Press-Release and Product-Review Guidelines
Do you have any idea how many press releases I get each week? Patti, my mail carrier, has let me know a time or two that I better be reading all of the stuff that's giving her a bad case of shoulder arthritis. Handling paper is a hassle, but reading an email and clicking a link to a .pdf and .jpg file is faster.
Which electronic press releases do I look at first? Which ones get my attention? It's easy. If you want me to give your press release serious consideration, then you'll convert your press release into a .pdf file. Don't send me a MS Word file. I'm on a Mac, and they often lose formatting when Gmail opens them as a Google Document.
Press releases that get read by me follow these guidelines to the letter:
- A 100-word
maximum summary of the press release located at the top of
the document. This summary is MISSION CRITICAL. Get my attention here - forget about all of the clever prose. Cut
to the chase. Many of us in the press are just as busy as you are. In other
words, be sure the summary is above the top fold of my monitor screen. If
the summary contains
key points that catch my interest, you can
bet I'll read the full body of the release.
- Color images included in the .pdf file with active links where I can see
larger images or high-resolution images. This is not hard to do, and many members
of the press would appreciate this time-saving measure.
- Send images as attachments if you desire, but watch your file sizes. You can also provide a link where I can download the image(s).
- Product samples sent to me for review are never returned. I NEVER write about a product nor feature it in a video unless I test it. If you want me to consider your product, you must send it to me. Use the Ask Tim link above to get my address.
- Products that pass my testing are almost ALWAYS mentioned in my weekly newsletter. My newsletter is sent to tens of thousands of raving fans. I provide to the PR firm a report showing the thousands of clicks I send to the product's website within 96 hours of the mention in the newsletter. My subscribers LOVE product reviews in my newsletters.
Ready to submit your press release and products? Proceed to the Press Release Submission page.
