The first thing to consider when distributing press releases is that the release is written correctly. The better written it is, the more likely it will be published. Editors are more likely to use something that requires little work than one that needs to be rewritten and called to verify accurate information. Therefore, your release should tell the reader who, what, when and where.

Begin the first sentence of the piece with whom the event is about and then in that same sentence what they are doing. For example, you might write: Jane Smith will be exhibiting her art collection on Saturday night at 7 pm So now you have described who and what. The next paragraph or two may describe Jane, who she is, and why her collection is valuable enough to display.

The final paragraph will finish answering the four questions. It will tell you where the event will take place and when. For example, you might say: The Smith show will be at the Garden Inn on June 3 at 7 pm Then, of course, you must provide the information on how they can purchase tickets and a number they can call.

Distributing these is another thing entirely, however, since email has come on the scene, it helps speed it up. If you send out communications on a regular basis, you should set up an archive. It would be nice to have a hard copy and one on the computer.

To set up the archive, you’ll need to search for all documents in your local area and get the contact’s name and email address. This may take a few phone calls. You can check online as well as in the yellow pages. Find everyone who is local to add to your list. You may also find that local TV stations have a place for you to add releases, so do a careful job of finding out who will accept them online. You can send 200 and only 10 will use them, so the more you can add to the list, the better.

If you can find a way to build a working relationship with any of these publishers, it could increase your chances of getting your article printed. Otherwise the best way to print something is to write it right. Be concise; do not add anything extra on these pitches. Publishers aren’t looking for writers; they usually have everything they need. But most publishers will use a well-written release if they have the space for it.

So once you’ve built your list, add it to your email contact list. Put these names in a group in your contacts so you can quickly mention them. You don’t want to go through your list every time you submit one of these, so bundle them now as you put them together.

After that persistence is needed. Start the promotion at least one month in advance. See who publishes the release. After three weeks send it again to those who did not print it. Watch and wait to see who uses it, then send it again. Sometimes a publisher just doesn’t have the space to put it. Online which is not as common as in local newspapers. Eventually, you’ll find out who is most likely to print your press release and who you have favor with. Those are the ones who make sure they are informed of all your events.