How one news release resulted in $7000 in newspaper and magazine coverage

A good news release can generate widespread news coverage—here's one example of how a single release generated thousands of dollars worth of unpaid editorial space.

The client was a residential developer with a large project encompassing more than 700 home sites. That in itselt didn't make for a truly compelling story, so we looked outside the normal announcement information to find something newsworthy to report. In this case, a major portion of the development property was situated on protected wetlands, and the forward-thinking development team had created a conservancy to ensure the land was protected for the future. "Green" building was just becoming a hot topic in the news, so we centered our "story" around the conservancy and its impact on future preservation of the area.

We felt sure that we would garner a local mention or two, but we didn't anticipate the widespread coverage that the release generated. Within a week, there was a prominent front-page newspaper headline and article, followed a few days later by a positive editorial from the publisher. Other local publications soon followed suit including newspapers and magazines from around the area. Florida Trend reported the story as did the national magazine Green Builder. In all, the verified coverage was equal to more than $7000 if we'd purchased the same amount of space as ads.

Remember that editors aren't there to give us free advertising, and getting news coverage isn't always easy. But if your news is something the public is interested in, your odds of getting covered are much higher.