As you might know, I always encourage my clients to issue press releases about the newsworthy things they are doing. If they can hire me to handle their media relations, that’s all the better, but sometimes they need to do it on their own.

Since the rise of social media, people think newspapers are less important and less valuable. I disagree. A feature, or even a mention, in a newspaper provides validation for your business, nonprofit, or cause from a reputable entity who is not paid by you. To discuss this more, I invited HarrySaltzgaver, Executive Editor of the Grunion Gazette to discuss with me the role of newspapers in society today and what it means to be in the news.

One of the tips that Harry offers about writing press releases is to ask yourself, “Who says that?” It’s important to attribute opinions and report the facts.

Sit back and enjoy the discussion. Thank you, Harry!

If you are going the DIY route with a press release, here are some things to avoid, The 7 Deadly Sins of Media Relations. Going back even further, here is a post from 2011 (after writing for Harry and the Uptown Gazette for a few years) to help you come up with NEWSWORTHY stories while also thinking through how a reporter or editor will think about it and what questions or research they might do after reading your release. These principles haven’t changed. It’s not OLD, it’s PROVEN!

Leslie A.M. Smith founded McCormick L.A. in 1994 offering public relations and marketing consulting to nonprofits and small businesses. She is the author of Laws of Promotion. The 50-page promotional guide for small businesses and local nonprofits is available now on Amazon. Call her for help with your promotion. If you found this post helpful, please leave a note here and feel free to share it.