Here comes a dumb query on link removal

[Hoss]

Ok here we go - I don't see the need to be really explicit here about the whole process. After all most of you guys have pretty high IQ's or you wouldn't even be here. Press releases can be videos, mp3's or text. They can be fired at TV stations or news agencies, radio stations or newspapers and the like. Often a news agency won't even check the veracity of a release.
There was a well known case on the international news about 5 years ago, of a guy who made a living selling releases to TV news but they were all faked. These releases were being played all over the world and they were absolute crap. The news in them was fiction and every release showed him somewhere in the shot.
There was a fair bit of embarrassment involved in the news community.

News agencies are professionals whose job it is to get news.
If they can short circuit the process and shove in a nicely edited bit of copy that they haven't even done any research on, they'll do it.
You can make use of that.

I prefer newspapers because you can develop a rapport with a journalist without too much effort.

A phone call is all you need. Usually to the editor if you can get to him/her.
They're usually so busy that they'll just give you the name of a reporter to contact. Then you can ring the reporter involved and say "John Smith or whatever they're called (the editor) told me to contact you regarding this story I've got. I've banged together a primitive press release to give you an idea about the whole thing. Do you want me to email it to you?"

Using the editors name gives credibility to the process after all they're the boss. That makes it more likely that the reporter will be cool with the whole deal. (Some of these reporters are pretty neat people and you develop a good professional relationship quickly - the one that I sent this article to is a great guy)
They like free news because it lessens the work (investigation) that they have to do.

With small local papers you don't even need to get to the editor - they're really hungry for local content about you and how you're taking on the world.

I'm going to bold this next bit because it's important.
The stuff that you write doesn't have to be completely aligned with the facts. You know - it doesn't need to be completely True! However stay reasonably aligned with the truth or you can screw a good relationship.

An image for a newspaper is critical - it can mean the difference between getting run and getting binned. As stated the more 'out there' that the image is the better chance there is of getting the article in. Weird gets readers so they'll shove in a poor story just to get that image on the page.

Don't be afraid to make a fool of yourself to get publicity.
You can see that I have.

My primitive press release is online at http://www.fastmetal.tv/advertise.php

You'll get the idea.

Cheers
Hoss

[leki]

hehe cheers hoss...nice pic ;)

might give it a go :)

[Hoss]

Thanx leki - it really is easy peasy
From what I've already experienced you'll get about 1 visit per 100 papers circulated. With my previous ventures I got about 1 percent of those visitors signing up. Might be a bit different with a site like this as its more an entertainment thing.
Who knows.
Cheers
Hoss
Bet you didn't know I was an old geezer huh?
BTW the total cost of the exercise was $10 for a T-shirt, $6 for some poster paint and a bit of time to paint a tyre and roll it over the shirt.
Then call my mate who owns a porsche and its done.

Also I forgot to mention that I always add a fast facts bit to the final email that the press release is attached to - with all of the relevant facts that I can shove in - that way the reporter can cut bits out and rearrange the release so that it makes them happy.