Unlike many other PR agencies, Red Marlin has quite a blend of skills in its ranks. Its experience is drawn from many quarters, including journalism, in-house client side, agency side PR, sprinkled with liberal dose of marketing and sales expertise. Not many others can lay claim to such a valuable resource.

And it’s thanks to this unique mix that Red Marlin has achieved some very notable successes for its clients.

Understanding how the media works, building key contacts and delivering newsworthy, well-constructed articles to gain the maximum exposure is what we’re good at. Just recently we helped one of our clients achieve prime time national television exposure in the UK and only last weekend we generated coverage for one client across three continents

However, let’s go back to basics. For many clients, their PR goal is to be seen and heard in a positive light, whether it’s to increase sales, generate leads or further a good cause. However, from a journalists view-point they need stories that are of interest to their readers and not just a blatant sales plug.

Red Marlin can help by marrying the two.

For an article to achieve the most coverage it needs to tick a number of boxes, but most importantly it must be newsworthy, or at least have a hook which will grab the attention and make the editor read more.

While there’s no substitute for well planned activity carried out by knowledgeable professionals, if you’re conducting your own PR activities, we’ve compiled a brief checklist to help you make the most of your efforts.

1. An attention grabbing headline can make all the difference. Journalists typically receive hundreds of press releases and pitches every day so you need your piece of news to stand out from the crowd.
2. Likewise, the introduction is vitally important as it needs to encapsulate the essence of the story. Try to include 5 key elements in the opening sentence – who, when, what, where & why.
3. Editors are most likely to crop your release from the bottom up so make sure all of your important items are contained early on.
4. With high work volumes, editors don’t have hours to rewrite what’s been sent to them. Well written, precise and accurate copy is what they want, so give it to them, and if you can’t enlist the help of someone who can.
5. A picture speaks a thousand words but editors don’t want their inbox filled with your images. By all means include a low-resolution thumbnail in your press release but make sure your contact details are clear so they can contact you for a high-resolution copy of the image. Alternatively, provide a link to an online press room where they can download the full image.

Clearly, these tips only scratch the surface of what you should be considering when developing press materials. To find out more or to discuss how your media relations could be more effective, why not give us a call on 01926 333245.