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"89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases"
Lesson #31: Headline mistake
#3--Missing the
problem/solution
angle
Focusing on a problem and a solution
in your press release headline is usually a lot more effective than
focusing on how great your product, service, cause or issue is.
Why? Because people, including those
who search online, want solutions to their problems. If the headline
can give them the solution, or the promise of a solution, you'll
pull them into the release. Then, in the body of the release, you
can explain more about your business or nonprofit.
But many press release writers simply
focus on hyping something. That's Headline Mistake #3: Not
taking advantage of the problem/solution angle.
Here's a great example of a headline
that mentions the problem and the solution. It was written by Marcia
Yudkin, one of the best press release writers I know. Notice,
too, all the ordering and shipping information at the end.
Here's the release:
For: A Little Lingerie Company,
LLC, 42 Colonial Road, Suite 102, Fairfax, VT 05454.
Contact: Jennifer Michelle or 802-849-9868.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Last-Minute Shopping for a Romantic Holiday Gift Becomes
Easier with the Guy’s Guide to Buying Lingerie
Fairfax, VT, December 12, 2005 - Men are the ultimate last-minute
shoppers, and are notoriously inept at selecting gifts for their
wives and girlfriends. Luckily, this year A Little Lingerie Company,
LLC (www.ALittleLingerieCompany.com)
offers advice.
“Let her grandmother give her flannel jammies or a new crockpot,”
says Jennifer Michelle, president of A Little Lingerie Company, LLC.
“A romantic gift like lingerie shows that you remember falling in
love with her and still feel the same way.”
Michelle offers these tips for men unsure about buying lingerie for
their sweetheart:
• Find her size by rummaging in the lingerie drawer while she is in
the shower.
• If you’re worried about her feeling embarrassed to open a sexy
gift in front of the kids or her parents, A Little Lingerie
Company’s Gift-o-Gram is a good choice: luxurious items like bath
salts, chocolate or flavored body syrup packed together with a lace
boyshort in a cute vinyl purse. “By giving the lingerie as part of
an assortment of other gifts, you are not implying that she should
dress sexier. Instead, lingerie comes across as shared, romantic fun
for the two of you,” Michelle says.
• Buy lingerie in the colors and fabrics she most likes. If she
never wears pink, chances are she wouldn’t like lingerie in that
color.
• Lingerie doesn’t have to mean a bra and panty set. A matching
camisole and panty can make an equally suitable gift.
Additional lingerie-buying tips for guys can be found at
http://www.alittlelingeriecompany.com/pages.php?pageid=10 For
most items, orders placed through December 18 can be delivered in
time for Christmas or Hanukkah. For more information, contact
Jennifer Michelle toll-free at 1-877-884-8593 or
Jennifer@ALittleLingerieCompany.com. Gift-wrapping, gift
certificates and express delivery are available.
###
I marvel at what Marcia can do with a
press release. Her manual
"Marcia's
Makeovers: 24 Press Releases Transformed from So-So to Sizzling"
includes not only fabulous makeovers, but fabulous headlines. One
press release she wrote for a client got him an article in the
business section of the New York Times.
Opportunity #31:
Guest speaker you're hosting
If you're bringing in a guest
speaker for a luncheon, dinner, convention, training session, class,
special event, etc., send a press release.
Tomorrow: Another mistake that confuses readers
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