1. Read their copy - knowing what a journalist writes about is key to targeting your story.
2. Invest in a great pic - it's amazing how much leverage a decent photograph can give a pedestrian press release.
3. Trust their judgement - if they're not interested today, they won't be interested tomorrow or next week.
4. Respond quickly - when a journalist asks a question, they usually need the answer in the next five minutes. If you can't get it that quickly, let them know.
5. Help them out - don't be afraid to give them off-the-record steers: it builds mutual trust and they'll keep coming back.
6. Be topical - the more current your theme, the more likely it'll get picked up.
7. Offer them a good exclusive - in other words, a decent story that's likely to be of wide interest to their readers.
8. Study newspaper style - notice how the first line of a news article grabs your attention and condenses the whole story into 35 words or less - your press release should do the same.
9. Be reliable - deliver when you say you will and get your facts right - corrections and retractions are bad news.
10. And finally - check they're not on deadline before launching into your sales pitch!
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