Summary: Tie a press release to the holiday shopping season in a UNIQUE WAY and you have an instant news hook that can make the difference between good coverage and no results at all.

The news hook is the idea a press release communicates, which illustrates the theme. It’s the most compelling part of a news release. It’s the main point.

A press release that gets consumed by its target audience always meets some basic news criteria. Consumers, search engines, journalists and PR Writers usually share some common ground on what determines “news.”

Incorporate one or more of the following news values to write an effective hook:

1. Consequence – Position your product as the alternative to this season’s, out of stock, must have item. For the past two years, I have personally witnessed parents ask a sales attendant for a Sony PlayStation, or Microsoft Xbox, and walk away with a Nintendo Game Cube because it was the only game console in stock. Woody Allen once said: “80 percent of success is showing up.” Take advantage of your competitor’s limited supply. Show up!
2. David and Goliath – This classical theme can be used to craft a news hook that shows how a small company effectively competes against larger companies with much deeper pockets. A local running shoe store in my area is beating all the major athletic retail chains by offering a more personal experience. For starters…everyone on the staff enjoys running. They measure everyone’s foot and use that information to find you the best shoe in the store for your style of running. And to top it off, they only carry running shoes with the highest ratings. Guess where I bought my shoes this summer.
3. Freshen Up – Change the Rules – Everything old is new again. Find a new use for your product. Or, better yet find a new target audience. Dutch Boy increased its sells by offering the same paint in a new container that proved to be more usable for consumers. Think iPod. Apple was a late entry into the MP3 player space, but they quickly captured the market share with an easier to use device that ties to an online music store.
4. Trendiness – Public has an endless interest for what is current, new, cool, or just “happening.” Tie your story to an emerging social trend in your market or industry. Scan for emerging trends and provide your insights on the subject for consumers and journalists to use. Press leads to more press.
5. Relevance – Tie your story to an even bigger story. The goal is to show how your brand (business, product or service) relates to what is grabbing the media’s attention right now.
6. Prominence – The VIP Effect – Use a newsworthy spokesperson to attract attention to your company’s activities. Turn your own staff or members into VIPs and give the media reason to come to your company for information.
7. Proximity – Localize your story to increase the news value of a release. “Only about a third of the material needs to be local, and local statistics can be just as helpful as local names,” according to the Publicity Handbook by David R Yale. Go local whenever possible.
8. Create Newsworthy Event – Generate publicity by staging an event that is designed to get you coverage. For example, organize a toy drive to collect new toys to give to less fortunate children. Sponsor an event in your community, i.e., winter festival.
9. Human Interest – Tis the season for giving. Show everyone how you are giving back this holiday season. It can be anyone in your company. What’s important is the action. In college I remember hearing about a group of dentists and volunteers giving up Christmas with their families and going to Mexico to offer their dental services for FREE to less fortunate people.
10. Sex and Romance – Sex always sells: romance burns in the winter too. Share some newsworthy information with your customers that they can use during Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, not just Valentines.

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Press Release Optimization: How to write an effective headline