Press Release here I come.....

Heyy Guys!! This is my third post in this blog and I am very excited to share with you my experience of writing a press release.

I think it was my second week when my supervisor asked me if I would like to try writing a press release for Deluxe paint. It was during Chinese New Year and our Client ICI paints wanted to organize a luncheon at Sheraton Hotel for the media reporters. This was a kind gesture of ICI to thank the reporters for their undying support through out the year.

My supervisor gave me brief idea of what should be there at the press release and I began to prepare a draft accordingly. I used the format that my lecturer taught me over the years and after a day I showed her my draft. I expected it to be decent and I thought she would like it.

However, she told me I need to make a lot of changes. That's when I realized that in the real PR world they don't really follow that typical format where the 1st paragraph is all about the 5W1H and that it has to be within 25 words. In the real world they want us to write a press release which people would actually read. It definitely needs to informative but make sure its not boring. The trick that I have learnt is that do not write like a writer in fact write like a reader, meaning to say you should write in a way that the reader expects you to write which is fun and informative.

Once I made changes as my supervisor wanted, she really liked it and we distributed this press release among the reporters on the day of the event. And the best part is the reporters found it news worthy because the next day it was in my morning newspaper.

Yayy!!!! The feeling of seeing your work published in different national newspaper is amazinggg... 

The event itself was pretty a good experience for me. I would say it was a bit hectic because I was in charge of media registration and I had to be there the whole time, smiling continuously, talking and interacting and handing them their goody bags. However, at the end I got to enjoy a delicious three course lunch at Sheraton. :)
Moreover, our clients gave us a goody bag as a present for our hard work. It was really sweet of them and the goody bag was filled with cute notebooks, calenders and a Chopstick set. YEPPEEEEE!!!!

Food for thought- Always, Always be nice to the reporters, interact with them and build your network as it will really be beneficial for you in the future. Don't forget they are the ones who writes about your clients. They can either make it or break it for you. 

Until next time this is Raiyana.