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"89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases"
Lesson #21: 'Help Wanted' notices
If you don't have employees and you don't intend to ever hire them,
skip this part of the lesson and scroll down to "Opportunity 21" If
you do, read on.
There's no reason to rely only on expensive classified ads when
you're searching for employees.
Now that we're writing press releases for the web, a press release
can double as a "Help Wanted" ad. And here's the really good
news--since you can post it several places online without having to
worry about how long it is or the cost of the ad, it can be as
detailed as you want.
Today's lesson is much longer than usual, and you'll see why in a
minute.
I wrote a fictional "Help Wanted" press release, then gave it to my
friend, Norman Lieberman, a successful executive recruiter and pay
raise coach, to critique. Norm completely rewrote my dull, boring ad
and turned it into one with kick and pizzazz, guaranteeing that it
would attract top candidates.
Norm says the best "Help Wanted" ads focus on goals and outcomes of
the position to be filled, not on the list of requirements such as
college degrees, years of experience, and other mundane stuff that
turn off the best potential candidates, and don’t clearly measure
the candidates’ ability to deliver.
"If your readers think my ad is too salesy, that's a problem they
must get over," he says. "EVERYONE SELLS, so this position has to be
sold no differently than an iPod. That's the problem with most ads.
The hiring company won't give 10 minutes of effort to sell the
position. If the hiring firm doesn't care enough to package the ad
attractively (not fabricate), why should the best candidate care
either?"
He also offers this great tip before writing an ad:
"Consider storyboarding. That means painting a vivid, compelling
story about the kinds of problems the candidate will help solve,
and where they will fit in to the firm's vision for growth. The more
enticing the story, the better chance the firm will have in
attracting an 'A' player. 'A' players are attracted to challenge,
job stretch, and goals. Compensation should be attractive, but
normally compensation alone won’t motivate top candidates for long.
Generally speaking, if it is 'just' a job, then you will attract
second- and third-level candidates."
You wouldn't send something like this to the media, of course, but
you could post it at your website, at
Craigslist,
and at free job-posting sites or blogs offered by trade
associations. Also, consider purchasing Google Adwords and link them to
your ad.
If you want more help learning how to use Craigslist, see
"How to Use Craigslist as a Global Publicity Tool." Want more
help learning Google Adwords? Sign up for a free
5-day email
course from my coach, Perry Marshall.
Here's Norm's rewrite. We didn't optimize this for the search
engines yet (you'll learn more about this in Week 10). But I'm
offering it here to show you the possibilities of what you can do
with a free online Help Wanted ad.
Position:
Results-Oriented Public Relations Coordinator Who Wears
Many Hats
Stewart Public Relations, a boutique PR agency, works with
manufacturing clients to skyrocket their exposure, credibility and
sales. We require a racehorse type of individual who can apply their
creativity, technical skills and prior success to helping our
manufacturing clients reach their goals of public recognition and
exponential bottom-line growth.
We will work this position around you and your needs and
requirements. This position reports to the president so that you
won’t have to jump through hoops to get your ideas heard and
implemented. Our office is located in Port Washington, Wisconsin,
but working off site can be arranged.
If you can clearly demonstrate how you have elevated your clients'
visibility and bottom line, then we will show you how we can elevate
your career.
What We Need:
Someone who will be our key contact and establish relationships with
the traditional media. You'll respond to media inquiries and pitch
compelling and creative story ideas. The ideal candidate knows how
to form strong relationships with the print, broadcast and online
media and already has numerous contacts in the manufacturing trade
press, or can secure those contacts.
But more importantly, we're looking for someone who understands that
public relations goes far beyond the traditional media. You must
know how to give our clients visibility to not only journalists, but
to potential buyers, and do it through things such as blogs, SEO
news releases, podcasting and viral marketing.
Your experience with search engine optimization for things like
articles, press releases, online media rooms and website copy will
help our clients and our agency have a strong Internet presence.
We will design this position around not only our needs, but what it
will take to stretch your career to the next level. We will make
sure that we paint a clear picture of the career path you can travel
with our firm.
We've grown over 22 percent per year over the past four years, which
means we are fast-paced and leading-edge, provide our race horses
all the rein they need to succeed, and fast track team members that
are major contributors to our growth.
You will handle a busy workload, details and deadlines, while
thinking creatively and coming up with new ideas. Please provide
evidence of some of your successes by drafting a simple Word
document that details a problem your client had, the process you
used to solve it, and the result of your efforts. Be as detailed as
possible. Weave into that document how you have effectively used
both traditional and new media. If you want to have the freedom to
succeed, and be generously rewarded and appreciated for those
successes, then please respond without delay.
What we offer:
Salary, bonuses and other compensatory rewards that are in-line with
“top talent” in this industry. Some benefits will be tailored to
your situation. However, we have a liberal 401K, vacation policy and
most other standard benefits befitting a company that is attracting
top talent like you.
We also have a Mentor Program for all employees. You will be
mentored by an award-winning Senior Staff person who can shorten your learning
curve and help you move your career in the direction you want it to
go.
Your experience should include:
-
A strong track record of writing and editing
-
A strong track record of building relationships with the media
that has resulted not just in a "pile of clips," but in positive
measurable results. We want to see how your public relations
efforts have changed behavior that has benefited your client.
-
An understanding of how to use new public relations tools such
as blogs, podcasts, online articles and viral marketing to move
potential buyers through the sales process.
-
Contacts or experience in developing contacts that can be
transferred to the manufacturing trade press
-
Experience with search engine optimization or the ability to get
up to speed quickly
-
Appreciation and understanding that sales, marketing and PR are
not mutually exclusive
This is a coveted position and we expect a lot of competition. So if
you love competition, send a résumé and a Word document that details
some of your outstanding successes. Email to
JStewart@PublicityHound.com. No phone calls, please.
Come lead our PR efforts at Stewart Public Relations, get the
recognition you deserve and put your career on a fun, fast track.
-- END --
Opportunity #21: Free articles at your website |
