Where to Send Your News Releases
The amount of information the average person receives every day is overwhelming. On the one hand, it seems wrong to add to the avalanche, but on the other hand, if you don’t tell readers about your book, how will they ever find it? So you write and send news releases.
Certainly there have never been as many options as are available today, but they won’t all be worth your time. For instance, if you google “send press release” you will find both free and paid press release services and lists of news outlets, but most of these will be useless. While global reach is possible, these days it’s all about “local.” Building your own list of news outlets will be much more productive.
Online news outlets have been reinventing themselves for a few years now. Monetizing online news and controlling spam were two of the biggest issues, and while the changes haven’t all been for the better, at least some options still exist.
Patch.com is a nation-wide online news outlet. Although there is not a Patch for every city, you can usually find one nearby. Patch was sold and reorganized since its inception. Some capabilities were lost, some are being re-added. You will need to create a free account with them first and then you will be able to contribute. Their form is fairly simple to navigate and you can go back to edit even after publishing if need be.
You can choose in which city’s Patch you want to your article to appear, so if you are from Berwyn and you are speaking at a book club in St. Charles, it would be smart to post your news release in both of those Patches.
Many traditional newspapers have online news outlets now as well. The Chicago Tribune still has a version of TribLocal, although it’s been through a few incarnations since it was first launched, and there are similar online news outlets throughout the country.
Some online news outlets will not let you post your own articles, but will accept a news release via email or an online form. If you use their online form, you might want to take a screen shot of it or keep a copy of the text and note when you submitted it as you won’t have a “sent” email for your records.
If you can’t find an obvious way to submit your news release, browse the news outlet for the name of a reporter or editor who would be an appropriate contact and find their email address. For instance, if you’re having a book signing at a local tea shop, it might make sense to send your news to the restaurant reviewer with a comment about how much you enjoyed her review of the new brewpub in town.
It can only help to be on good terms with reporters and editors, especially in the ever-changing news world. Many staff writers are free-lancers and work for more multiple news outlets, so you may run into them in different places at different times.
Bloggers are also news outlets, if their readers are your target market. And don’t restrict yourself to book bloggers. Look for that local angle again such as community event blogs, homeowners’ associations or even industry experts. Perhaps the Society of Tea Drinkers would be interested in your tea shop book signing.
Keep a list of all the websites and emails that you are sending news releases to on your computer so that when it’s time to send another release, you can easily cut-and-paste the email addresses and URLs you need instead of looking them up all over again.
Not all news releases get published, but you’ll have a better chance with online outlets. Occasionally, an editor may also publish your news in their physical newspaper or you may spark an interest in writing their own feature article. And when they do, don’t forget to tell everyone on social media, since that’s news in itself!
Get all of this information and more in one, easy-to-read guide: Book Rookie - Tips for First-Time Authors
Tips, best-practices, and handy checklists found at the end of every chapter takes the hassle and worry out of launching your author career.