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How to Fill Out the Supporting Sponsor Press release for the U.S. Pizza Team
Dear Supporting Sponsor of the U.S. Pizza Team,
Here are some instructions on filling out the Supporting Sponsor Press release for the U.S. Pizza Team. Please read the instructions carefully. There are a lot of details you will need to fill into the template. If you have any questions about how to get press coverage as a supporting sponsor of the team, please let me know. I will be happy to help you. You can reach me at 662.234.5481 Ext. 126 or at amanda@pmq.com. Thanks for becoming a supporting sponsor of the U.S. Pizza Team.
Sincerely,
Amanda Johnson
Managing Editor
PMQ Magazine
CLICK HERE to download a press release template (Microsoft Word Document)
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Instructions on filling out supporting sponsor press release:
- Print this release on your company letterhead. If you do not have letterhead, put your logo in the header section of the document.
- In the section “For more information contact” put in your name and title, your phone number and your email address.
- In the “Date Written” section, put in the date you send this to the media.
- Either insert your restaurant name in the headline or create a new headline.
- In the section (YOUR CITY, YOUR STATE), put your town name and state abbreviation in ALL CAPS! This is known as the dateline.
- In the second paragraph put in what you are going to do as a supporter of the U.S. Pizza Team. This is known as the nut graph. It is the most important part of the press release.
- Anywhere you see (Your Restaurant, Your website, etc.), put in the pertinent information. Make sure you triple check to make sure all of these are filled in. THIS IS IMPORTANT!
- In the Section “About Your Restaurant” put About (name of your restaurant). This is called the boilerplate section. This is where you put in a statement about your company. See the release for tips on what to say or email amanda@pmq.com for help with this.
- The most important part of getting this release published is sending it to the correct person. Read on for instructions for sending it to the correct person:
Newspapers
You should send your release to the proper editor. Usually it is the food editor or the news editor. If you don’t know which one, call the main desk at the newspaper and ask where you should send it. The preferred way to send a release is through email, but I recommend sending it in the mail ten days prior to the U.S. Pizza Team event and sending it in an email. Put the release in the body of the email, NOT as an attachment. Most people don’t open attachments anymore because of viruses. Be clear in your subject line that this is a press release. Put in something like U.S. Pizza Team Press Release or My Pizza Company announces. It’s also helpful to put in a short note before the release text. Here’s an example:
Dear Ms. Star,
Here is a release on the U.S. Pizza Team. We are the official local supporters of the team. We are trying to get the word out about the pizza industry’s Olympic team. Please let me know if you have any questions. You can reach me at 555-555-5555 or myname@mywebsite.com. Thank you for considering the U.S. Pizza Team and My Company in your news coverage. The release follows:
Your Name
Your Title
For more information contact: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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If you are going to mail the release, make sure you put in a note just like the previous email addressed to the correct person. It should reach them ten to 14 days before the World Pizza Championship. If you cannot find an email address for the editor, fax it to their attention at the newsroom fax number. Include a cover page with the same sort of note as the email.
TV Stations
TV stations need to receive the news release in the same time frame as newspapers, but the person you send it to is different. You should send the release to the assignment editor at the television station. This is the person who doles out stories. I would find out the name of the assignment editor and mail it 10 to 14 days prior to the event and email it also. Many times in television, a fax is preferred. Find out the assignment desk fax number and fax it to be on the safe side. Include the same kind of note in the letter, email or fax cover sheet as described under the newspaper section.
Radio Stations
The radio is a much-overlooked source of press coverage. You must send it to the right person as mentioned above. This person will be either the news director or to a general news desk. I try to target stations that have a news show or food show. If it is for a food show, send the release to the program director in charge of that show. You may also try emailing the release to the disc jockeys of a featured radio show. Fax machines are also still used very frequently, so fax the release in to the news director to be on the safe side. You can mail the release in, but it isn’t always necessary in radio. When selecting a station to send your release to, make sure you send it to talk radio stations and news networks. These are the most likely to pick up your release. Don’t forget to send it 10 to 14 days prior to the event.
Phone Calls and Emails
I wanted to put in a word of caution about sending press releases out. It is perfectly all right to follow up a release with a phone call, but be warned that most reporters and editors are very busy people. They prefer that you send them an email in most cases. DON’T BUG THEM! Reporters and editors get swamped with releases every day. Give them time to review your release. Just check in with them to see if they received it and let them know you are available for questions.
CLICK HERE to download a press release template (Microsoft Word Document)
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