand, may accept 3 or more clients at a time, and attempt to work on all the projects at the same time. For many of these writers, their main concern is getting you to sign a contract, and start paying them. (So obviously, an important question to ask prospective ghostwriters is how many projects they work on at one time. If this is an issue for you and you’re concerned about the quality of the work being done, you might want to make sure that they are only writing your book during the term of your contract.)
Another way you can tell you’re dealing with a professional ghostwriter and not a freelancer is that most professionals will specialize – either in the type of writing they do, or in a particular niche or genre of books. So for example, you might find a professional ghostwriter who only writes fiction novels for their clients, or only writes science fiction or romance or thrillers. Or you might find professional ghostwriters who only write non-fiction, or specialize in the health and wellness markets, or self-help, or business-to-business. However, this doesn’t mean they don’t have the skills to write other types of books – most professional ghostwriters have the ability to write about many different topics and in different genres. They simply choose the ones they prefer and enjoy the most. So if you find a professional ghostwriter whose work you admire but your book project is in a different genre, by all means get in touch with them and ask them if they take on your type of project.
A professional ghostwriter is usually invisible – their client is the one whose name will be listed as author, although not always. in some cases, the ghostwriter is acknowledged for their work, either through a ‘as told to’ or ‘with’ listed either on the cover or in the acknowledgments somewhere. (This happens more often when the ghostwriter is considered a celebrity in their own right or is hired by the publisher, because it’s felt that the marketability of the book may be enhanced by having the writer’s name on the book as well as the author.) In some cases, it depends on the genre of the book as well and the ethics involved.
And these days, especially for celebrities, politicians and business moguls, it’s become something of a status symbol to openly acknowledge that they used the services of a professional ghostwriter for their book, because it shows that they were too busy to write it themselves – and could afford to hire a ghost.
If you’d like to know more about how to find, hire and work with a ghostwriter, please check out my squidoo page. And if you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me.
Should doctors write e-books?
Should doctors write ebooks? This is a question I get asked a lot – and sometimes people think it’s a question of writing one or the other – an ebook or a print book. I think the answer depends on your ultimate goals, the subject matter (of both your book or book idea and the ebook) and your reasons for wanting to write an ebook.
Ebook readers are growing in popularity
These days, with ebook readers becoming so popular, I think every author should look at ebooks again, even if they turned their backs on them before. And ebooks give authors the opportunity of re-purposing or reviving previously written material…
Ebooks can add add passive streams of income to your writing business
I believe ebook marketing can not only give you an additional stream of passive income (maybe not enough to make the payments on that jag you’ve been eyeing… but perhaps enough to put gas in it every month…)
But even more than that, I think writing an ebook is also a good marketing strategy.
And here’s how writing ebooks can hep you sell more books, build your credibility and add to your expertise in your market…
Let’s say you’re writing a book for parents about common illnesses for baby’s first year, and how to tell if it’s serious enough to call your doctor in the middle of the night…
When my first son was about 8 months old, he got a high fever in the middle of the night, and his screams woke us up. I was petrified – and back in those days, the internet wasn’t the font of information it is now. I called the doctor and he sent us t the emergency room … Which, as it turned out, wasn’t necessary. (Although it was worth the $255 to find out he was going to be just fine.)
Should that happen now, today’s new mother is probably going to get online and Google something like, “Why does my infant have a high fever?” or “Should I call the doctor if my baby’s fever is 104.0″ – and lets say the top two answers are in books written by doctors… Only one is on Amazon.com and the other one is an ebook that can be ordered online and downloaded immediately… Obviously she’s not going to want to wait for Amazon to deliver the answer.
She’s going to order the ebook and get an instant answer to her problem.
And that’s where ebooks offer such an interesting addition to your marketing method. Because you can mention your printed book in your ebook – even give her a link to order it from Amazon… Or you can give her a link to your Website, to sign up for your newsletter. Or to your online catalog page, where you offer other ebooks, printed books or additional products for sale.
And that’s just the beginning… Why not add a “tell a friend” button, or invite her to let people know about your ebook through twitter, facebook, or one of the many other social networking sites available today?
Here’s something you want to pay close attention to though – make sure your ebook is formatted correctly, and that it’s written for the Web – which requires a different set of rules than writing for print. Make sure it’s easy to read, that the paragraphs – and the length of the book itself – are short. Make it interesting and full of valuable information. And don’t forget to promote your Website, your other books, etc. in every ebook you write…
Got Writer’s Block? Here’s Why…
Do you have writer’s block? It usually starts out something like this… You have a brilliant idea, something you know needs to be in your book… So you sit down in front of your computer, start writing… and suddenly your mind goes blank. And you sit there, trying to figure out how to say what what you wanted to say… Blink… Blink… Blink… (is your cursor mocking you?)
Here’s what’s wrong… you’re intellectualizing. Good writing comes from passion – which I know you have. So that’s where you need to start. Focus on your passion. Don’t worry about getting every word just right.
Having writer’s block is another reason why many of my ghostwriting clients are doctors. Because your best writing is going to come from your gut – from your passion about your subject and your desire to write the best possible book… And that’s where we start. But after that, the actually sitting at the keyboard and writing each and every chapter requires a writing system – in fact, having a writing system is absolutely critical to your becoming a published author – and one day not so long from now, holding your book in your hands, seeing your name in print, and your photo on the back cover.
When we start working on your book together, I will help you take your ideas, your passion for your subject and your earnest desire to create something meaningful – and get it out of your head and into a marketable manuscript.
The Top 5 Reasons Doctors Become Authors
Why do doctors want to write books? Why do doctors want to become authors? (As I’m writing this, there’s a song running through my head – maybe you remember it – “Girls just want to have fun…” Doctors just want be authors… okay, doesn’t quite fit, but it’s close…)
In my experience, doctors are actually very good writers. They may not have majored in English, and maybe their handwriting leaves a lot to be desired… but in general, they can write. They are very good at storytelling. Maybe it’s because they listen to so many stories, you know? Day in and day out, when they’re treating patients, they ask questions like, “So what seems to be the trouble today?” or, “How have you been feeling?” or, “So tell me about what’s been going on in your life…” and we know they’re not the polite questions we get asked in society – the “Hi! How are you?” kind of questions that we know we’re supposed to respond with “Fine, thanks! How are you?” No, with these questions, we get to respond – to tell the truth – to tell our story… And they listen.
So maybe that has something to do with it. In any case, here are the top 5 reasons my clients have told me why they wanted to be authors… (And these are in no particular order…)
1. Because it’s fun. Okay, there’s the reason for the song… But seriously, writing is fun. (Well, maybe not all the time – like any other profession, there are always certain parts that certain people don’t like. Things that come to mind are: editing – well, re-editing, writer’s block, and trying to keep the flow going.) But it is a lot of fun, especially as you see the chapters coming together and the story taking shape. And you can add rewarding, enjoyable and maybe even therapeutic to write…
2. Because they want to share information, knowledge or experience. Most of the doctors I’ve been privileged to work with have a keen insight into the human condition. They have a gift for finding a clever way to express themselves, and blend humor, sarcasm, compassion, joy and sorry with equal ability, and they can help people with what they have to say.
3. Because they want (or need) an outlet for their creativity. Being a doctor is darn hard under the best of conditions. And let’s face it, these days aren’t the best of conditions. There are so many regulations, rules and rigidity in medicine. Writing offers that creative outlet that is so missing in their lives.
4. Because they want a little fame and notoriety. And really, who doesn’t? I think most writers and authors dream of someday having their book on the New York Times Bestseller list, and being able to enjoy the perks of celebrityhood. (Celebritiness?) There’s nothing wrong with dreaming a little – and hey, it’s been known to happen!
5. To become known as an expert in their field. Sometimes this is about fame and fortune, but in the case of my clients, many of them have dreams or a plan to branch out from what they’re currently doing. Sometimes it means starting a practice in a complementary field, or to start something new. Being the author of your own published book is a great way to get things off the ground quickly and successfully.
If you’re a doctor who wants to write a book and you’ve got questions about hiring a ghostwriter, you might want to check out my article “The 3 Biggest Reasons Doctors Hire Ghostwriters“.
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