How to elicit compelling quotes for your press release
Settling for the same old corporate blather is likely to send your ‘fascinating news’ right to the recycling bin. Check out these tactics for digging up interesting nuggets to entice journalists.
Maybe your CEO is impossible to get hold of, so it’s up to you to write something generic. Maybe you follow an old press release formula, so you wheel out the same bland quote, rehashed each time. Maybe your spokespeople are reluctant to speak out, unwilling to give an opinion or salient insight lest it rock the boat.
It’s amazing how little acclaim is given to the humble press release quote. It’s often maligned and wedged in as an afterthought or, worse, as filler. The truth is that a good quote can make or break your PR campaign.
Extracting even a paragraph of pertinent thoughts from senior executives can feel like trying to squeeze orange juice from a melon.
That leaves busy PR people flustered, frustrated and flailing around looking for something—anything—to pad out their release. It leads to canned, uninspiring quotes that take up valuable real estate and do nothing to advance your cause.
A good PR quote will draw readers into your story, provide a unique perspective and inject much-needed human context. This could mean the difference between getting your press release picked up-or not.
If coming up with quotes strikes fear into your heart, don’t panic. Here are best practices to help you elicit striking press release quotes:
What not to include:
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