Q: Hi: Below is a press release about our client’s new product. 100% of the profits from this new toy go directly to the _________ Foundation, a non-profit grant making organization. For more information, please visit our website. Please let me know if you would like to receive a sample and/or image of this unique toy. Thanks!

Public Relations Firm

A: If you want to know how to get someone in the press to write about you or your business, then the letter above is Exhibit A of what NOT to do.

This letter is an e-mail I received last week, though I took out some info so as to not embarrass the author. I receive press releases and e-mails from PR agencies and departments all the time, wanting me to write a column about them.

Of course they want to get ink (or, in my case, pixels.) A positive story about a business is one of the best marketing tools there is; it is independent, third-party confirmation that your business is special. It can be re-printed again and again and used in many ways.

So what is wrong with the letter above, from a writer or editor’s point of view? Plenty:

It Is Impersonal: Right from the start, the letter did not work for me because it was not addressed to me personally. Had it begun with “Dear Steve” I would have been more inclined to give it a second look, but because it wasn’t personalized, it was clear that the PR agency sent the same generic email out to as many columnists and editors as they could find.

So my first tip is this: If you want someone to write about you or your business (or do a TV or radio segment about you) then pinpoint the exact person or people who cover what it is you do, and write to them personally, in a friendly, direct manner.

It Is Off the Mark: The second problem is that the PR person clearly has no idea what I write about. First of all, I don’t write about toys. Second, the part of the press release that I omitted discussed a foundation that had only a tangential relation to small business. Why they sent it to me is anyone’s guess. Mine is that it was e-mailed to hundreds (or thousands!) of names off a list on which that I happened to be.

So, if you want someone to write a story about you, your business, or your career, you need to target writers who cover your area. That means coming knowing that writer’s stuff well enough that you can be pretty sure that the angle you are pitching is something in which he or she would find interesting.

It Was Not New: Beyond finding an angle that you think is interesting, it needs to be an angle that may seem fresh to the writer/columnist/editor. This is the hard part. How do you know if it is a new angle to them? You may not, but you have to try.

I typically say yes to press release inquiries when it seems clear that the person pitching knows my beat, my audience, has something unique to offer, and seems easy to work with.

So if you want to get some press, find a writer who covers your area, come up with a unique angle that may be of interest (remember ‘dog bites man’ is not news, but ‘man bites dog’ is), draft a personal, friendly e-mail, follow up, and cross your fingers.

Today’s Tip: SCORE has a great section on its websites where it offers Top 5 Tips on various subjects. Here are SCORE’s Top 5 tips for effective news releases:

1. Make sure they’re newsworthy. Good topics include the announcement of a major new client, a celebrity appearance at your store, and community service performed by your company.
2. Create news and put out a press release about it. Speak at a seminar, for example, or provide expert comment on developing news events.
3. Get your releases to the right people. Find out who at your radio and TV stations and newspaper will be the most interested in your news.
4. Capture editors’ attention by putting the news in the first paragraph. Then add the necessary details.
5. Make your releases look crisp and professional—that means no smudgy type. Include the name and phone number of a contact person, and answer media queries promptly.”