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Posted by:

ComicBookBin

Date:

April 18th, 2007 1:13 AM

Header:

Press Releases and Comic News

Bulletin:

In the past week, I've had lots of press releases where I either had to reject or rewrite everything from scratches.

Sure, most of the time, reporters are "supposed" to rewrite press releases. The problem is that in the comic book industry in particular, press releases are not even of a level where they are worth rewriting. They would never cut it in another industry.

I've been taking some time to explain to folks why their releases are rejected or totally rewritten. Many times, people are defensive and have no interest in changing what they think they are doing right.

The problem with a press release, is that you don't write it to be right. You write it to influence someone else. So if that someone else receiving that press release think it's totally bad, you're not doing much influencing.

So your goal is not to be right, but to get your message across. So when a guy like me who has been placing press releases on his site for 5 years tells you that perhaps it is in your best interest to change something, perhaps you should swallow your pride and see what I'm saying.

Running a comic book site, gives me the advantage of seeing a lot of folks and seeing a lot of them making the same mistakes over and over again.

Here are a few pointers.

1-It has to be newsworthy. Listen, if you have nothing to announce that is really of interest, don't. That you have a new site design is NOT NEWSWORTHY. Think about the reader. How do readers benefit? What's in it for them? The newsworthiness of your news has to be seen from the point of view of the person reading your press release, not yourself. It's like thinking about your customers first.

2-A press release is not advertising. Don't mix the two. If your sole goal is to inform about your product, you're better off taking an ad. A press release is not about selling products, but about developing mindshare. People have to know who you are and care about you, before they care about buying your products.

3-Never forget the basic questions. Who, why, when, where, what, how. Although it seems stupid to write this, most people just don't get it. You need to cover all of these before you can say how great your comic book is. People can't guess that your attending a specific convention, if you don't tell them where it is being held. Don't leave anything to chance. Cover your ass and include complete information.

4-Include contact info. We have a self serve news posting system at The Bin. Before people can reach this page and post their news themselves, we remind them clearly that they should also send us a copy through email. So far, very few people have sent us an email after posting in our self serve news system. Although I really like the fact that people can post news on their own, I also need to be able to reach them - quickly. The contact information is mostly for news folks, not the public. If I find a news item you've posted interesting, but I can't contact you to do a follow up story, you've just wasted an great opportunity. Email and a phone number are crucial.

5-Maintain communication with the media. Usually, we receive press releases without any other messages. We're just expected to post them. Very few people take the time to communicate with the persons posting the news items. Some publicists work for us for years and never even send us a Christmas wish...

Publicity, like I said above, is about influencing people. It's about making sure they are on your side and care about your interests. The surest way to get someone to care about your interests, is to show that you care about them. A good publicist, never gets mad at the media or argues with them. He tries to stay on their good side and be their friends. He tries to suggest opportunities for stories about their material. However, for such opportunities to be taken seriously, the other person has to care. Remember, a newsdesk, receives lots of communications from many people. If you just send a press release and don't do follow up, you're wasting your time. Sure your project is special. But there are tons of other competing special projects out there.

Because of the size of DC Comics and Marvel Comics in the comic book industry, there is a perception that the comic book creator and publishers are more important than the readers and by extension the press. It is assumed that every one is just dying to do a story on the hot artist and writer of the week and willing to sell their first born to get that opportunity.

Leave that mindset behind. Be humble and be smart. That attitude is destructive and is a clear lack of respect toward people supporting you. You, the comic book creator should bend down to please your readers. Not them. I could go on, but I'll leave that for another bulletin.

Meanwhile, here are some good links about press releases and public relations in the comic book industry.

I’m Thrilled and Excited

New Dark Horse Publicist

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