Things To Know When You Send A News Release

Aero-News gets hundreds of releases every week, ranging from industry giants like Boeing and Cessna to the smallest of flying clubs and the most quaint of air shows. We appreciate every one of those releases -- news is news, after all, and we want to be an information outlet for everyone.

After having seen the best and the worst in press releases over the years, we have some ideas to help companies do so much more to help themselves, both with ANN and with the general media.

For instance:

• Send pictures. That goes for clipart, logos and digital snapshots. "Art" is precious to print media types like us. If you're promoting someone, send a picture! That way, you get your company's logo in the story and the person you're talking about gets his or her picture on the web (not recommended for those who are deeply in debt or wanted by the law).
• Make sure the pictures are relevant to the story.
• Add quotes. Quotes are pictures painted with words. We really like quotes.
• Don't get fancy. When inserting the aforementioned quotes in a story, you don't have to agonize over ten different ways to say "he said." That'll do just fine, actually.
• Always include a web reference. Every story we publish at Aero-News has an "FMI" line. That's a web address or email that readers can use to obtain more information.
• Keep it short. Brevity is a happy thing.
• Email submissions work best at ANN. Phone calls are certainly welcome, but emails are much more effective.
• Work in advance. Don't send something to any news organization without as much lead time as possible.
• When sending a release to ANN, send it to editor@aero-news.net. If you send it to any other mailbox, it could get lost.

If you have questions, ask us. Perhaps you've noticed already, but we're very responsive to our readers. When we get your email, we make every effort to reply within 24 hours -- and often reply within six hours. Don't be afraid to drop us a line and ask our advice. After all, this is your publication and you deserve to be in it!

FMI: www.aero-news.net, editor@aero-news.net