Question and answers

Where to start on this one?

When learning to write, you're normally taught to never start your story with a question. There's a number of good reasons why – primarily you want to tell your reader your news straight up, and asking a question – unless you answer it immediately – delays that moment. What's more if you're going to immediately answer it, then why bother posing the question in the first place? (Or, as I should have written: What's more, if you're going to immediately answer a question, then you should omit the question in the first place and just state the answer.) 

That all said, if you're confident in your story, you're writing a feature (or a blog) not news, and you want to intrigue or tease the reader, then you can just about get away with starting with a question. (As I've tried here.) It's a high risk strategy though.

If you do make the decision to start with a question, you're immediately faced with another: what kind of question do I ask? There's some learning from sales here – don't ever ask a 'closed' question unless you already know the answer, or your pitch can come to a juddering and resounding halt. So, to put the theory into practice, is it a good idea to make a James Bond allusion in the standfirst of your press release, and then immediately follow it with a completely unrelated closed question, to which you're unsure of how the reader will answer? And what's more, is it also a good idea to make reading the rest of the press release contingent on how you answer that question? I think. . . erm. . . no.

See, the fundamental problem with this PR (and I talk as someone who has been on on a gap year (well seven months really) after university) is that I have never encountered anyone who was put off the idea of a gap year by the thought of having to carry luggage. Equally I've never encountered anyone for whom spending £400 on a wheelie suitcase was the key to allowing them to get away. I think my experience is not untypical.

So, as a reader of this PR I read the first question, answer it in my mind with a resounding no, and then . . . yep, I hit the delete key PDQ. Nice picture though. . .

Live Luggage Press Release

Live Luggage Sports Bag with detachable rucksack and holdall takes the strain out of heavy luggage

A certain British fictional secret agent must actually travel with loads of luggage...

Holding back on those gap year plans because of the thought of struggling to carry heavy luggage around? If you are thinking of a gap year, a reliable suitcase to support you on your journey around the world is essential. The Live Luggage Sports Bag has an innovative design with a detachable weekend bag and rucksack which can be unzipped from the main case. They are the ideal aircraft carry-on items and also perfect to keep more valuable items such as cameras with you on a coach or train. On arrival, the handy detachable zip on/off rucksack is an easy and practical solution for taking everyday items such as goggles, sunscreen and energy snacks onto the beach. The detachable weekend bag can hold enough gear for one or two night overnight trips.
Live Luggage’s unique multi-bag suitcase with ergonomic handle lets you travel to your heart’s content! The ergonomic handle puts 85% of the weight onto its two big wheels, allowing you to walk around freely through airports, train stations and on to your resort with ease without strain on your arms, back or legs. The Sports Bag is great for a student’s gap year - plenty of room for all necessities and even more and the Live Locator™ ID system helps return the case should it be lost or mislaid.
There are two versions of the Sports Bag: the AG model (with Anti-Gravity handle) and the PA (power assisted) version with Anti-Gravity handle and power-assisted wheels, which run off a re-chargeable built-in battery – sensors in the handle automatically activate pan-cake motors in the wheels when slopes or kerbs are detected, taking all the strain out of walking uphill. The AG handle is height adjustable and glides back flat against the back of the case when stationery.
Live Luggage is a British company specialising in making the stress of heavy luggage a walk in the park, or even around the world! The Live Luggage Sports Bag comes in white or black, and for an individual look, choose from a range of different colour handles - black, white, yellow, red or pink. The Live Luggage Sports Bag costs just £265 complete for the anti-gravity (AG model) and £395 for the powered PA version. Available now from the Live Luggage website at www.liveluggage.com
ENDS
Please go to www.liveluggage.com to Media Centre to download hi-res images. For further information or for editors in London wanting to test-drive the 2012 Sports Bag, please contact:
or visit the Live Luggage website at www.liveluggage.com
Live Luggage cases have been voted into Time Magazine’s Top Ten Best travel Gadgets of 2009, click here
See Live Luggage bags on the Gadget Show: click here
Also featured on the Discovery Channel: click here

Love actually.

Have you got Royal Wedding fever yet? Possibly what you're waiting for to light the blue touch paper is a commemorative Royal Wedding love heart? H'mmmm.

Now leaving aside your feelings for Kate and Wills, or the product itself, the text of this PR isn't so bad - pretty clear, to the point, gives you the news hook immediately. So why blog about it?

This.

Through my email client, the first line was:

rel=File-Listhref="./705Swizzels_Matlow_-_Royal_Wedding_files/filelist.xml"> rel=Edit-Time-Datahref="./705Swizzels_Matlow_-_Royal_Wedding_files/editdata.mso">

Now I have no idea what that code is attempting to do, whatever it is it's clearly not doing it. The second line was then a graphic box with an obviously corrupted image. (And there were two more empty boxes between the first and second pars of the release).

Sorry Swizzels, but if you're going to embed pictures or media in your email press releases, it pays to make sure the code is right. Otherwise it just looks a bit, well rubbish really. Anyway, here's what you could have won.

Lovely. And best wishes to the happy couple.

rel=File-Listhref="./705Swizzels_Matlow_-_Royal_Wedding_files/filelist.xml"> rel=Edit-Time-Datahref="./705Swizzels_Matlow_-_Royal_Wedding_files/editdata.mso">

Press Release

22 March 2011

A Royal roll

Swizzels Matlow, one of the nation’s favourite confectionery brands, is rolling out limited edition Love Hearts to commemorate the Royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.



Mini rolls of Royal wedding Love Hearts are available for a limited period from www.lovehearts.com/special-occasions/royal-wedding and cost £19.99 per box of 50. Each wrapper reads – Royal Wedding, 29th April 2011, William & Catherine.

Sarah-Louise Heslop, of Swizzels Matlow, said:

“Our Royal wedding line will celebrate Prince William and Catherine’s marriage, and is perfect for families of all ages to enjoy at street parties or keep as a memento. Congratulations to the happy couple.”

The Royal wedding will take place on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey and the day has been declared a Bank Holiday in the UK.

Swizzels Matlow is proud of its history of supporting the Royal Family. In June 1990 Princess Diana opened the new factory and special Love Hearts were created for her, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry. For Prince William’s 21st birthday a specially commissioned Love Heart ‘Happy 21 Wills’ was made.

Swizzels Matlow is the UK’s largest family-owned independent sugar confectionery business and one of the few confectionery companies to still manufacture sweets in the UK. The company makes a range of well known products including Love Hearts, New Refreshers, Drumstick Lollies, Rainbow Drops, Double Lollies and Fruity Pops.

www.swizzels-matlow.com
Ends

For further information or separate high resolution photography please contact:

Facts about Swizzels Matlow
The company has been trading in the confectionery sector for over 80 years
Key brands include – Love Hearts, Drumstick Lollies, New Refreshers, Parma Violets, Fizzers, Double Lollies, Rainbow Drops, Double Dips and Fun Gums
Drumstick Lollies are the UK’s best selling lollipop brand. Over 150 million are consumed every year
Swizzels Matlow produces 300 million chew bars a year
The company now offers a range of Love Hearts gifts on www.lovehearts.com

Want a dog in your work place? . . . me neither

So, to get started here is a PR I received this morning from Adam Kay, the Communications Director at Maris Interiors, 'the UK’s leading specialist in workplace design and creation'. Now leaving aside I work for an NGO concerned with food and farming, this press release is stunning in its absolute redundancy, even I guess for an interior design journalist.

It actually starts well - a nice quirky set of stats that form an instant news hook, with broad appeal. (Either you're a dog lover and you nod in recognition of your own obsession, or you're not a dog lover and you nod in recognition of other people's insanity). You can imagine this making a nice little 'and finally' piece or at the very least an easy nib.

But then comes paragraph three, followed quickly by paragraph four. Apparently non-dog lovers are pretty opposed to their offices becoming kennels, for some fairly compelling health and safety reasons (and no, I don't think health and safety are necessarily dirty words), and the Chair of Maris Interiors apparently agrees. 'We should perhaps be a little cautious in encouraging dogs in the work place.'

Indeed.

So in short, it's a press release raising an idea that you've never thought about, and then pretty much dismissing it - boiling it down into a key message: 'Don't do something you were never going to consider doing anyway.' Nice.

Perhaps I'm being too harsh? Judge for yourselves. (Contact details available on request.)

PRESS RELEASE - For immediate use: 12th March 2011

Would you take a pay cut if you could bring your dog to work?

85% of employees who have dogs would like to be able to bring them to work, according to a recent survey conducted by office design company Maris Interiors. Only 5% of dog-owners have however actually ever taken their pet to the workplace.

A surprising 38% admitted they would consider changing jobs if it meant they were able to bring their dog in. 16% of dog-owners surveyed would give up one weeks’ holiday in order to have their pooch in the office, and 14% would even take a pay cut.

Non-dog owners weren’t quite so enthusiastic about the idea – 68% were unhappy to work in an environment with dogs around. Common concerns included fleas, chewed cables, allergies and litter training.

Maris Interiors Chairman, Michael Howard said “We should perhaps be a little cautious about encouraging dogs in the workplace. Whilst they might boost morale for the dog-lovers at work, we have to respect the views of the majority of employees who don’t have dogs and don’t want their cables chewed!”

NOTES FOR EDITOR

Maris Interiors LLP is the UK’s leading specialist in workplace design and creation. The company design and create world class working environments for occupiers throughout the UK and continental Europe. Their team of experts have extensive and in-depth knowledge of how good design can substantially improve business performance, save substantial amounts of money and help retain and attract key people.

224 people participated in the survey, conducted between 21st – 25th February 2011.

Rubbish press releases

Most of us could agree that the advent of the internet has brought lots of great things, especially for communications professionals: email, social networking, youtube, rss, instant messaging et al. Not all that glisters is gold though, and the ubiquity of cheap mass communication has had a downside*, especially for journalists; rubbish PRs sending rubbish press releases out indiscriminately.

I work for the Soil Association, editing our membership magazine Living Earth, and managing our small publications team. I also write a blog about my allotment here. For the benefit of any PR reading this the Soil Association is concerned with organic, healthy and sustainable food and farming. It's a fairly broad subject, touching many different issues. But that doesn't mean I need press releases about, for example, taking dogs into the workplace (in fact I'd go further on this point; no one needs a blog about taking dogs into the workplace).

That said, I have nothing against PRs sending this stuff out - after all they're just doing their jobs. So, while I can't use lots of this stuff professionally, this blog is an opportunity for some of these finely crafted press releases to see the light of day.

(*So yeah, I'm obviously leaving aside the real downsides of the internet like nasty porn, pedophile rings and splash pages with rubbish animations.)