Here are some of the more commonly asked questions regarding our services:
Do you
publish all releases that are submitted to you?
There can be reasons why a release is not published by us. Those reasons are due
to sexually explicit content, profanity within the release, as well as anything
that could be cause for legal action such as slander, libel etc. These are just
some of the reasons a release would not be published.
We will not accept or publish any releases from any of the political candidates
or their spokespersons. We might also add that we will not publish any releases
that are racist, sexist, or that portray religion in any unfavorable light. It
has always been our stance that we do not promote religion nor do we publish
anything in an unfavorable light concerning religion.
What is
your idea of an effective press release?
While there could be many answers to that we consider a press release to be
something that promotes an idea or product that is newsworthy or of benefit to
many people. The mere fact that someone is "selling an item, service or product" does not
in and of itself make it a quality press release.
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- Be
First
Get your story to the media before your competitors. Keep in mind when
writing your release that it is always best to be first.
- Be
Unique
Your press release must be unique in order to stand out from hundreds of
others. Always look for the unique aspects about your business and write
about these first. Ask yourself, "What will catch the readers' attention?"
- Be
Focused
In order to be successful you must have a clear focus before you start
writing. What is the news and how can it benefit the reader and encourage
them to take immediate action? The more focused and newsworthy releases
are more likely to be published. A press release that contains a clear
newsworthy focus or angle stands a much better chance of being read and
picked up by the media.
-
Be Persistent
Sending just one press release is not very likely to bring you a large
amount of publicity. You must approach the press with the concept of
providing a solution to their readers problems. Let them know that you are
the expert on this valuable information. Send that message repeatedly with
different stories or news over a period of time and you will be
successful.
-
Have a Strong Hook
The "hook" is the who, what, when, where, how, and why found in the first
or opening paragraph. The hook must be a strong and concise summary of
what your release is about. The hook is a critical element to your
success. You must let the editor or reporter know why your news is
important to their readers.
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Have an
Unforgettable Headline
It is essential that your headline be attention grabbing and
unforgettable. The editor must know that what you have to say is important
to their readers by reading the headline. Start your search for a good
headline by reading headlines of news similar to yours found in newspapers
and magazines.
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Powerful headlines have
the following characteristics:
- They arouse curiosity.
- They pull you into the story.
- They create emotional appeal.
- They make the reader stop what they’re
doing to read more.
- They promise answers to a question or
solutions to a problem.
- They promise to reveal a secret or hard to
find information.
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How many
releases can I or my band submit? Is there a limit?
You can submit as many unique press releases as you want.
Is there any way I can chart the distribution and pickup of my release?
We carefully follow Yahoo and Google alerts, so we know when a release may
appear online. Other than this, many of the sites to whom we submit
your release will notify us when a release appears on their site. In
instances when your press release is picked up by the media, you may be
contacted by them directly--this is something that we hope to help you attain.
Other than this, we have no way of knowing who accesses, prints, nor publishes the releases
we handle. Nor can we held responsible for who may publish your release. Because of the time involved we do not track
releases To ensure that your press release is read, read our
tutorial "How To Write An Effective Press Release."
Can I add hyperlinks to
my press release?
We do not allow the placement of html in the releases. We have this policy
because press outlets want the releases formatted as plain as possible, and not
like a web page, however you may use complete URL's in your release.
Can I have a
logo or image on our release?
Yes, we permit logos or images with paid releases.
What
formats do you accept for logos and images for releases?
We would like for them to be in jpeg, or gif format so that we can work with
them. To submit these, simply right click on a photo and go to
Picture Properties. This should open another free floating window.
Locate the photo URL, highlight and copy and send us this with your submission.
Can I use
all capital letters in my release or in the heading of my release?
Our requirements are that releases not be all in capital letters. This is viewed by
some as yelling and is also considered by many to be rude in nature. Also,
because of the time involved in changing an all capital headline to a headline
including caps and lower case letters, we ask that you make certain this
is done before you submit your release. If not, we cannot publish your
press release.
Can I specify my release for a certain geographical area?
Yes, you can. If you
would like your news release to go to a specified geographical area, we would
suggest our "customized distribution" service. With this service we will target
all media contacts within a sixty mile radius of your specific location.
Because of the nature of this particular service, you are limiting the number of
potential media contacts within that area that may pick up your press release.
I have a big gig tomorrow night.
I would like as wide a distribution for my press release as I can get. Am
I submitting this too late?
Simply, yes. We don't know who
it may benefit if you submit a press release announcing your gig the night
before a performance. Most people like to plan for an upcoming event. How
long ago did you know that you would be playing tomorrow night? Unless you
are a house band, and play the same venue every week, the best time to announce
an upcoming performance is the second you find out that you have been booked.
Because of the volume of submissions we receive, and because submissions are
hand optimized and hand submitted to our media contacts, we ask that you
give us adequate "lead time" for your submission. Many of our media
contacts ask that we give them a minimum of ten days to two full weeks
if we wish to have something we submit published. Likewise, we ask
the same of you.
ABOUT US |
SUBMIT YOUR PRESS RELEASE |
OUR
TERMS OF SERVICE |
OUR PRIVACY
POLICY |
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|
CONTACT US
Just Roots Press Releases
Email: dking@justrootspr.com
