We work hard to impress upon our clientele that overuse of the email
addresses we've collected is intrusive and offensive. We advocate
addressing only those media that are likely to serve an audience that is
likely to be interested in the release content. We cannot assure that every
client will exercise good judgment.
Fortunately, we also find that most news organizations appreciate
thoughtful releases with newsworthy content that can stimulate the research
and follow through that are the hallmarks of good journalism, bringing new
ideas and issues to an interested readership.
In an era of cost-conscious management, email provides a fast, efficient
means of extending the reach of newsroom personnel. At the same time,
irrelevant or unwanted material can be instantly deleted from any computer
with less effort than it takes to open and discard a traditional, printed
release. It is our hope that your future experiences with emailed
contributions will be positive and productive.
I once had a fellow who used our newspaper email list (we also offer radio
and TV email lists) write to me saying that half of them bounced and that
the response was "more than unfriendly". He forwarded all his hate mail to
me, along with the supposed undeliverable addresses. Needless to say, I had
a minor heart attack and immediately began to find out exactly what he sent,
to whom, and how.
I discovered he had pasted all 800 addresses into the TO field of his
mail program. Some were separated with commas, some were not.
This explained all the bounced mail. It also explained why email that
did reach an editor consisted of four pages of nothing but email addresses.
Those editors that scrolled down far enough to find his message found a
three paragraph teaser-the beginning of a news story. If the editor wanted
the rest of the article, they had to go to a website where the full story
would be found-but not right away; it would be posted "in a few days".
If all that wasn't enough, the letter concluded with a sales pitch to sign up
for his "news service" at three cents per word or whatever. This real life
example should illustrate a few points.
Know how your mailing software operates. If you have never sent
more than one letter at a time, find three friends and do a dry run!
Often, pasting a block of names into Carbon Copy will also
fill the letter with those names. If you take this cut and paste approach, use
Blind Carbon Copy! It has worked for me, but test your own program first.
It is really best to have a program that will send individual emails. An
observant editor will see that he or she is not a unique recipient if done
in any other fashion. However, a press release is not meant to be a personal
letter, so this probably shouldn't worry you.
Don't ask a busy editor to go hunting for the news. That's what your
concise, well written and pertinent press release should provide. This
should be obvious.
And certainly never try to sell an editor something! This should be more than
obvious.
Gebbie Press: Serving your publicity needs for forty years.
- The All-In-One Media Directory:
- All Radio and TV Stations
- All Daily and Weekly Newspapers
- All Trade and Consumer Magazines
- Black and Hispanic Media
- Fax, URL and e-mail where available
- In print, on disk or mailing labels
Mark Gebbie
Gebbie Press
PO Box 1000
New Paltz NY 12561 (USA)
http://www.gebbieinc.com
914-255-7560 Phn
914-256-1239 Fax
Learn how to operate a profitable business on the internet. Our courses are created with gotta-have information by top experts. 
This database consists of newsletter publishers such as yourself open to swapping ad space within their publication. Join forces to obtain a greater marketing reach at no cost.
Read over 200 comments on what your peers think are the important elements to entrepreneurial success in the future. 
Recommend this page