More bang for your marketing $$$: News releases that get noticed.

What do you do with junk mail? Do you delete it, toss it, or just ignore it– unless you see some benefit. Publication editors do the same. They toss, delete, or ignore news releases that don’t demonstrate a benefit for their audience.

Here are seven easy tips for writing releases that get picked up.

1. Make sure it’s newsworthy. What’s newsworthy? It needs to be timely, of interest to the publication’s audience, benefit-oriented, and substantive (that is, not self-serving, hype or fluff.)

2. Write a powerful headline. The headline will pull in the editor or leave her/him cold. Keep it short and descriptive, but make it interesting.

3. Use journalist style. Editors are looking for the facts, not fluff. Be sure to include the essentials: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.

4. Keep it brief. Editors are pressed for time and inundated with releases. Keep yours to 300-800 words. The headline and first two paragraphs are the most important parts of your release.

5. Avoid jargon. Even if you’re sending a release on a technical topic to a technical journal, resist the temptation to use acronyms. Spell it out! Use common language. It will make your releases more readable and accessible.

6. Proof it. The accuracy of your release – including spelling and grammar – reflects on your company. If you aren’t good at proofreading your own stuff, enlist someone else to do it.

7. Include a photo.  This isn’t a writing tip, but it’s good advic. Publications are looking for good quality visuals, so including a photo, illustration, chart or graph (with a caption, please) increases your chance of getting picked up.