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76 The PCB Magazine • April 2017 to accommodate new standards, accepted vo- cabulary, best practices and digital platforms. These guides help to ensure your news release is properly formatted and communicates essential content correctly. • Hitting Headlines: You're expending the resources to publicize a major accomplish- ment or new service. Don't be bland about it! Your headline should include a key bene- fit that is meaningful to your readership. The headline is critical to encouraging editors to consider your story for publication and entic- ing your customers and prospects to read the release itself. Note: Sub-headlines should also be considered to support the headline and sell the stor y. • Why Should I Care? This is the very first question that should be addressed before com- posing any news release. The "I" refers to your targeted readership. The news release should fo- cus upon facts that are truthful, understandable and relevant to your markets and customers. Don't dilute your message with secondary sub- ject matter. What if the news is applicable yet has a unique relevancy to more than one mar- ket or customer type? In some select cases, com- posing a separate news release with a different emphasis is highly beneficial. However, multi- releases must be carefully managed to safeguard your media and customer distributions against redundancy and furrowed eyebrows. • Consider Quotes: Quotes from senior management or an authority on the subject matter add further credibility. It also contrib- utes to creating thought leadership. However, puffery dulls the message, as does being overly commercial. Any quotes should introduce or further detail the key message and value propo- sition of your opening paragraphs. • Pictures Are Perfect: Photos, info- graphics or other images should be included and increase readership. If you're stating sta- tistics, make them stand out with a graphic. Given that the news release will be repurposed to differing degrees for other print and digital materials, such imagery is often easily transfer - able and informative for these complementary tactics. • Number Crunching Counts: Back- ing up your claims with data engages readers to keep reading! Percentages, ranges, and hard numbers all should be considered as part of your news release. • Cut the Corporate Commercials: Of course, you should include information about your company, but don't overdo it. Some compa- nies feel the necessity to elaborate on corporate divisions within the main release content. These mini-commer cials are sometimes introduced to appease the corporate brass or there is a very shaky assumption that it increases SEO. Instead, it potentially distracts readers who may become confused, tune out and stop reading altogether. Save the corporate background for the closing "About" section, also known as boilerplate. • Social Sharing: After publishing the news release on your website and distributing to targeted media, a brief announcement link- ing the news release to your company's social media channels is highly beneficial. When ap- plicable, also link the news release to relevant corporate blog articles. As previously stated, this drives visitors to your website and supports SEO. Furthermore, encourage team members to share these postings on their own channels. If you're introducing a study or guide, landing pages are often recommended to allow you to obtain visitors' contact information prior to lit- erature download. • Call to Action: Make sure to provide a dedicated email address for readers to request further information. The email address should be vigilantly managed by someone with the knowledge to respond to or forward inquiries for a timely response. • Proofread: You think you're finished with your masterpiece. Your adrenalin is pump- ing. You're aching with excitement to click that mouse and announce to the world your won- derful news. While counting down to blast-off, less than heroic flaws in grammar and terrible NASTY NEWS LELEASES