How to write a press release

A press release is a page or small packet of information that is given to the media (magazines, newspapers, television stations, etc.) to encourage them to give some attention to a particular event. For example, if you are holding a church fundraiser, you may want to send a letter to your local newspaper so that the newspaper can run a short announcement about it. Press releases are also sent out after an event has taken place.
There is really no set format for press releases when it comes to what they should look like. Press releases are not letters; they are more like memos. They are not very formal, nor are they very casual. They must, however, be typed and look professional.


Press releases should be sent at least 10 days before the event is to take place or no more than a day or two after an event has taken place.
A good press release will include the name, phone number, address, and alternate contact number of the sender. This should go either at the bottom of the page or the top of the page where it can be seen easily by an editor or reporter. Alongside the sender's name should be his/her title; for example, if the sender is a teacher, he/she will type his/her name, place a comma, and immediately after it type "teacher" so that the reader will know exactly with whom he/she is dealing. The sender contact information

is the most important part of the press release because before anything is printed, an editor must double-check the information with the sender. If there is no way to get in contact with the sender, the editor will probably not use the information sent to him/her.

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Five Marketing Tips for Wedding Planners - Small Office/Home Office

Five Marketing Tips for Wedding Planners
REPOSTED FROM: BellaOnline (click to read the entire article)


Wedding planners only make money when they have weddings to plan. That can be fairly easy during the spring, but sometimes you need to drum up enough business to keep you going during the off-seasons. Here are some marketing tips for your wedding planning business to keep your schedule full:

1—Find a niche. Target marketing can really help you focus your efforts. Sure, everyone with enough money can use a wedding planner when they get married, but if you try to market to everyone, you will find your efforts scattered and ineffective. However, if you are the only wedding planner in your area who specializes in second weddings or family weddings or destination weddings or hobby-themed weddings (NASCAR, wrestling, Civil War costumes, sky-diving, and so on) or outdoor weddings or weddings for Senior citizens or Hispanic or Asian weddings, or –see, the niche markets are endless! If you are the “go-to” wedding planner for these markets, you can easily build your market.

2—Find referral partners. The wedding market is heavily referral based. A florist knows bakers who know caterers who know ministers and so on. Get to know these people. Exchange business cards and sample their work if possible. Refer them when you can. Contact them often and drop off your marketing materials for their clients.

3—Exhibit at local wedding shows. Many brides attend wedding trade shows and make buying decisions on the spot. Some of the fees may be costly, but try sharing a booth with another non-competitive but complementary vendor at first. If that isn’t possible and you can’t afford the price, go as an attendee and network with other vendors. Or, offer a gift certificate for another vendor to give away in a drawing if he will share all the entry forms with you to send brochures to. If you can exhibit, make your booth exciting and have contracts ready to go if possible. Follow up all leads immediately.

4—Build a portfolio. Pictures are priceless. Photos of your work can really show brides what you can do. If you have no experience, give away your services so that you can take pictures and get referrals from your “starter” weddings. A digital camera is essential in your business. Take pictures of everything, print good color copies for your portfolio, and have your webmaster put them online, too.

5—Build a brand identity for your company. Pick a similar look for your business cards, website, stationary, thank you cards . . . everything you have printed or distribute to prospects. Choose a slogan or tagline that specifies your niche. For example, “Atlanta’s premier Asian wedding planner” tells everyone exactly what you do. Make sure your collateral (that’s your cards and stationary and stuff) has the tagline if possible, and that it “looks” the part—use Asian colors and art. If you specialize in budget weddings, say so. Ditto if you do blended family weddings or last-minute weddings.

Once you have a niche market and have done your research and are ready to go, create some educational articles that you can give out to prospects and referral partners or even use at trade shows. “Ten Tips for a Happy Blended Family Wedding”, or “Hispanic Wedding Traditions” or “Favorite Irish Wedding Toasts” printed in your brand’s colors and with your logo and contact information becomes a great marketing tool that can bring you business for a long time.

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Courtesy of : BellaOnline


Five Marketing Tips for Wedding Planners - Small Office/Home Office