OK - So you want some publicity, but can't seem to get any

OK - So you want some publicity, but can't seem to get any? Here's part 1, entitled "How To Write a Press Release."

The press release is the most important tool you can use in your quest for publicity. There aren't too many folks involved in amateur sports who know how to write one. With this info, you'll be a leg up on them...and believe me, sports editors of newspapers and sports directors at TV stations notice the professional-looking press release.

The first step is to get club stationery. This is a must! Because you will be mailing some occasional PR, make sure that your stationery is at least one color other than black! I'm a member of the Norfolk City Blues; our club's colors are blue and gold. Our stationery has the club badge, name, and address in blue only. It looks fine as is. Very few sports teams use two-color stationery anyway.

The next step is to put information about yourself under the club address. This will include your name, phone number, fax number and e-mail address (if you have these latter two), and date. This is critical. The sports outlets need to know who you are and how to get in touch with you. There have been many occasions when I have received a telephone call back from the newspaper that I had just faxed, with further questions for me.

Next: The headline. Make it an attention-grabber if you can, but make sure that it contains what your press release says in only a few short words.

To start off the body of the press release, start with the city and state where you are located, followed by two lines: -- Then start your story. For a press release, you need to put as much information up front in the first line as possible. No sports editor is going to sit around searching a wordy story for the needed information. If he/she can't find it immediately, your press release will be heading into the wastebasket.

Finally, at the end of your release, skip a line and then, in the center of the paper, put this: - 30 - . If you go over to page two, instead of the - 30 -, put down MORE-MORE-MORE-MORE-MORE for a centered last line. In the upper left-hand side of page 2, put down 2-2-2-2-2, then skip a line and continue.

Here's what a finished press release should look like:
For Immediate Release           Contact: Jeffrey Anderson
                                Tel: 579-4109(w)
                                523-6321(h)
                                Fax: 579-4369
April 20, 1995                  E-mail: jeffand@beacon.regent.edu
NORFOLK, RAF TO SQUARE OFF FOR AZALEA FEST

NORFOLK, VA--The Norfolk City Blues and the Royal Air Force Select XV will square off in a high-powered rugby match next Tuesday, April 25, as part of the Azalea Festival events. The match will be played at Lafayette Park, Norfolk, with festivities beginning at 4:00PM, followed by the match itself at 4:30PM.

The RAF Select XV is comprised of young, up-and-coming rugby stars in the Royal Air Force, and former elite RAF players. These former all-stars train and play alongside the younger players, helping them in the finer points of the game and coaching them to a higher level of ability. RAF halfback Rory Underwood currently plays for England's first XV and is in England preparing himself for the 3rd Rugby World Cup to be played in South Africa starting next month.

The Norfolk City Blues, the current Virginia Rugby Union champions, will counter with a side consisting of Combined Services Select Side halfback Phil Hurni, former Combined Services SS player Matt Gentile, and 13 current Virginia Rugby Union Select Side players. Norfolk, winners of 13 of 15 VRU titles, expects to give the RAF a tough afternoon of rugby in this exciting match-up!

The match will be refereed by Ed Sorenson, an A-panel referee. Mr. Sorenson is in the highest echelon of refereeing, being one of the top four referees in the United States and in the top 1% of referees worldwide. He will be coming to this match from his new home in Washington, D.C.

- 30 -

The publicity this match generated included two local television sports show appearances by yours truly, all three major network television affiliate sports departments coming out to shoot some video, and the area newspaper putting in a photograph of the match. Without the press release, the coverage would have been much less. A press release can be mastered by any rugger in a few minutes. Also, there are many variations of how a press release looks. The one above is the style I use. Just make sure that your press release conveys what I have mentioned for information. Remember, KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid - a sure-fire rule of thumb.

As a final reminder -

1. Make sure your opening sentence or opening short paragraph answers the 5 W's: who, what, when, where, and why.

2. Make sure your spelling, grammar, and sentence structure are correct.

3. Be professional in the words you choose. Don't be flip, use slang, or street language.

4. Presume that the sports people don't know what you are talking about. They probably don't anyway. Therefore, use words they understand. Here's what I sometimes do to help: "Joe Smith scored a try (touchdown) for Norfolk."

Now go out and show these sports editors and sports directors that your rugby club deserves more professional courtesy and coverage than Billy's Auto Body championship softball team!