PR pros have been married to the same writing format since Ivy Lee invented the news release in 1906 ...
In fact:
With 3,000 releases going out each day the impact of traditional releases ain’t what it used to be.
Fewer than 50% of all traditional PR pieces ever get covered, according to PR Newswire’s own research.
Dennis L. Wilcox and Lawrence W. Nolte go further: 55% to 97% of all PR pieces are never used, they say.
Yet journalists still rely on press releases to cover the news.
So how can you put your release among the 3% to 45% of those that actually get the word out?
In Ann Wylie’s press release-writing training, you’ll learn scientific, proven-in-the-lab techniques for writing releases that journalists want to cover and that readers want to read.
“Since I attended Ann’s PR writing class, every press release I’ve written has been picked up by the media. That’s what I call ROI!”
— Stephanie Sobotik
senior manager, global marketing communications at Freescale Semiconductor
Agenda
for this press release-writing training
In this press release-writing training, you’ll learn to how to get the word out via media relations. Specifically, you’ll learn how to:
Think Like a Reporter.
Learn how to write like a journalist, not like a PR agency. Find story angles that readers will love, and that no editor will be able to pass up.
Write Killer Bites.
Turn lame-ass quotes into great executive soundbites. Your CEO will love getting quoted by her favorite news organization.
Think Outside the Pyramid.
Stop boring readers to death with the five Ws. Steal a trick from the Associated Press and use the writing structure that has outperformed the inverted pyramid in study after study by the news industry.
Cut Through the Clutter.
Reporters spend an average of 59 seconds reading news releases. Learn how to write a one-minute release.
Reach Reporters Where They Look.
Just 19% of people read news word-by-word [Harris Interactive]. The rest skim. Find out how to get the word out to flippers, skimmers and other nonreaders.
Outcomes from this press release-writing training
After this training, you and your team members will be able to:
Boost media coverage with releases that readers want to read and that journalists want to cover.
Deliver bottom-line business results to your organization with tricks from nationally award-winning PR campaigns.
Fill in the blanks to the most effective product release lead you have ever written.
Put the bite in the sound bite with a simple trick from The New York Times.
Craft the perfect pitch, news release or other media-relations piece.
“The release I worked on in Ann’s Master Class got 68.5% more page views and 19% more coverage vs. our top competitors than average. It got picked up by two targeted industry publications, and it resulted in a follow-up interview with our metro daily.”
— Loren LeVasseur
public relations supervisor, Coverys
| Master Class Master Ann’s full system for content writing. | Everything in this agenda | ✔︎ | ✔︎ | Five 2-hour sessions | Two 6-hour days |
| Workshop Learn Ann’s full system for content writing. | Everything in this agenda | ✔︎ | ✗ | Four 90-minute sessions | One 6-hour day |
| Mini Master Class Master one topic. | A single topic from this agenda | ✔︎ | ✔︎ | Two 90-minute sessions | Three-hour session, available at Ann’s full-day fee |
| Webinar Learn one topic. | A single topic from this agenda | ✔︎ | ✗ | One 90-minute session | 90-minute session, available at Ann’s full-day fee |
Add writing guidelines to any training
Get everyone on the same page with written checklists and guidelines — all customized with before-and-after examples of your team’s work.
Bonus
Your team will see during class “how Ann would have written it.”
About your press release-writing trainer
Ann Wylie, CSP, works with communicators who want to reach more readers and helps organizations that need to get the word out.
Her workshops take her from Hollywood to Helsinki, helping communicators in organizations like Coca-Cola, Toyota and NASA polish their skills and find new inspiration for their work.
She helps organizations like FedEx, Sprint and the Mayo Clinic launch or revitalize their communication channels and produce more engaging messages.
Before starting her writing-training firm, Ann worked as a PR professional in a boutique PR firm, produced an internationally-award-winning employee communication channel for Hallmark Cards and served as editor of an executive magazine.
Ann’s work has earned more than 60 awards, including two International Association of Business Communicators’ Gold Quills — the Pulitzer Prizes of business communications.
Learn new writing tricks, trends and techniques
81% of ‘readers’ don’t read
Are you
ready to
make your
readers
We can’t wait to work with you!