This is the first in a series of articles I’m writing on the issue of tracking news releases. It’s a big issue and I’m hoping for some feedback on it. The primary income source for ZimmComm is our Talking News Release service so it’s very important to us as well as our clients.

Chapter 1

How many reporters used my news release? What kind of pickup do you get? Can I have a list of the stations that used my release?

These are a few of the questions we get asked all the time. However, while we would dearly love to provide a detailed listing of the reporters, stations and airtimes of the stories that included our client’s news releases, that’s just not possible or practical with broadcast radio news. It never has been, and even with the most sophisticated e-mail tracking system (which we have yet to find) we might be able to find out who takes a look, but not who actually uses it on the air.

However, there are some things we can control that will increase usage. Let’s start with the most basic factor that affects media use of a news release. Is the content of the release newsworthy? This is the most important reason why news releases get used or ignored by reporters. If you write a commercial then your release is probably going to be sent to the sales manager at the station or network who should contact you with rate information to purchase advertising. If the release is extremely complicated, long and filled with technical terms that can’t even be pronounced by the average person then it is likely to be ignored. However, if it’s newsworthy, well written, and pertinent to the reporter’s coverage area then it stands a much better chance of seeing airtime. . .(full article).